The Modern Evzones – A Journey of Gratitude and Reflection

To my dear friends and family,

It’s hard to believe that six months have passed since my last note — six months that have felt more like life in the express lane than even the fast one. Since what was, for me, the happiest moment of the year, life has moved at a breathtaking pace.

In that time, many of us have shared life’s full spectrum — from moments of great joy to those of deep challenge, and everything in between.

Part of my quiet this spring and summer was due to a personal matter involving a war, the extraction of 90 individuals, and the complex aftermath that followed. Though I won’t go into detail here, please know that through it all, I carried each of you with me in thought and gratitude.

I would now like to take this moment to extend my deepest thanks to all of you for your unwavering faith and support — in me, and in The Modern Evzones – Guardians of Tradition exhibition. After returning to New York from Athens, life swept forward quickly, but I could not let another moment pass without expressing my heartfelt appreciation.

---

To My Family and Friends

To my beloved family and friends — Jacqueline, Petrus, Aunt Lisa, Uncle Jim, Deb, Ray, Kat, Uncle Frankie, my brother KC, my Koumbara Effie, my beautiful goddaughter Christina, and my exceptional mother Katie — thank you for traveling over 5,000 miles from the U.S. to stand by my side. From dress fittings and cake pickups to hanging every frame, your hands and hearts made this exhibition possible.

To my friends and family across Attica, thank you for taking the time to be there with me — your presence meant everything!! To Eleni Kourtesi, my “Athenian mother,” your steadfast support and guidance leading up to the event were invaluable. Heartfelt thanks also to Ioanna Vita and Eleni for the beautiful flowers that so gracefully beautified the room.

Christiana with her family and friends on opening night at the Athens War Museum.

---

With Deep Gratitude

To the Office of the Military for the President of Greece, thank you for the honor of a lifetime — allowing me to accompany and photograph the Evzones. My gratitude also extends to the Commanders, past and present, for your faith in my vision.

To Father Stylianos Markantois, Protopresbyter of the Holy Church of the All-Great Taxiarchis of the Amalieion Orphanage and Chaplain of the Evzones — thank you for your reverent blessing of the exhibition and for the grace you brought to all in attendance.

To the Board of the Syllogo of the Evzones — President Nikos Gavrilakis, Vice President Dimitris Poutouris, and Consul Member Ioannis Monoguios — thank you for your unwavering support and respect. Special thanks to Nikos for his deeply moving remarks on opening night, and to Dimitris for helping share the exhibit so widely.

To AF Lt. Gen. Konstantinos Karamesinis, President of the War Museum, and the Museum’s Board — thank you for allowing me to host an exhibition that celebrated the Hellenic Spirit not only in Athens but also in New York, home to the world’s largest Greek Diaspora. Your kind opening words set the tone for an unforgettable evening.

L-R: Christiana with the Board of the Syllogo of the Evzones and Current Commander, Fr. Stylianos bestowing his blessings, and President Nikos giving his remarks.

---

I am deeply grateful to Ria Zerovou and Karina Bishkova for their artistry in hair and makeup, making us feel so glamorous; to Rita Pateroni for bringing my dress design to life, beautifully showcasing the Greek traditional kendima; to Liana Iordanou and her team at the Urban Stripes Athens for being a welcoming home away from home; to Dipnosofistirion Catering for a sumptuous and delicious catering display; and to Kosmidis Bakery for creating a masterful celebration cake in the shape of a tsarouchi, a true work of art!

Sponsors and Media

To all who cheered me on from near and far — especially my sponsors, whose faith in me and commitment to preserving Hellenic heritage made everything possible — I am profoundly grateful.

Sponsors include: AHEPA — with special thanks to Nicholas A. Karacostas and Basil N. Mossaidis, The Benevolent Society of Eleftheriani, The Chian Federation of New York, The Doulaveris / Breidbart Family, Hermes Realty & Associates LTD., The Kourtesis Family, The Lygnos Family, The Metis Family, The Nafpaktian Brotherhood, The Nicolopoulos / Tsiboukis Family, George Seretis / Trublooms, The Spadola Family, Katherine Vasilas, Marianthi Vlahos / Hellenic Aesthetic, and Kyriakos Christos Xerovasilas.

To the media and press — Stellene Volandes of Town & Country, Kathimerini, This Is Athens, The National Herald, The Kohas Agency, The Hellenic Initiative, Kalo Mina, and BestNewsGR — thank you for helping share my work and amplify the story of the Evzones and the Hellenic Spirit.

---

To the Evzones

To the Evzones, past and present — your humility, honor, reverence, and patriotism are the reason you are living national symbols. Photographing you has been the greatest honor of my life. Watching your pride as you revisited those captured moments, with your fellow Evzones and families, was among my most cherished memories.

Whether standing atop the Acropolis as the flag is raised, guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, participating in the Olympic Flame Handover Ceremony, or walking solemnly on Good Friday — you embody freedom, faith, and the eternal soul of Greece.

The exhibition would not have been complete without the moving narratives of the fifteen current and former members of the Proedriki Froura: Nikolaos Apostolidis, Konstantinos Charalampidis, Sotiris Iliou, Georgios Kakouros, John Karmiris, Konstantinos Kapsalis, Vasilis Karavotas, Charalampos Kontomitros, Marios Koilanitis, Vasileios Myriounis, Konstantinos Papadimos, Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos, Xenofon Trachanis, George Tsioulos, and Paul Zahariadis. Your reflections gave life to each image. A special note of thanks to John Karmiris and Nikos Panagiotopoulos for their extraordinary help — from installation to arranging viewing opportunities for current Evzones.

L-R: Christiana with her Goddaughter Christina and the Evzones, Christiana with the former Evzones who helped narrate the exhibit, Christiana with Maria and Konstantinos Heliotis (former Evzone), Christiana with current Evzone Nikos Papagiatopoulos, and with Panagiotis Kartsonakis, the former Evzone who was featured in Christiana's photograph selected by the Kathimerini to be in the special Independence Day magazine.

---

Reflections on Independence

I often think back to 2021, when Greece marked 200 years of independence — a milestone muted by the pandemic. Our parade in New York was postponed to 2022, when the Evzones once again marched up Fifth Avenue, greeted by shouts of “Ζήτω η Ελλάδα!” and “Μπράβο στα παλικάρια μας!”

It was then I set out to capture the enduring spirit of Hellenism through their lens. That journey has since taken us from the Consulate of Greece in New York to Athens, and back again — a beautiful testament to unity across oceans.

I would also like to thank the 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025 Greek Independence Day Parade Committees — especially Philip Christopher, Fr. Evagoras Constantinides, Peter Vlitas, and my good friend - Konstantinos Ouranitsas — for giving me the opportunity to document the Evzones as they brought pride and joy to our Greek-American communities.

---

As the proud granddaughter of Greek refugees from Asia Minor, and of the Greeks of Elatou and Eleftheriani, Nafpaktos— whose village was always free — and of the warrior Greeks of Mani, this exhibition is a love letter to our homeland. It is dedicated to the living symbols of Hellenism and Orthodoxy, and to the memory of our ancestors whose cry of “Ελευθερία ή Θάνατος” still resounds in our hearts today.

To the Evzones — I’ve said it before, but one more time for good measure — thank you for allowing me to capture you as the humble, noble Modern Evzones and true Guardians of Tradition that you are.

Our journey together is far from over. I am endlessly grateful for every moment of it.

With love and blessings,

Christiana

Photographer, The Modern Evzones – Guardians of Tradition

L-R: Christiana recieving her first camera at the age of 3, some years later dressed in the traditional Amalia costume outside St. Nicholas Shrine Church of Flushing, in 2024 with former Commander Lt. Col. Ilias Karmiris and the Evzones outstide the Panathenaiko Stadium moments before the 2024 Olympic Flame Handover Ceremony.