The dual celebration of the patron saint St. Demetrios and the 113th anniversary of the city’s liberation from the Ottoman yoke is taking place today in Thessaloniki. Saint Demetrius was born in 280 AD and martyred in 306 AD, after being sentenced to be lynched by Galerius, at the place where his crypt in the homonymous church is located today.

He was an active member of the Christian community, and for this activity, he suffered persecution and torture.

His holy relics and his honorary casket were found in San Lorenzo, Italy, and the Metropolitan of Thessaloniki, Panteleimon II, made the necessary arrangements for their transfer. Thus, on 23 October, the sacred carriage arrived in Thessaloniki and on 12 April 1980, the holy relics arrived in Thessaloniki. Since then they have been kept in the church of St. Demetrios, where the place of the shrine is located.

Orthodox tradition considers Saint Demetrios a miracle-worker and protector of Thessaloniki, as it has associated him with the defence and protection of the city from foreign besiegers. This tradition was reinforced by the fact thatthe liberation of Thessaloniki took place on his feast day, on October 26, 1912.

How 26,000 Turks surrendered in Thessaloniki in October 1912

Surrounded by the forces of the Greek Army, the Turkish army’s commander-in-chief, Hasan Takhsi Pasha, was forced to sign the surrender of Thessaloniki at 11 p.m. on October 26, 1912.

The Protocol of Surrender on the Greek side was signed by the representatives of the General Headquarters, Lieutenant Colonel Victor Dousmanis and Captain Ioannis Metaxas, and Article 3 stated “the city of Thessaloniki is surrendered to the Greek Army until the conclusion of peace”.

At that time, 25,000 Turkish soldiers and about 1,000 officers surrendered, while the Greek Army came into possession of 70 artillery pieces, 30 machine guns, 1,200 horses, and plenty of material of all categories.

The first Greek military unit entered Thessaloniki at noon on 27 October, and was the Constantinoupoulos Euzon Detachment with a cavalry detachment. They were greeted with enthusiasm and celebratory celebrations of joy by the inhabitants of the city. Through the main streets, they made their way to the Command Post, where they settled.

The parade and the 21 saluting shots for King George

At 11 o’clock on the morning of 28 October, the Commander-in-Chief and heir to the throne, Constantine, at the head of the I Division, entered Thessaloniki in triumph, and despite the rain, the people poured into the streets to greet them. A praise service was held at the church of St. Minas then Constantine went to the Commanding Officer’s Office and followed by a parade of the I Division before him and a presentation of the city authorities.

On the morning of October 29, King George entered the city and, together with the crowds who greeted him with enthusiasm, headed for the White Tower where the flag was raised and guns fired 21 saluting shots.

The headquarters of the Hellenic Army had been set up 25 kilometres outside Thessaloniki, at Topsin (today’s Bridge in the municipality of Chalkidonos), and in the building where negotiations took place between the commander-in-chief of the Greek Army and heir to the throne, Constantine the Great, and the commander-in-chief of the Turkish Army, Hassan Tahsin Pasha (commander of Thessaloniki), from 24 to 26 October 1912, for the surrender of the city. Today it houses the Military Museum of the Balkan Wars TOPSIN.

The Military Museum of the Balkan Wars is housed there.

The museum houses war relics of the Balkan Wars, military uniforms of Greek officers, pistols and revolvers of the Greek Army, medals of warriors, Turkish, Serbian and Romanian war relics, paintings, furniture and household utensils.

In the courtyard of the museum, there is a funerary monument to Hassan Tahsin Pasha and his son and adjutant, Kenan Mesare.

The building of the Museum was built in 1905 as a country residence of the Italian Jew Yako Modiano, who belonged to one of the most powerful families of Thessaloniki. His father, Saul Modiano, was one of the richest men in the Ottoman Empire.

In 1999, the building was bought by the Ministry of National Defence and turned into a military museum.