The sculptures of Thessaloniki: 8, ‘The Woman of Pindos’ by Kostas Domboulas in Fanarioton Square

‘The Woman of Pindos’ by Kostas Domboulas in Fanarioton Square (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Patrick Comerford

I have been recalling in recent week how I have come across a collection of photographs of modern sculptures in the streets and parks of Thessaloniki and how I realised I had written little about these sculptures over the years.

Rather than leave these photographs and memories in forgotten files on my laptop or in the cloud, I started an occasional series of blog postings on some of those modern sculptures I have rediscovered in Thessaloniki. Over these few weeks, I am inviting you to join me in a minor odyssey of recovery and discovery as my mind wanders through Thessaloniki, looking at these sculptures again.

The sculptures I have looked at in recent weeks include the monumental statues of Aristotle, Alexander the Great and Eleftherios Venizelos, the Jewish Memorial by Konstantinos Lentaris in the campus of the Aristotele University of Thessaloniki, the bust of Admiral Nikolaos Votsis in front of the White Tower, and the Monument for the Jewish Holocaust on the edge of Eleftherias Square.

The sculpture of ‘The Woman of Pindos (I Γυναίκα της Πίνδου) stands at Fanarioton Square, at the junction of Pavlou Mela, Mitropoleos and Stratigou Kallari streets, and just a few minutes’ walk from the White Tower and the waterfront in Thessaloniki.

The sculpture by Kostas Domboulas is dedicated to the women of Epirus in north-west Greece and recalls their bravery in the resistance during World War II. In the harsh autumn of 1940, when Italy invaded Greece through the Pindos mountains, the women of Zagori – many of them elderly or mothers – carried ammunition, food, and supplies up the frozen slopes to support the Greek soldiers.

The bronze sculpture on a marble base depicts a woman from Epirus in heavy military attire, carrying bullets and food on her back as he brings supplies to soldiers on the front. Her right foot is placed on a rock that symbolises a forceful movement that adds dynamism yet poignancy to the sculpture.

When Mussolini’s fascist army invaded Greece through the rugged Pindus mountain range, they expected a quick and easy victory. Instead, they faced fierce resistance not just from soldiers, but from the local village women who carried heavy supplies and hauled massive loads of ammunition, food, and weapons on their backs up steep, snow-covered mountain trails where even mules could not go.

These women of Pindos knitted warm clothing for soldiers facing freezing conditions and even laid down in freezing rivers to form human bridges for army engineers. On many occasions, women actively chased down and fought off invading Italian troops using makeshift weapons such as axes and large pieces of wood.

The inscription in capital letters reads:

Γυναίκες Ηπειρώτισσες,
ξαφνιάσματα της φύσης,
εχθρέ γιατί δε ρώτησες
ποιον πας να κατακτήσεις

Women of Epirus,
surprise of nature,
enemy, why didn’t you ask
who you were trying to conquer?’

This quotation is the chorus of the legendary 1973 song Γυναίκες Ηπειρώτισσες (Gynaikes Ipeirotisses, ‘Women of Epirus’), sung by the Greek singer Marinella (Μαρινέλλα) from Thessaloniki, who died earlier this year (28 March 2026) at the age of 87.

Marinella was born Kyriaki Papadopoulou in Thessaloniki on 19 May 1938, and began her journey first appearing on the radio show ‘Pediki Ora’ before going on stage in her teens. By 1957, she and Stelios Kazantzidis had become a celebrated duo, singing the songs of Mikis Theodorakis, Manos Hadjidakis, Vassilis Tsitsanis, Giorgos Mitsakis, Giorgos Zambetas, Apostolos Kaldaras, Theodoros Derveniotis, Stavros Xarchakos and Christos Leontis.

She became the first singer to represent Greece in the Eurovision contest in 1974, when she sang Κρασί, θάλασσα και τ’ αγόρι μου (‘A little wine, a little sea, and my boyfriend’). She went on to give her voice to generations through decades of music.

She sang at the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens, representing the music and culture Greece. She remained devoted to her singing to her final years.

The sculpture of the Woman of Pindos was installed in 1990 when Konstantinos ‘Ntinos’ Kosmopoulos (1928-2011) was the Mayor of Thessaloniki. The project was sponsored financially by the Epirus Cultural Association.

This monument was created by sculptor Kostas Domboulas (born 1942). As an academic, he was a faculty member at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, where he taught in the architecture department for almost four decades, from 1972 to 2009.

His other works his ‘Monument to Fallen Resistance Students’ in the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, installed at the Faculty of Law in 1999. It is a modern, abstract metallic sculpture that rises directly from a bed of pebbles on the ground. It features marble plaques inscribed with the names of students executed during the National Liberation Struggle (1941-1944).

In this series:

1, Introduction (21 September 2026)

2, Aristotle by Giorgos Georgiadis, Aristotelous Square (22 September 2026)

3, Alexander the Great by Evangelos Moustakas, Alexander’s Garden (23 September 2026)

4, Eleftherios Venizelos by Giannis Pappas, Plateia Dikastirion (24 September 2026)

5, The Jewish Monument by Konstantinos Lentaris, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (25 September 2026)

6, Admiral Nikolaos Votsis by Georgios Dimitriadis, in front of the White Tower (1 October 2026)

7, The Monument of the Jewish Holocaust by Nandor Glid, Eleftherias Square (2 October 2026)

8, ‘The Woman of Pindos’ by Kostas Domboulas, Fanarioton Square (8 October 2026)

Next: The Stumbling Stones (‘Stolpersteine’) by Gunter Demnig


Γυναίκες Ηπειρώτισσες, Μαρινέλλα

Daily prayer in Ordinary Time 2026: 153, Thursday 8 October 2026

‘Knock, and the door will be opened for you’ (Luke 11: 9) … a variety of door knockers seen in Rethymnon in Crete (Photographs: Patrick Comerford)

Patrick Comerford

We are continuing in Ordinary Time in the Church Calendar, with the Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity (Trinity XVIII, 4 October).

I may stay awake late tonight and into the early hours of Friday morning watching the results coming in from the by-election in Holborn and St Pancras in London today. But, before today begins, I am taking some quiet time this morning to give thanks, and for reflection, prayer and reading in these ways:

1, today’s Gospel reading;

2, a reflection on the Gospel reading;

3, a prayer from the USPG prayer diary;

4, the Collects and Post-Communion prayer of the day.

‘Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for a fish, will give a snake instead of a fish? ’ (Luke 11: 11) … a variety of fish on display in a seafood restaurant at the harbour in Rethymnon (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Luke 11: 5-13 (NRSVA):

5 And he said to them, ‘Suppose one of you has a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say to him, “Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; 6 for a friend of mine has arrived, and I have nothing to set before him.” 7 And he answers from within, “Do not bother me; the door has already been locked, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.” 8 I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, at least because of his persistence he will get up and give him whatever he needs.

9 ‘So I say to you, Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. 11 Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for a fish, will give a snake instead of a fish? 12 Or if the child asks for an egg, will give a scorpion? 13 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!’

‘If the child asks for an egg, will [you] give a scorpion?’ (Luke 11: 12) … painted eggs at Easter time in Panormos near Rethymnon, Crete (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Today’s Reflections:

In this morning’s Gospel reading (Luke 11: 5-13), we continue on from yesterday’s reading (Luke 11: 1-4), with Saint Luke’s account of the Lord’s Prayer. In verses 5 ff, Christ tells two stories: even one who is asleep with his family responds ‘because of … persistence’ to a neighbour in need; a parent provides for a child. Even these people, separated from God, respond to the needs of others. How much more so will God respond to our prayers for help, through the Holy Spirit.

These following verses develop the themes in the Lord’s Prayer, including the idea of God as a loving Father, meeting our daily needs, and, in a subtle way, the constant need for forgiveness.

Saint Luke’s account of the Lord’s Prayer has made me ask in the past how Jewish is the Lord’s Prayer.

As a rabbi and religious leader, Christ was responsible for teaching his followers how to fulfil Jewish religious commandments, including the obligation to pray at certain times and in certain forms.

The most important Jewish prayer, the Shema, is the basic Jewish affirmation of faith and is based on Deuteronomy 6: 7. Other basic prayers include the Grace after Meals, derived from Deuteronomy 8: 10.

But the central prayer of Jewish public worship is the Amidah (‘the Standing Prayer’) or the Shemoneh Esreh, which means 18, referring to 18 petitions, although the number of petitions is now 19. Observant Jews recite the Amidah at each of the three weekday prayer services: morning, afternoon, and evening. Praying three times a day is a long-established Jewish tradition (see Daniel 6: 11, Psalm 55: 18).

By the time of Christ, daily prayer was an integral part of Jewish religious life, and the basic structure of the Amidah was well established. Its form was regularised soon after, so that the prayer had taken its present form in the early first century CE.

The schools of Hillel and Shammai both accepted as the proper form nine petitions for Rosh Ha-Shanah (New Year) and seven petitions for the Sabbath. By the first century CE, the Amidah was one of the most important series of petitions. By then, there were probably 12 to 14 petitions, and more were added after the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in the year 70 CE to reflect changes in Jewish life.

There are many discussions in the Talmud about the minimum number of petitions, but consensus was not reached until the sixth century CE.

The rabbis recognised that not everyone in every circumstance could find time to pray the entire Amidah. Even as early as the third century CE, shortened versions were being prayed. So, is the Lord’s Prayer an early version of the Amidahthat Christ taught his disciples so they could fulfil their minimum obligations of prayer?

But, just how Jewish is the Lord’s Prayer?

Perhaps when the disciples are asking Jesus to teach them to pray, they are also asking him the minimum number of petitions needed to fulfil the obligation to pray.

1, ‘Father’ or ‘Our Father, who art in heaven’: The Lord’s Prayer opens with the acknowledgment of the fatherhood of God and his place in heaven. While the opening verses of the Amidah talk of God as the God of our fathers in, the fatherhood of God is a common phrase throughout Jewish liturgy.

Avinu, meaning ‘Our Father,’ is a word repeated constantly throughout the prayers that make up the Jewish services (see also Deuteronomy 32: 6; Isaiah 63: 16).

In the Amidah, the title occurs twice: ‘Cause us to return, O our Father, unto thy Torah; draw us near, O our King, unto they service …’ (fifth benediction); ‘Forgive us, O our Father, for we have sinned; pardon us, O our King, for we have transgressed’ (sixth benediction). It is also found in the second benediction before the Shema: ‘O our Father, our King, for our fathers’ sake, who trusted in thee, and whom thou didst teach the statutes of life, be also gracious unto us and teach us. O our Father, ever compassionate, have mercy on us.’

The name ‘Father’ is also widely used in the liturgy of the celebrations of the new year and of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement – which this year was on Sunday evening and Monday 20-21 September 2026 – where the phrases ‘Father of mercy’ and ‘O our Father’ occur frequently.

2, ‘Hallowed be thy name,’ or ‘may your name be sanctified’: The Hebrew word kadosh can be translated as either holy or sanctified. The third petition in the Amidah prays: ‘Thou art holy and thy name is holy and the holy praise thee daily. Blessed art thou O Lord, the holy God.’

3, ‘Your kingdom come’ or ‘Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven’: In the Amidah, the words pray: ‘Reign thou over us O Lord, thou alone in loving kindness and tender mercy and clear us in judgment. Blessed art thou O Lord the King who lovest righteousness and judgment.’

The words ‘thy will be done’ also occur in I Maccabees: ‘It is better for us to die in battle than to see the misfortunes of our nation and of the sanctuary. But as his will in heaven may be, so he will do’ (I Maccabees 3: 59-60). The same attitude of abandonment to God’s will finds expression in the prayer Jews utter as they feel death drawing near: ‘May it be thy will to send me a perfect healing. Yet if my death be fully determined by thee, I will in love to accept it at thy hand.’

4, ‘Give us each day our daily bread’ or ‘Give us this day our daily bread’: The ninth Amidah blessing prays: ‘Bless this year unto us O Lord our God together with every kind of the produce thereof for our welfare.’ A short prayer ascribed to the rabbis prays: ‘O God, the needs of thy people are many, their knowledge slender. Give every one of thy creatures his daily bread and grant him his urgent needs.’

There is an interesting thought in the Book of Proverbs: ‘Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that I need,’ or, ‘Give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread’ (Proverbs 30: 8).

5, ‘Forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us’ or ‘Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us’: The sixth Amidah blessing prays: ‘Forgive us, O our Father, for we have sinned, pardon us, O our King, for we have transgressed, for thou dost pardon and forgive. Blessed art thou O Lord who art gracious and dost abundantly forgive.’

It is an important Jewish concept that one cannot ask for forgiveness from God until first making amends with others I may have wronged or I have been wronged by. Before going to sleep at night, pious Jews pray, ‘Master of the universe, I hereby forgive anyone who angered or antagonised me or who sinned against me.’

The majority of the rabbis taught, ‘if you forgive your neighbour, the One will forgive you; but if you do not forgive your neighbour, no one will have mercy on you’ (Midrash Tanhuma Genesi).

6, ‘And do not bring us to the time of trial’ or ‘Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil’: The seventh blessing in the Amidah is a prayer for deliverance from afflictions of all kinds. A modern version says, ‘Look with compassion on all afflicted among us; be thou our guardian and our advocate, and redeem us speedily from all evil, for in thee do we trust as our mighty Redeemer.’

7, ‘For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever’: the doxology is not included in the Lord’s Prayer in Saint Luke’s Gospel, but is added in some manuscript versions of Saint Matthew’s Gospel (Matthew 6: 13). It is similar to David’s benediction (see I Chronicles 29: 10-13), which is part of the daily prayer service and an essential component of the section called Pesukei D’zimrah (‘Verses of Praise’) that comes immediately before reciting the Shema. Whether or not the doxology is included in the Lord’s Prayer, it is rooted firmly in Jewish tradition.

‘Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for a fish, will give a snake instead of a fish?’ (Luke 11: 11) … a variety of fish advertised at a fish shop in Rethymnon (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Today’s Prayers (Thursday 8 October 2026):

In Pray with the World Church, the prayer diary of the Anglican mission agency USPG (United Society Partners in the Gospel), the theme this week, 4-10 October 2026 (pp 44-45), is ‘The Gun, The Sword, and The Bible’. This theme was introduced on Sunday with a reflection by the Revd Les Isaac OBE, founder and President of Ascension Trust and co-founder of Street Pastors.

The USPG Prayer Diary today (Thursday 8 October 2026) invites us to pray:

Help your Church to rediscover its calling as an agent of your gospel in the world. May we live boldly and faithfully, bringing Your light into every community.

The Collect of the Day:

Almighty and everlasting God,
increase in us your gift of faith
that, forsaking what lies behind
and reaching out to that which is before,
we may run the way of your commandments
and win the crown of everlasting joy;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.

The Post-Communion Prayer:

We praise and thank you, O Christ, for this sacred feast:
for here we receive you,
here the memory of your passion is renewed,
here our minds are filled with grace,
and here a pledge of future glory is given,
when we shall feast at that table where you reign
with all your saints for ever.

Additional Collect:

God, our judge and saviour,
teach us to be open to your truth
and to trust in your love,
that we may live each day
with confidence in the salvation which is given
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Yesterday’s Reflections

Continued Tomorrow

‘If the child asks for an egg, will [you] give a scorpion?’ (Luke 11: 12) … painted eggs at Easter time on a table in Panormos, near Rethymnon (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Edition copyright © 1989, 1995 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. http://nrsvbibles.org