At the Hinge of Europe: Panayotakis, Venice, and the Istituto Ellenico

Nikolaos M. Panayotakis had a persistent premonition of his impending death. More or less, this is what defined his objectives and activities in 1997. Because of an earlier arterial bypass operation, he knew that he needed to submit to a strict dietary and exercise regime, the latter giving him the incentive for long walks in Venice. We were privileged to follow him every afternoon to the outskirts of that city—the Giardini, the Arsenal—and from those different viewpoints to observe the city illuminated by early spring sunsets while listening to his commentary.

He ran the Istituto Ellenico with a firm supervisory hand controlling its administration and research. He lived like a Venetian, cultivating extensive contact with the city and its treasures. He knew where culinary delicacies were to be found, whether in the market or in restaurants (mostly unlisted in guidebooks of whatever color). Waiters who knew him would approach him and whisper that, say, moeche (deep fried baby mollusks, a delicacy) were available to the Direttore, or that today’s risotto was delicious and the local Pinot Grigio worth trying. All this, of course, was complemented by equally pleasant but semi-dietary meals at home prepared by his devoted wife, Elli.

Before anyone had the chance to wake up in the morning at the Istituto, he would cross the Ponte dei Greci to the small bar across the Rio dei Greci and enjoy his espresso while reading his Republica with the latest Italian and international news. The Istituto Ellenico di Studie Bizantini e Post-bizantini is centrally located, yet outside the din of San Marco and the swarms of tourists. On Sundays, all of us—students, researchers, and guests—would attend services at the Church of San Giorgio dei Greci with its sixteenth-century leaning campanile and would view exquisite Byzantine icons housed at the Museo dell’ Istituto Ellenico, the old Scuola di San Nicolo dei Greci. On a sunny day, Nikos and Elli would plant seasonal flowers in the courtyard of this charming group of buildings, an important center of Greek culture since the fifteenth century, when the Greek community settled in this part of Venice.

The Institute’s offices and library were always in a state of busy commotion. Books from all over the world were received every day while Institute publications were shipped abroad, and new computers and faxes were introduced to improve communication with the outside world. Institute students were always making appointments with the Director to talk about their individual research at the Venetian State Archives while he was preparing a number of conferences and speeches, and editing their contents. A real Renaissance man, Panayotakis was interested in everything during his stay in Venice; yet he focused on the Cretan-Venetian connection, so rich in history and archival material. His personal research derived substance from his knowledge of this unique resource and his masterful mining of it. Deep study of the Venetian connection provided Panayotakis with a breadth of interest that permitted him to see Greek culture with special lenses that could benefit those “in search of modern Greece” (a subject of some current interest, judging from recent articles in JMGS). It was a topic that Panayotakis “lectured” us on while we were in Venice. Some of his views may be seen in the selections from two of his lectures printed below.

Daily, Nikos would command us to see this or that site or painting: the twelfth- to thirteenth-century Byzantine Madonna and Child, of Santa Maria della Salute, brought from Crete by Francesco Morosini in 1669 as the Venetians were evacuating Candia (Iraklion) after succumbing to the twenty-five year Turkish siege, or the precious twelfth-century icon of the Virgin in the Chapel of the Madonna of Nicopeia in San Marco—the most venerated icon in the basilica, said to have been brought from Constantinople in 1204. These directives for visits to and exploration of worthwhile sites—Torcello, Padua, Ferrara—, and for use of the excellent research facilities at the Venetian State Archives and the Nationale Marciana, were invaluable...