Athens Renaissance: The Neoclassical Re-founding of Athens as Capital of the new Greek State

Abstract

This article analyses the consequences of the foundation of the capital of the new Greek state on the locus of memory that means Athens, both as physical and as dreamed space. The neoclassical dream faces citizens rooted in the history of Byzantium. This relationship of power with a prestigious past and the establishment of a new capital delve into still burning issues: the symbolic and political relationship between a State and its capital. The emergence of one of the first nation-states facing a cosmopolitan empire highlights the role of nationalisms, and the application of neoclassical models relates architecture to an idealized philosophy and politics.