This Thursday, Greece will commemorate 200 years of freedom after 400 years of Turkish and Ottoman Empire rule since the Greek Revolution of 1821.

“On March 25, our Greek American community in Tarpon Springs and Greeks all over the world will be celebrating Greek Independence Day and the 200^th Anniversary of when Greece regained its freedom and independence and democracy was restored to its birthplace,” said Chris Alahouzos, City of Tarpon Springs Mayor.

The SPC Tarpon Springs Campus will be lighting up the Michael and Evelyn Bilirakis building in blue and white on Thursday night to commemorate the day.

“This is a special day for the Greek community in Tarpon Springs, and we want to show our support,” said Rodrigo Davis, SPC Tarpon Springs Campus Provost.

Last year, SPC created a partnership with the University of Aegean in Rhodes, Greece, which has led to the creation of a Greece virtual abroad program planned for this Fall, which will be led by Professor David Liebert. Students will focus on a cross-cultural study of Greece and the City of Tarpon Springs. This course will involve spending a lot of the time in the City of Tarpon Springs and using platforms like Zoom to connect virtually with institutions and speakers in Greece. Students will also have the opportunity to experience virtual reality walking tours of different sites of Greece through our VR headsets, as well as having a cultural meal and excursion.

To learn more about the Greek Independence Day and its history, visit a link below:

• Ministry of Foreign Affairs Message: In celebration of the 200th anniversary of the start of the Greek Revolution, the Diplomatic and Historical Archive Service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs presents documents from its archival collection describing the course of the recognition of the new Greek state by the existing states during the Struggle and in the first years after, the establishment of diplomatic and consular relations with them and the establishment of a consular network.

• National Historical Museum in Athens

• Greek History: Figures and Events of the Greek Revolution

• Greek History: Philhellenism and the Beginning of the Struggle for Independence

• Greek History: The First Period of the Greek State: Kapodistrias and the Reign of Otto

• 200 YEARS WAR NAVY Video on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the Greek Revolution

• The Greek National Anthem in sign language, in the language of the Greek Deaf and Deaf

• Reflections on 1821″- “A discussion with historian Mark Mazower on the Greek Revolution

• British School at Athens: Address by King’s College London professor Roderick Beaton on “The Greek Revolution of 1821 in international context, 200 years on”