Occupation Banker Grandchildren Dionisios Romas Children Sofia Zografou | Name Christakis Zografos Known for Benefaction | |
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Born 1820 Qestorat, Ottoman Empire (now in Albania) Nationality Greek ethnicity, Ottoman citizen Died August 19, 1898, Paris, France | ||
How to pronounce christakis zografos pronouncenames com
Christakis Zografos (Greek: Χρηστάκης Ζωγράφος; Turkish: Hristaki Zoğrafos; 1820 – 19 August 1898) was a Greek banker holding Ottoman citizenship, benefactor and one of the distinguished personalities of the Greek community of Constantinople (modern Istanbul).
Contents
- How to pronounce christakis zografos pronouncenames com
- Early years Career
- Benefaction
- Legacy
- References
Early years-Career
Zografos was born in the village of Qestorat in southern Albania (Northern Epirus), when the region was under Ottoman rule. He attended the Zosimaia School in Ioannina and then went to Istanbul to join his father's business there. He was initially a co-partner in a small money changing stand at Galata. During 1854-1881, Christakis became one of the major creditors of the Ottoman state. Zografos became one of the leading banker and financiers and president of the Ottoman capital's trolley company. He was awarded by three sultans and sat on the Imperial Board of Estimate and served as president of the Ecumenical Patriarchate's Clerico-Lay Advisory Board. Because of the social status he acquired among the society of the Ottoman capital he was widely known as Christakis Effendi (Lord Christakis).
Benefaction
Christakis Zografos donated huge fortunes and lavishly endowed educational and other community facilities to the Greek communities living in regions that belonged, at that time, to the Ottoman empire.
He offered an enormous amount of money for the erection of middle level schools in Constantinople, the one (Zographeion Lyceum) in the district of Beyoğlu (Pera) in Constantinople and the other a female school in Yeniköy on the Bosporus, both schools were called 'Zografeion' after him. Moreover, sponsored the rebuilding of a Greek library in the city. At the Universities of Munich and Paris he made an 1,000 Franc endowment for awards in the fields of Greek literature and history.
In his home place in Epirus he founded a male and female teachers college (Zographeion College) where the graduates became Greek language teachers. Zografos offered on annual base scholarships to 60 assiduous students (30 females and 30 males) that came from poor families, with complete coverage of their living costs.
Other grants went to the Patriarchate's Halki seminary on Heybeliada (Halki), while he was awarded with the Gold Cross of the Ecumenical Patriarch Joachim II.
His son Georgios Christakis-Zografos became a notable diplomat, politician and head of the Autonomous Republic of Northern Epirus (1914).
Legacy
During the Communist regime in Albania (1945–1992), Zografos and his son G. Christakis-Zografos, were stigmatised as 'enemies of the state'. Anyone from his home town who held the name 'Zografos' (whether relatives or not), was therefore persecuted. After 1992 however, the situation has changed. Today, the Zografeio school in Qestorati, founded by himself, has been renovated and has reopened as a museum.