|
 |
|
The monument
The mosque of the Monastiraki square was built in 1759 by the Ottoman governor of Athens, Mustafa Aga Tzisdarakis, in the heart of the city’s market area, Kato Pazari, next to the fountain that designated the center of the market. The monument was restored by the architect Anastasios Orlandos in 1915 and the building was given over for museum use in 1918 to the newly founded Museum of Greek Handicraft, now the Museum of Modern Greek Culture.
The foundational inscription is preserved on the transom of the entrance door, while inside the building on the east side, the mihrab (prayer niche) is elaborately decorated with honeycomb vaulting, painted vegetal motifs and inscriptions.
The exhibiton
Today the monument operates as an annex of the Museum of Modern Greek Culture. It houses the exhibition of the history of the Museum, narrating its foundation, evolution and the cultural context of different eras that influenced its collection policy, through iconic objects of the modern Greek culture, dating from the 17th to the mid-20th century.
Exhibited here are different museum objects, from the very first object acquired by the Museum in 1918, a vest of the women’s bridal and festive attire from 17th century Skyros, to a set of artifacts dating from the 1930s to the 1970s as well as groups of exhibits that connect the objects to the stories of the people that used them.
|
