Museums in Greece

 The Benakis Museum in Athens

The Benaki Museum ranks among the great benefactions which have enriched the material assets of the Greek state. At the same time, it is the oldest museum in Greece, which functions as a Foundation under Private Law.

Through its extensive collections covering several different cultural fields, as well as its more general range of activities which serve more than one social need, the Benaki Museum is perhaps the sole instance of a complex structure within the wider network of museum foundations in Greece.

The Museum’s founder is Antonis Benakis, scion of one of the leading families of the Greek diaspora, was born in Alexandria in 1873. Benakis began his career as a collector in Alexandria, gradually reaching the decision to donate his collections to the Greek state, an idea which became reality after he settled permanently in Athens in 1926.

Visit the site of the Benakis Museum in Athens

Kompoloi, the Greek WorryBeads – The Athens museum of Kompoloi

Kompoloi is the Greek word for worry beads and it comes from the phrase: “kompo-leo”, which means “in each knot, I say a prayer”.

By the time, the knots or the cores were replaced by amber, which is said to encompass energy. Amber is considered by many civilizations to have the ability to relax the nervous system and to have beneficial effects in the illnesses of thyroid.

In Europe, worry beads were propagated by the Crusaders, while in Greece they became famous by the Turks who used them as accessories for their relaxation.

In Greece, worry beads (kompoloi) initially were used by “outcasts” and generally those who had plenty of time for relaxation, leisure, vacancy. By the time worry beads became more and more major symbols of valor and prestige. Today, during the century of speed, information and intensive production, worry beads can be advisable accessories for both men and women, as they can become a good way for relaxation and giving up the bad habits.

Read more about the Museum of Kompoloi in Athens