His Beatitude Theodoros II, Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa expressed enormous gratitude for the contribution made by the Alexandrian Library to the world, a space for God and knowledge, as he said, characteristically, addressing its Director Dr. Mostafa El Feki, during the great event of the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the Centre of Hellenistic Studies in Alexandria.
And speaking of the fact that the Holy Family passed through Egypt and because the symbol of the Alexandrian Church is a lion, he awarded him the Golden Lion of the Order of Alexandria.
I pray always that the Library of Alexandria will offer the world the light, that light that Alexander the Great dreamt of, when he established this great city.
“I commend you on your work and for whatever you do for ordinary human beings. May God bless you”, stressed the Patriarch of Alexandria to the Director of the Library of Alexandria, while Mr. El Feki expressed his intense emotion, emphasizing that this honourable distinction – which he did not expect, as he stated – is a unique event for himself as well as for the Alexandrian Library.
At the same time the Alexandrian Primate spoke with words of love also for the work of Mrs Marianna Bardinogianni, through whose initiative the Centre for Hellenistic studies in Alexandria was founded 10 years ago, referring mainly to her work for sick children.
At the great event for the Library of Alexandria, which was dedicated to the tenth anniversary of the Centre for Hellenistic Studies, as well as to the Good Will Ambassador Mrs. Marianna Bardinogianni, for her enormous contribution to this global cultural organization of the Land of the Nile, Theodoros the Patriarch of Alexandria “a great friend of the Library” as he defined him, Mrs. Bardinogianni and the noble guests, warmly welcomed the Director of the Library Dr. Mostafa El Feki, emphasizing the tremendous role played by Mrs Marianna Bardinogianni in the founding of the Centre for Hellenistic Studies of the Library of Alexandria.
For his part, Theodoros II, Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa, hailed the ten years since the founding of this important cultural institution of the Library of Alexandria which unites Greece and Egypt, with the great support of the “Marianna B Bardinogianni” Institute, the Library of Alexandria, The Onassis Institute and the University of the City.
“In the ten years that it has been in operation, this unique center of Hellenistic Studies offers the unique opportunity to young people from all over the world, from Europe, Egypt, the Middle East to study the achievements of Hellenistic Alexandria,” pointed out the Alexandrian Primate with satisfaction.
Patriarch Theodoros emphasized that “the Patriarchate of Alexandria embraces the ten year initiative because it is connected with the Alexandrian area and the history that it bears, since it is the only institution that operates continuously and connects Hellenistic Alexandria with the present,” honoring the Director of the Library of Alexandria, Dr. Mostafa El Feki, with the Medal of the Golden Lion of the Order of the Second Throne Patriarchate.
“Relations between Greece and Egypt are ancient”, Dr. El Feki pointed out, noting the statement of Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos, when he met him recently in Athens, that “Alexandria was the most important city in Ancient Greece”. Therefore, “every time we meet in Alexandria, it is a great celebration of our ancient relations,” the director of the Library of Alexandria, Dr. Mostafa El Feki pointed out.
On her part, Mrs. Marianna Bardinogianni’s emotion was clear, seeing that the Center of Hellenistic Studies was completing its tenth year anniversary, an organization that was created on her own initiative, a date that – as he said – has remained always in her heart and it is a work for the next generations.
“As a Greek, but as a citizen of the world, I feel proud of Hellenistic Alexandria,” stressed Mrs. Bardinogianni, expressing her satisfaction with the valuable knowledge and degrees that the Center of Hellenistic Studies of Alexandria provided to young people from all over the world took delight in Hellenic Civilization.
It was preceded by a touching video that presented all the work of Mrs. Bardinogianni, with the Director of the Alexandrian Library awarding her medals, and expressing the gratitude of the entire International Cultural Organization, giving her a souvenir with enormous meaning, to remind her of her own contribution to the Alexandrian Library.
Mrs. Bardinogianni warmly thanked the President of the Greek Department of Friends of the Library of Alexandria, as well as the Vice-President of the Department, the Greek-Egyptian Mrs. Aikaterini Sofianou Bellefanti.
Note the announcement made, in the past ten years, 135 post-graduate students attended the Center for Hellenistic Studies of the Library of Alexandria, which translates on average to 13 post-graduate students per year. Even more encouraging were the statistics for the recent five-year period, as 91 students were accepted, meaning 18 per educational year. It is also worth mentioning that 22 students obtained their degree, 23 students completed their post-graduate studies in the Hellenistic field. In the mosaic of the whole project, a series of at least 50 events of the center should be added, which over the years have been working with at least twenty Universities, most of them from 8 European Countries, to promote the global level of Hellenistic Studies.
Finally, it was announced that from this academic year, curricula will be provided for the awarding of PhD titles.
In this great event of the Library of Alexandria, many dignitaries from many countries were present, while Greece was represented by the Greek Ambassador, Mr. Nikolaos Garilidis (who was particularly welcomed by the Director of the Library in his official address, emphasizing his Egyptian origins), the Consul General of Greece in Alexandria, Mr. Athanasios Kotsionis, and from the community, the President of the Greek Fellowship of Alexandria, Mr. Edmondos Kassimatis.
