Highlighting the magnitude of her intellectual contribution, personalities from the world of culture and public life bid farewell to Eleni Glykatzi-Areveler with the completion of the funeral service at the Athens Cathedral. Angela Gerekou, visibly moved, expressed her gratitude for the centenarian presence of the academic, noting that “we all feel and ought to feel grateful that life, God, Greece, blessed us for one hundred years with this remarkable spirit.”
She characterized the deceased as a woman who made all people feel proud as Greeks, emphasizing that she was “a citizen of the world, a mind filled with extraordinary creative intelligence and empathy.”
Eleni Glykatzi-Areveler: Tributes to her legacy
According to Mrs. Gerekou, Eleni Glykatzi-Areveler was a person of culture and life itself, who with her philosophical dimension “always provided answers or made you think about searching for all those things that concern humanity as existence.” Referring to their personal relationship, she noted that she felt blessed that in the last ten years she was granted a piece of her friendship, emphasizing that “I heard from her words that accompanied me and will accompany me all my life.”
The importance of her scientific legacy was highlighted by Lola Ntaifa, who described Areveler as “a Greek woman who enriched us all, not only with her knowledge, but also with her personality.” Ms. Ntaifa gave particular emphasis to the fact that the deceased “united Byzantium and told us that Byzantium is Greece and told us that today’s Greece is a continuation of Byzantium.”
In this way, as she explained, the leading Byzantinologist managed to overcome any questioning of the nation’s historical continuity, making “this great gift to her homeland” through her scholarship and love for the country. Ms. Ntaifa even shared a touching personal moment when she asked her if she wanted to be remembered as a great scientist or rector. Areveler’s response was disarming: “I am only Greek. That’s what I want you to remember.”
