Theodora of Greece is the royal bride of autumn and in just three days she will become a married woman. d Of the five children that Kings Constantine and Ana MarÃa had, she was the only one left to marry and he is finally going to achieve it after the ceremony has been postponed twice and there has been a pandemic involved. The chosen place is the Cathedral of the Annunciation of Saint Mary of Athens, better known as the Metropolitan, the same one where his parents and uncles, Kings Juan Carlos and SofÃa, were married. It will be a link loaded with winks to the ‘yes, I want’ that have been carried out in the Helena Royal Family and in magnificent settings that will show all the beauty and impressive Athenian culture. We tell you, one by one, the places where all the celebrations will take place.
The pre-wedding dinner, in a Byzantine museum
Although she does not reside in Greece, King Philip’s cousin wants her wedding to serve to show the attractions of the homeland of her ancestors, the cradle of Western civilization. The Princess and her fiancé, American lawyer Matthew Kumar, will gather 250 guests at the Byzantine and Christian Museum of Athens. It is one of the most important art galleries dedicated to Byzantine culture in the world, which has icons, mosaics, ceramics, sculptures, inscriptions, miniatures, frescoes, architectural elements, manuscripts and ecclesiastical garments spanning from the 4th to the 20th centuries. . . In total, it has more than 25,000 objects organized in collections that come mainly from Greece, Asia Minor and the Balkans.
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This place contains objects from the Byzantine and post-Byzantine heritage of Greece, including a 4th century marble statuette of a shepherd with a ram on his shoulders, a 4th century marble relief with the representation of Orpheus playing the lyre and surrounded by animals, a 13th century marble plaque depicting the birth of Christ. Also an icon showing a crucifixion with the Virgin Mary and Saint John. The post-Byzantine part focuses on Venetian and Ottoman art and objects from the independence of Greece in 1830.
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It was the Christian Archaeological Society, directed by Georgios Lambakis, that created a collection in 1884 that was housed between 1893 and 1923 in the National Archaeological Museum of Athens. At the same time, in 1914 the Byzantine Museum had been founded with works from purchases, donations and objects from Greek monasteries and communities that had disintegrated abroad. Years later, the art gallery moved to Villa Ilisia, a residential complex that was equipped to house the works of art. After the Second World War, a new hall was built and temporary exhibitions began to be organized. Already in 1980, the process of expansion and modernization of the room began and in 2004 a new exhibition was ready.
© GTRESThe Orthodox ceremony in the most important cathedral of the dynasty
The next day, Saturday afternoon at 5:30 p.m. local time, Theodora will go to the center of Athens arm in arm with her older brother and godfather, Prince Paul, current head of the Hellenic Royal House after the death of her father. The Princess will be married in an Orthodox ceremony that will take place in the Cathedral of the Annunciation of Saint Mary, known as the Metropolitana, located in Mitrópolis Square in the Plaka neighborhood, in the historic center of the city.
The imposing building began to be erected on Christmas 1842 and it was King Otto I who laid the first stone. It is built with material from old demolitions of 72 churches and the works lasted twenty years. Finally, it was consecrated on May 21, 1862 and dedicated to the Annunciation. Inside, it has three naves separated by double columns under arches and topped by a dome. Inside there are two tombs of holy martyrs of the Greek Orthodox Church, murdered by the Turks during the occupation in Greece: Saint Philothea of ​​Athens (patroness of the city) and the Patriarch of Constantinople, Gregory V. The interior decoration is rich in icons.
Within its walls, the Greek Royal Family has lived the happiest and also the saddest moments in its recent history. Kings Juan Carlos and SofÃa were married there on May 14, 1962, and two years later v It reached its greatest splendor with the wedding of King Constantine and the then Danish princess Anne Marie. (Princess Theodora’s parents) which was attended by representatives of all the European and Arab Royal Houses. It was the only wedding of a Hellenic monarch that has been held inside.
More recently, On October 23, 2021, Prince Phillipos, youngest son of Constantine II, married Nina Flohr in the cathedral. The Helena Royal Family, Queen Sofia, Infanta Elena, Princess Irene of Greece, Princess Benedicta of Denmark and Beatrice and Eugenia of York, among other members of royalty, attended the wedding.
© One&OnlyA luxury ‘resort’ on the beach for the wedding banquet
After becoming husband and wife, Theodora from Greece and Matthew Kumar along with the rest of their loved ones will move to the five-star One&Only hotel on Glyfada beach, less than 20 kilometers from Athens. It is a dream enclave overlooking the Aegean Sea that has a mid-century design that evokes the golden age of the Athenian Riviera. This resort It also has private villas with swimming pools and is surrounded by 21 hectares of protected forest in which there are also archaeological remains.
All rooms have natural light and offer privileged views of the sea through a private terrace with decoration with simple, clean lines with stone and local woods to evoke the tranquility of vacation. It also has bright bungalows with a private pool and surrounded by sun loungers.
Decades ago, this location was the iconic beach club Asteria which had its greatest heyday and popularity in the 60s and 70s. It was the favorite of actors, musicians and other stars and in it Kings Juan Carlos and Sofia. Organize one of your wedding celebrations. In this hotel, the brunch with which the bride and groom will say goodbye to their guests on Sunday.
