The Nation’s Awakening: PavlosMelas
Publications
In the publication entitled “The Nation’s Awakening: Pavlos Melas”, more than one hundred condolence letters are presented for the first time, which were received by Melas and Dragoumis families, when the news of the unexpected death of the Macedonian fighter Pavlos Melas became known.
The archive was donated to the Museum of the Macedonian Struggle by his granddaughter, Ms. Natalia Ioannidi, for its scholarly promotion and use. The publication was carried out on the initiative of the Ministry of National Defense, with the valuable support of the Museum of the Macedonian Struggle, while the entire cost of the publication was undertaken by CYCLOPS Non-Profit Organization of Drama.
The Chairman of CYCLOPS Non-Profit Organization, Mr. Aris Theodoridis, notes in his foreword:
“The heroic death of Second Lieutenant Pavlos Melas in the autumn of 1904 awakened the entire Hellenism and gave the impetus for new national struggles and for the liberation of Macedonia. The large number of condolence letters to the Melas and Dragoumis families, included in this publication, reveals the profound shock felt throughout the Greek world. This volume pays tribute to Pavlos Melas, as well as to all Greeks who fought the Great Struggle for the salvation of Macedonia”.
The volume publishes the original letters of prominent figures of the time, such as Konstantinos Mazarakis-Ainian, Germanos Karavangelis, Lakis Pyrzas, Athanasios Exadaktylos, Louisa Riancourt, Aikaterini Laskaridou, and Sophia Trikoupi. The publication also includes resolutions of municipalities, communities, associations, and numerous societies of the free, subjugated, and diaspora Hellenism of the early 20th century. Through these unique documents, the significance of Melas’s sacrifice is brought to light—an act of heroism that transformed the Macedonian Question into a national case.
Authors of this publication are Ms. StavroulaMavrogeni, Associate Professor at the University of Macedonia and Director of the Center for Research of Macedonian History and Documentation, and Dr. Konstantinos Papanikolaou, Modern History Doctorate. The philological editing of the publication was undertaken by Ms. FaniTsatsaia, Director of the Museum of the Macedonian Struggle Foundation, while the design was carried out by Ms. Marietta Panidou, associate of the Museum of the Macedonian Struggle.