German philhellenes demolished a total of 247 Byzantine era churches in Athens in 1830s

[Onur]

I already knew that western European philhellenes destroyed all the traces of Ottoman era in Athens after 1821 but i didn't know that they gone that far by demolishing a total of 247 Byzantine era churches built before 15th century in Athens.

This quote is from a book called "Hellenisms" written by Katerina Zacharia;


http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s43/truemacedonian/Hellenism/hel305a.png
http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s43/truemacedonian/Hellenism/hel306.png
http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s43/truemacedonian/Hellenism/hel306a.png
http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s43/truemacedonian/Hellenism/hel307.png
http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s43/truemacedonian/Hellenism/hel307a.png

http://www.amazon.com/Hellenisms-Identity-Ethnicity-Antiquity-Modernity/dp/0754665259



A German architect of the king of Bavaria, Leo Von Klenze was responsible from the transformation of Athens from an Albanian town to the capital city of the neo-hellenic state in 1820s. After cleansing the city from all the Ottoman and Byzantine era monuments, Bavarian architect says that they cleansed the city from the remains of barbarity by demolishing a total of 247 Byzantine era churches in just few years after neo-hellenic state`s independence.

I knew that the western European philhellenes was criticizing Byzantine era and the later Phanariots of Ottoman era but nevertheless, this was a surprise to me. It appears like they did whatever they desired in their neo-hellenic laboratory of Greece.

[Queen B]

I've lost count of how many posts wannabe-Greeks made about Greece:bored:

[Graus]

You are welcome?