St. George Cemetery

The cemetery is located at St. George street and is accessible through the garden of St. George church which was built in 1839. An inscription in the central sanctuary indicates the patron, the donors and the date of completion. The church has been altered by successive restorations, from 1857/58 till the beginning of the 20th century. The chapels of St. Thekla and St. Andrew were added at the sides of the Church. The marble temple of St. Thekla was made by sculptor I. Filippotis. The paintings are made by Fr. Desipris, D. Kostarakis and Emm. Psaltidis. North of the church you can see the ossuary.

The cemetery opened in 1834 and it has two grave categories: simple and monumental.

  • The first category, marble gravestones in parallel, are the tombs of the first settlers. The old inscriptions have been replaced or co-exist with newer. Their decoration is generally simple. In a few cases the imprinted jewelry represent symbols of the deceased's life (anchors, boats).
  • The second category includes tombstones which date back to around 1860 and are located in a separate area. They are arranged in four zones divided by aisles. They are a wonderful and rare set of sculptural and architectural works, which follow the principles of classicism, as expressed in the funerary monuments of Europe from the late 18th century by great sculptors such as the Italian Antonio Canona. You can see temples, sarcophagi and tombstones based on the ancient Greek and Roman models while death is usually represented by the pleasant forms of Angels. All the monuments have their own traits and beauty.

Here is a list of the most important ones, in the order they appear in the recommended route:

  1. Sarcophagus (1858). Grave of Vladimir Io. Antoniadis, a three year old child from Egypt, who died while his father was in Paris.
  2. Tomb-chapel of Anastasios Apostolidis (1869), made by Tinian sculptor K. Marmarinos, with Corinthian columns, pediments and the statue of an angel.
  3. Tomb of the warrior and captain Andreas Kosmas from Hydra with a headstone and decoration that tells his story: sailboat, medals, flags and swords. There is also a kneeling angel on the tombstone.
  4. Tomb-chapel of St. John. Proiou. Ionic style, made in 1857 and renovated in 1882.
  5. Mausoleum of Catherine Sk. Mavrokordatou, made by Eleftheriadis in 1902.
  6. Tomb-chapel of Elpidoforos Ladopoulos, work of G. Vitali in 1894. It is a sculpted bust of the deceased with angels holding the symbols of justice and angels with closed wings.
  7. Tomb Dim. Vafiadakis. The sarcophagus was made by sculptor G. Vitalis. A sad angel sitting on the tombstone.
  8. Tomb-chapel Emm. K. Tsiropina with a Doric portico, pediment and an elaborate iron door. Undated.
  9. Tomb-chapel of  Z.D. Petrokokkinou with Ionic columns and a marble pedestal.
  10. Tomb of merchant P.A Avgerinos. It is a sarcophagus with a winged angel. Undated.  Work of G. Vitalis.
  11. Tomb of Demetrios and Theodore Rodokanakis, sarcophagus decorated suggesting noble origin.
  12. Family tomb of Proiou and Krinou. Sarcophagus with a simple decoration, two female figures and inscriptions.
  13. Grave-obelisk of Emm. G. Psycha, 1888. There is an engraved flame and a medal.
St. George Cemetery, Ermoupoli, 841 00, Syros
2281082635