Seeing the walls with the monumental gate of the Holy City of Messolonghi, the thrill of emotion and pride is overwhelming. Next to the gate, a rock bearing the inscription “Every free man is a citizen of Messolonghi”, as well as a majestic, 5-meter-high statue of Liberty welcome the visitor to the world-renowned homeland of the Free Besieged.
Inside the wall and a few hundred meters away is the Garden of Heroes, a place of remembrance, strong symbolism and pilgrimage to self-sacrifice, solidarity, bravery and self-denial. The garden, lush green, silent and with an atmosphere of overwhelming reverence, is dotted with busts, marble votives and monuments (most of them of artistic interest) that pay tribute to hero-fighters, both Greeks and philhellenes, who fell fighting against the Turkish yoke. Highlights include the Tomb of the Heroes, with the holy relics of the fighters, the monument of Markos Botsaris and the statue of the philhellene and poet Lord Byron.
