Just beyond the Gate of Exodus is this memorial garden, which contains, among many others, a prominent statue of Lord Byron. It was established by the first governor of Greece following independence, Ioannis Kapodistrias.
He issued the following decree (the Greek text of which is on the marble slab to the right as you enter the garden): '…within these walls of the city of Messolongi lie the bones of those brave men, who fell bravely while defending the city…it is our duty to gather together, with reverence, the holy remains of these men and to lay them to rest in a memorial where our country may, each year, repay its debt of gratitude'.
When Byron died, the Greeks were heartbroken at the loss of a British nobleman who had given his life for their freedom. At the end of a national 21-day mourning period, Byron’s embalmed body was returned to England, but his heart was kept by the Greeks and is buried beneath the statue. The English authorities at the time refused Byron’s burial at Westminster Abbey.
