The Kaplaneios School ( el, Καπλάνειος Σχολή) was a Greek educational institution that operated in Ioannina from 1797 to 1820/1. The school evolved into the most significant intellectual center of the city through the work of Athanasios Psalidas, a major representative of the

modern Greek Enlightenment The Modern Greek Enlightenment ( el, Διαφωτισμός, ''Diafotismos'', "enlightenment," "illumination"; also known as the Neo-Hellenic Enlightenment) was the Greek expression of the Age of Enlightenment. Origins The Greek Enlightenment w ...

movement. Kaplaneios was rebuilt during 1922-1926 and since that time has housed a number of primary schools.

Under Athanasios Psalidas

The school was founded at the personal expense of the brothers Manthos and Zois Kaplanis, merchants and local benefactors. It succeeded another local school, the Maroutsaia, which closed due to financial problems. From its very start, Athanasios Psalidas, one of the main representatives of the

, took the initiative and became director of the school. The same year the Kaplaneios had its own library, while it came under the protection of the

Phanar Greek Orthodox College Phanar Greek Orthodox College or Phanar Roman Orthodox Lyceum ( tr, Özel Fener Rum Lisesi), known in Greek as the Great School of the Nation and Patriarchal Academy of Constantinople ( el, Μεγάλη του Γένους Σχολή, ''Megáli t ...

Istanbul ) , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = 34000 to 34990 , area_code = +90 212 (European side) +90 216 (Asian side) , registration_plate = 34 , blank_name_sec2 = GeoTLD , blank_i ...

(

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya ( Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...

) and acquired the alternative title ''Patriarchal Academy''. Psalidas initially faced an anachronistic and lethargic education system. In order to deal with this, he began a series of confrontations with the conservative community of Ioannina. He included in the curriculum lessons of experimental physics and was an ardent supporter of contemporary European ideologies and the vernacular (

Demotic Demotic may refer to: * Demotic Greek, the modern vernacular form of the Greek language * Demotic (Egyptian), an ancient Egyptian script and version of the language * Chữ Nôm, the demotic script for writing Vietnamese See also * * Demos (disa ...

) Greek language. The students were also taught

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic p ...

literature and contemporary science, including Lavoisier's chemistry and

Isaac Newton Sir Isaac Newton (25 December 1642 – 20 March 1726/27) was an English mathematician, physicist, astronomer, alchemist, theologian, and author (described in his time as a " natural philosopher"), widely recognised as one of the grea ...

's '' Principia''. Psalidas' main objective and aspiration was the intellectual uplifting and the political restoration of the Greek people. In his efforts to achieve this, he was assisted by the intelligent and religiously tolerant ruler of the region, Ali Pasha, who encouraged the education in Ioannina. Because of his progressive teaching methods, Psalidas was accused of atheism and

voltairianism François-Marie Arouet (; 21 November 169430 May 1778) was a French Enlightenment writer, historian, and philosopher. Known by his '' nom de plume'' M. de Voltaire (; also ; ), he was famous for his wit, and his criticism of Christianity—es ...

by conservative scholars.

Destruction and revival

Soon however, the Greek Enlightenment process, in which Ioannina was a major center, came to an abrupt end, with the suppression of Ali Pasha's autonomist tendencies against the

Porte Porte may refer to: *Sublime Porte, the central government of the Ottoman empire *Porte, Piedmont, a municipality in the Piedmont region of Italy *John Cyril Porte, British/Irish aviator *Richie Porte, Australian professional cyclist who competes ...

as well as with the outbreak of the Greek War of Independence in 1821. The suppression of Ali Pasha resulted in the destruction of the schools of the city, including the Kaplaneios. The school was rebuilt during 1922-1926, thanks to a bequest from Zois Kaplanis, and since that time has housed a number of primary schools.

Notable Graduates

* Angelos Kitsos *

Kosmas Thesprotos Kosmas Thesprotos or Kosmas o Thesprotos ( el, Κοσμάς ο Θεσπρωτός ''Kosmas the Thesprotian'', 1780 ��1852) was a Greek scholar, priest and theologian. Life Kosmas was born as ''Kyritsis Kotras'' ( el, Κυρίτσης (diminutive ...

, scholar *

Georgios Stavros Georgios Stavros ( el, Γεώργιος Σταύρος, 1788–1869) was a banker, benefactor and revolutionary from modern-day Greece. He was one of the founders and the first governor of the National Bank of Greece. Early years Stavros was bor ...

, banker *

Anastasios Sakellarios Anastasius (Latinized) or Anastasios ( el, Αναστάσιος, translit=Anastasios) is a masculine given name of Greek origin derived from the Greek word (''anastasis'') meaning "resurrection". Its female form is ''Anastasia'' ( el, Αναστ ...

, first director of the Zosimaia School

References

{{Modern Greek Enlightenment Education in the Ottoman Empire Modern Greek Enlightenment Education in Ioannina Schools in Greece 1797 establishments in Europe Educational institutions established in 1797 Buildings and structures in Ioannina Byzantine Revival architecture in Greece 1820 disestablishments 1926 establishments in Greece 18th-century establishments in Greece