Column of the 28th of October
The Column of the 28th of October is located in the homonymous square, in the center of Pano Paphos and next to the impressive neoclassical public buildings of Griva Digeni Avenue.
A work erected by the municipality in memory of the WWII fighters who fell in Albania in 1940- 1941, the Column of the 28th of October is a towering marble column of Ionic rhythm, which is based on an elevated square base. At its four corners there are carved small pillars with Ionic capitals, while on each side of the base are mounted four votive plates. In fact, one writes the historical phrase of Winston Churchill, who said in 1941: “From now on, we will not say that the Greeks fight like heroes, but we will say that the heroes fight like Greeks.”
The Column of the 28th of October with the homonymous square, as well as the Pavilion of the Sleeping Eros at Kostis Palamas square, were formed in the late 1940s. The area is ideal for city tours and bustling with life as there are many picturesque taverns, cafes, restaurants and bars, while the neoclassical buildings give a nostalgic Greek touch to the visitor’s walk.
Among the great buildings of the street are Nicolaideio Gymnasium of Paphos, Dimitrios Elementary School, Archbishop’s Makarios III Lyceum, Propylaea of Iacovio Gymnasium, Paphos Municipal Library and the Municipal Palace (Town Hall of Paphos). All these buildings belong to a transitional period of Paphos, from a rural community to an urban center at the time of the British domination, and when the link with the Greek element was important. The three architects, enthusiasts of neoclassicism, Andreas Hadtzidimitriou, Theodoros Fotiadis and Andreas Christodoulidis, from the late 19th to the late 20th century, in the construction of these buildings used a unified architectural style, the strong local character, the simplicity of the edifices and the economy in the use of decorative morphological elements for the buildings.
Finally, as it is evident, every 28th of October and after the end of prayer in the cathedral of Agios Theodoros of Paphos, which is led by the Metropolitan, a memorial ceremony and deposition of wreaths is held at the Column of the 28th of October by the authorities of Paphos, while a detachment of the National Guard pays its respects, accompanied by the sounds of the Philharmonic. The celebration follows the established parade on Griva Digeni Avenue, with the participation of old warriors, clubs and organizations, scouts, pupils and students as well as parts of the National Guard.