Grigorios Maraslis (July 25, 1831 – May 1, 1907)

Grigorios Maraslis (July 25, 1831 – May 1, 1907)

Born in Odessa, but from roots in Thrace, he was a Greek merchant, national benefactor, philanthropist and politician, who served as Mayor of Odessa for 16 years.

At the time of his birth, the city of Odessa had a substantial population of Greeks, with Maraslis, serving as President of the Greek Community there.

Maraslis modernised the city of Odessa’s transportation links and infrastructure. He personally paid for the building of museums and libraries, while also providing for the needs of the Greek community of the city, such as educational facilities and old age facilities.

He also donated his money to opening numerous schools, libraries, art galleries, hospitals and other learning institutions all over the Greek World. In Athens, Constantinople, Thessaloniki, Corfu, Philippopoli and elsewhere.

He also paid for the statue of Patriarch Gregory V, which was erected in his home village of Dimitsana, Arcadia, who was lynched by the Turks in 1821 on Easter Sunday, was dragged through the streets by local Jews and then dumped into the Bosporus, before it was recovered by Greek sailors and brought to Odessa for a proper burial.

In 1917, 10 years after Maraslis death and with the outbreak of the Bolshevik revolution, his widow fled to Greece. Having no place to stay, she was given residence inside the Marasli Library, which had been built in Athens years earlier, through his monetary donation.