Greek President of the Republic Katerina Sakellaropoulou on Saturday inaugurated the restored home of celebrated Greek poet Constantine Cavafy in Alexandria, Egypt. The poet’s house, officially called the C.P. Cavafy’s House, has been undergoing restoration since 2022, a project funded by the Onassis Foundation.
In partnership with the Hellenic Foundation for Culture, the Onassis Foundation aimed to transform the residence where Cavafy spent much of his life and wrote much of his renowned poetry into an international cultural landmark.
Expressing her joy and emotion, Sakellaropoulou emphasized the meticulous execution of the project, stressing: “The enhancement of this space, where the spirit of Cavafy’s unique poetry still circulates, constitutes a significant contribution not only to the Greek community of Alexandria and to Greek scholars and admirers of Cavafy’s work, but also to the global community, which recognized in his verses a great poet of the 20th century.”
Greece’s head of state was accompanied by Culture Minister Lina Mendoni and Onassis Foundation Chairman Antonis S. Papadimitriou in a tour of the house, given by Marianna Christofi, the head of the Cavafy’s Archive.
The inauguration of Cavafy’s House in Alexandria follows the opening of the Cavafy’s Archive in November 2023. This initiative involved the acquisition, digitization and publication of Cavafy’s personal archive in Greek and English (available on cavafy.onassis.org), making it accessible online. Visitors to the Cavafy’s Archive, located in Athens’ old quarter district of Plaka, can explore notes, letters, manuscripts, photographs and personal items that belonged to the poet.
The Greek president of the republic is on an official visit to the Land of the Nile, with Egypt considered as a strategic partner of Greece.
