Not Just a Cemetery
For nearly 25 years, I’ve walked the same path through the Athens First Cemetery —not as a tourist, but as a daughter. Early on, I realized this place was different. It’s the grandest cemetery in metropolitan Athens—and arguably in all of Greece. Think of it as the Père Lachaise of Athens: a resting place for prominent Greek families, artists, writers, and statesmen, rich with sculptural artistry.
And yet, for all those years, I only saw the memorials lining my personal route to my family’s tomb. I never wandered the other paths or paused to admire art and explore its history —until now.
Thanks to Instagram (credit where credit is due), I came across the City of Athens Festival. Among its many events was a cemetery tour titled “First Cemetery of Athens: An Open-Air Sculpture Gallery II.” Its tagline? “Beyond the ‘Sleeping Female Figure’.” That figure refers to the famous sculpture by Yannoulis Chalepas, created for the tomb of Sofia Afentaki. If you’re curious about Chalepas and his tragic, fascinating life, I recommend this Greek-language podcast by Aris Dimokidis.
Classical Reflections
Our tour began at the grave of Elizabeth Wekberg, sculpted by Christian Siegel, a German artist who came to Greece as a collaborator of architect Hans Christian Hansen. Siegel later became a professor at the School of the Arts in Athens, which eventually evolved into the Athens School of Fine Arts. He trained local marble sculptors, passing down techniques still visible in the cemetery’s tombs today.
Wekberg’s tomb has a pointed top, referencing the shape of ancient Greek tombs. It features a male mourning spirit crowned with poppies—a nod to the flower’s sleep-inducing properties and the ancient belief that death is akin to sleep. The figure holds an upside-down torch, its faint flame symbolizing life’s end. In mythology, Persephone carried a torch into the underworld. An owl, a nocturnal bird, rests at the lower left, while a cross and ivy at the top symbolize resurrection and eternal life.
Nearby, we visited a tomb by the Fitali Brothers, Siegel’s students. Its design echoes the ancient gravestones found in the Kerameikos archaeological site. It portrays a mourning woman approaching a grave — an image rooted in classical funerary art.
The Yiotis family tomb stood out with its canopy (or ciborium) design covering a rectangular base. In 1930, Ioannis and Maria Yiotis founded YIOTIS S.A., the first company in Greece to produce baby food from locally grown crops like corn and rice. The tomb was created by Jacob Malakates, another of Siegel’s students, and bears the inscription “J. Malakates created” (Ιάκωβος Μαλακατές επίοιει), mimicking the signature format used by sculptors in antiquity.
One relief depicts a woman and child approaching a man who touches the woman’s shoulder—yet she doesn’t acknowledge him, suggesting he belongs to the world of the dead. The blending of life and death in a single moment is a recurring theme in ancient funerary art.
At the Pantos family tomb, we encountered a female statue reminiscent of a Caryatid. Created by George Vroutos, it likely symbolizes faith or religion. The sculpture fuses Christian and classical elements and features blank, introspective eyes—a stylistic choice rooted in ancient aesthetics.
The Voukras family tomb offers a darker symbol: an owl perched on a broken cross, sculpted by Michael Tobros. Beneath it lies a skull—memento mori, a stark reminder of death’s inevitability.
Symbols of the Soul
We came across another mourning spirit at the memorial of Kyriakos Koumbaris and his son. Koumbaris was a member of the Filiki Etairia (Society of Friends), a secret organization founded in Odessa in 1814 with the goal of ending Ottoman rule in Greece. Here, the mourning spirit takes a female form. She holds an upside-down torch, from which a butterfly emerges—a delicate symbol of the soul (psyche). The Malakate brothers crafted this memorial, as they did the Yiotis tomb.
Chalepas’ famed sleeping female figure may be the cemetery’s most iconic sculpture, but it’s not the only one. On the Stamboltzi family tomb, we found another sleeping woman, sculpted by George Bonanos. Her pose is so lifelike she seems poised to wake at any moment—a powerful expression of stillness and presence.
Bonanos also created the statue on the Livieratos family tomb. It depicts a winged female figure representing the soul, reportedly modeled on the sculptor’s own daughter. Religious elements are woven into the piece: she holds a cross, and beneath her is the inscription, “The soul is the ruler and the lamp that guides the body.” Folded newspapers lie on either side—a subtle nod to the family’s legacy, as it was recorded in the press.
At the Dimitrakopoulos family memorial, our guide introduced a work where love and death are entwined, echoing classical themes. The statue is a mourning female figure—completely nude. This sensual yet sorrowful portrayal reflects a Romantic-era trend (1800–1910) in European sculpture.
Prominent Figures
One of the tour’s most striking tombs belonged to Konstantinos A. Stathatos, a shipowner from Ithaka. His brother Othon, the more well-known figure in the family, owned the mansion that now houses the annex of the Museum of Cycladic Art on Vasilissis Sofias Avenue. While researching, I stumbled upon a bilingual blog about the family and even uncovered Nora’s story—Konstantinos’ daughter, whose name appears first on the tomb I photographed.
The tomb itself is built in a canopy (ciborium) style, sheltering a sarcophagus adorned with ancient Greek swastikas—a symbol of eternity.
Next, we visited the tomb of Heinrich Schliemann—entrepreneur, amateur archaeologist, and the man who unearthed Troy. His monument is modeled after the Temple of Athena Nike on the Acropolis. Scenes from the Trojan War and Schliemann’s excavations are etched into the marble, along with depictions of artifacts discovered during his digs.
The Panagis Harokopos tomb is more understated in style but no less significant. Sculpted by George Bonanos, it features a realistic statue of Harokopos himself. A visionary benefactor, he championed education—especially for women—and helped modernize Greek agriculture and crafts. He also founded Harokopios School, which eventually became Harokopio University.
The Negreponte family tomb features a sarcophagus inspired—according to our guide—by the one believed to belong to Alexander the Great. The poet and journalist Kostas Ouranis is buried here, alongside his wife Eleni, a member of the Negreponte family. On the tomb is an inscription by Ouranis: “Then the dead die, when they are forgotten.” As our guide pointed out, we resurrected these lives and stories—if only for a moment—by pausing to remember them.
Finally, we reached the cemetery’s most elaborate tomb: the Zografos family memorial. Sadly, it’s currently obscured by scaffolding. Christakis Zografos, the family patriarch, was a 19th-century banker in Istanbul. Born in what is now southern Albania, he played a pivotal role in funding education across Greece, Albania, and the Ottoman capital. The sculptor modeled the tomb on the Medici tomb in Florence—a fitting choice, given the shared legacy of banking and cultural influence.
Art Repeats Itself
The Anditsaki family tomb (above left) features a statue of Christ sculpted by George Papagiannis—a direct replica of Thorvaldsen’s famous work in Copenhagen’s cathedral. My husband recognized it immediately (he even had a photo); I, on the other hand, had no memory of it. Amusingly, we found the same statue by the same sculptor just a few rows away (above right).
As our guide pointed out, sculptors didn’t just borrow from each other—they often repeated their own creations. After all, the client always gets what they want.
Closing Thoughts
The artistry of the Athens First Cemetery struck me as I walked through it. The memorials preserve layers of history, memory, and commerce. These tombs are quiet museums; each statue has a story. Now I’m more eager than ever to explore this open-air sculpture gallery whenever I visit my own family’s plot.
Have you ever visited a cemetery that felt more like an open-air museum? Which sculpture or story stayed with you the most? I’d love to hear what resonated with you!
