On Monday, 1 July 2024, the 48th International Byron Conference of the International Association of Byron Societies will begin, under the title “Byron: The Pilgrim of Eternity.” The event is organized by the Byron Society of the Holy City of Messolonghi, under the auspices and with the support of the Ministry of Culture. The official opening ceremony will take place in the Grand Hall of the Main Building of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, featuring welcoming remarks and speeches by distinguished scholars and academics.

On 20 October 1827, the Battle of Navarino took place off the western coast of Messenia, marking one of the most significant military events in 19th-century history. In the Gulf of Pylos (known as Navarino in Venetian times), the combined naval forces of England, France, and Russia successfully defeated the Turkish-Egyptian fleet, destroying it completely.

A few weeks later, news of the naval battle and the victorious outcome spread throughout Europe and America, causing a worldwide sensation. The enthusiasm for the victory was so great that islands, capes, and even cities in various parts of the world—thousands of kilometers away from Messenia—were named Navarino.

Navarino Island in Patagonia

Sign in Puerto Navarino, Chile (Source: Google Maps)

However strange it may seem, a small island in Patagonia, South America, is called Isla Navarino. The island belongs to Chile and is located between Tierra del Fuego and Cape Horn, across from Antarctica. Isla Navarino was named in 1828 by two officers of a British exploratory expedition that was conducting hydrographic surveys in the area at that time. Philip Parker King and Robert Fitzroy were aboard the ship, gazing at the island—which was unknown to them—when they received news of the victory at the Battle of Navarino. They were so delighted by the news that they decided to name it Navarino even before they had charted its coastline.

The town of Greece’s logo in the U.S. (Source: Town of Greece - Facebook)

When news of the outbreak of the Greek Revolution reached the U.S., Americans were excited and moved by the struggle of the enslaved Greeks. In their eyes, modern Greeks were the descendants of the glorious Ancients, which is why they provided significant assistance, both financially and militarily. American philhellenism was so intense that they named American towns after places associated with the Greek Revolution and Greece. One such town is Greece, which was founded in March 1822.

Nowadays, Greece is located in Monroe County, New York, and is essentially a suburb of Rochester, the county's capital. It is bordered to the east by the Genesee River and to the north by Lake Ontario. It has a population of 96,100, whose residents are primarily engaged in commerce and industry.

American philhellenism played a significant role in bringing the Greek Struggle for Independence to the world’s attention and supported the Revolution of 1821 on political, ideological, and economic levels. The contribution of the Philhellenes from the U.S. was so significant that their names have been indelibly etched into many history books. Nearly two hundred years after the start of the Greek Revolution, their memory and presence in Athens remain “alive” to this day! Every day we can “encounter” them all around us in the Greek capital, as there are streets, a school, and a monument named after well-known American philhellenes.

Hill Street and Hill School

Οδός Χιλλ στην Πλάκα (Πηγή: Google maps)

Hill Street and Hill School are named after John Henry Hill (John Henry Hill), an American philhellene missionary from Columbia, who came to Athens with his wife and carried out extensive social and educational work.