The Arvanitakis family () or Arvanitachi is

Cretan Crete ( ; , Modern Greek, Modern: , Ancient Greek, Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the List of islands by area, 88th largest island in the world and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fifth la ...

family also found in the

Ionian Islands The Ionian Islands (Modern Greek: , ; Ancient Greek, Katharevousa: , ) are a archipelago, group of islands in the Ionian Sea, west of mainland Greece. They are traditionally called the Heptanese ("Seven Islands"; , ''Heptanēsa'' or , ''Heptanē ...

and elsewhere in Greece. The family are particularly famous for the many generations of iconographer-priests which they produced. Other members of the family were soldiers, statesmen, merchants, doctors and lawyers.

Origin

The name 'Arvanitakis' (or 'Arvanitachi' in Venetian) is a nickname meaning 'little

Arvanite Arvanites (; Arvanitika: , or , ; Greek: , ) are a population group in Greece of Albanian origin. They are bilingual, traditionally speaking Arvanitika, an Albanian language variety, along with Greek. Their ancestors were first recorded ...

', which dates from the days of Venetian service and was adopted in Crete in the 15th century. The first member of the family to adopt the surname was Giannaris Drakos-Arvanitakis, a mercenary

stradioti The Stratioti or Stradioti were mercenary units from the Balkans recruited mainly by states of Southern Europe and Central Europe from the 15th century until the middle of the 18th century. They were largely of Albanian origin (about 80%), others ...

captain in the

Republic of Venice The Republic of Venice, officially the Most Serene Republic of Venice and traditionally known as La Serenissima, was a sovereign state and Maritime republics, maritime republic with its capital in Venice. Founded, according to tradition, in 697 ...

. He was granted land in Vleroma in

Crete Crete ( ; , Modern Greek, Modern: , Ancient Greek, Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the List of islands by area, 88th largest island in the world and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fifth la ...

in return for his military service and entered the Venetian nobility known by his nickname 'Arvanitakis', which gradually became Italianizied as 'Arvanitachi'. The family fought for the

throughout all of the Ottoman-Venetian wars until the Ottoman capture of Crete in 1669. Some members of the family remained on Crete where they were known as being fierce warlords (captains). Other members of the family moved elsewhere to continue their service to the Venetian Republic. In 1671 the first Arvanitakis arrived in Zakinthos, with other members of the family settling in Paxos and Corfu, all of which were Venetian territories. The family were entered into the

Libro d'Oro The ''Libro d'Oro'' (''The Golden Book''), originally published between 1315 and 1797, is the formal directory of nobles in the Republic of Venice (including the Ionian Islands). It has been resurrected as the ''Libro d'Oro della Nobiltà It ...

of Paxos in the 17th centur

They were entered into the

of Corfu in 1803. They were entered into the

of Zakinthos on 25 September 1785. The Cephalonia, Kefalonia branch, descended from Captain Spiridon Arvanitakis, had their noble status confirmed by the British on 10 February 1841. During the Venetian and British eras the family were educated at Italian universities such as Padua and Pisa and so were culturally more Italian than Greek until the reunification of the Ionian Islands with the Kingdom of Greece in 1862. The

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...

of the family used since at least the 17th century are ''Party per fess argent and azure, two bends counterchanged,'' with the coronet of a Venetian Patrician.

Modern History

In 1904, Ludwig Salvator writes how the Arvanitakis family were among the 16 most important families on the island of Zakinthos. The Arvanitakis family had vineyards in Agrilia in Zakinthos and were one of the largest wine producers on the island in the late 19th century. The family also produced their own variety of snuff.

Palazzo Arvanitachi

Following the custom of the Venetians, the Arvanitakis family were an urban noble family and had their seat in the main town of Zakinthos. This was destroyed in the earthquake of 1953 but was one of the largest palazzi in the town. It was built in the 18th century in Venetian Palladian style with five doric columns on the ground floor, arched loggia and triglyphs above. The upper two stories were planned in a 'giant' style with large columns extending over the two upper stories. In the atrium of the house was a bust of the Roman emperor

Vitellius Aulus Vitellius ( ; ; 24 September 1520 December 69) was Roman emperor for eight months, from 19 April to 20 December AD 69. Vitellius became emperor following the quick succession of the previous emperors Galba and Otho, in a year of civil wa ...

which survived the earthquake of 1953 and was donated by Dr Giovanni Arvanitachi to the Museum of Zakynthos.

Iconography

The Zakinthos branch of the family is famous for producing many iconographers. Many of these icons, which are produced in the Heptanese School, remain among the best examples of 17th-18th century icons on the island. Famous members include: Don Pancratio Arvanitachi (fl. 1635); Don Niccolo Arvanitachi (fl. 1718); Don Eustacchio Arvanitachi (fl. 1732–43); Don Pancratio Arvanitachi (18th century) and Don Niccolo Arvanitachi (fl. 1784–87).

Notable Members

* Captain Zorzi Arvanitachi (17th Century), Venetian

stratioti The Stratioti or Stradioti were mercenary units from the Balkans recruited mainly by states of Southern Europe and Central Europe from the 15th century until the middle of the 18th century. They were largely of Albanian origin (about 80%), other ...

captain on Crete. * Captain Spiridon Arvanitachi of Zakinthos (fl. 1820–44), son of Don Zorzi Arvanitachi, Greek revolutionary who was initiated into the

Filiki Eteria Filiki Eteria () or Society of Friends () was a secret political and revolutionary organization founded in 1814 in Odesa, Odessa, whose purpose was to overthrow Ottoman Empire, Ottoman rule in Ottoman Greece, Greece and establish an Independenc ...

in 1820 and led a company of Kefallonians in the Wallachia Uprising of 1821 and afterwards sought asylum in Odessa in Russia. In 1826 he entered the Greek Civil Service where he served in

Nafplio Nafplio or Nauplio () is a coastal city located in the Peloponnese in Greece. It is the capital of the regional unit of Argolis and an important tourist destination. Founded in antiquity, the city became an important seaport in the Middle Ages du ...

n () and was later Superintendent of Amaliapoli in 1844. * Dr. Demetrio Arvanitakis of Zakinthos (fl. 1780–1823), son of Giovanni Arvanitachi, signatory to the 1817 constitution of the

United States of the Ionian Islands The United States of the Ionian Islands was a Greeks, Greek state (polity), state and Protectorate#Amical_protection, amical protectorate of the United Kingdom between 1815 and 1864. The succession of states, successor state of the Septinsular R ...

and first Senator of Zakinthos. He was Prefect of Zakinthos in 1823 and said to be a close associate of

Sir Thomas Maitland Lieutenant-general (United Kingdom), Lieutenant General Sir Thomas Maitland (10 March 1760 – 17 January 1824) was a British Army officer, politician and colonial administrator. He also served as a Member of Parliament for Haddington (UK Parli ...

. * Dionysios Arvanitakis MP of Zakinthos (fl. 1795–1809), son of Giovanni Arvanitakis, President of College of Lawyers in Zakinthos and Interim Governor of Zakinthos 1805–1809. From 1809 he was MP for Zakinthos. * Elena Arvanitaki (b. 1802), daughter of Dr. Demetrio Arvanitachi and wife of Count Dimitri Solomos

GCMG The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince of Wales (the future King George IV), while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III ...

, Deputy President of the Ionian Parliament, and elder brother to the national poet of Greece

Dionysios Solomos Dionysios Solomos (; ; 8 April 1798 – 9 February 1857) was a Greeks, Greek poet from Zakynthos, who is considered to be Greece's national poet. He is best known for writing the ''Hymn to Liberty'' (, ''Ýmnos eis tīn Eleutherían''), whic ...

. His play ''The Woman of Zakynthos'' (1826-9) is said to be based on Elena's infidelities. * Dr. Spiridon Arvanitakis MP of Corfu (1802-1880), son of Niccolo Arvanitakis MP, he was Professor of Medicine at the Ionian Academy 1844-1865 who controversially introduced lectures in Greek (which previously had only been in Italian). He was a founding member of the Literary Society of Corfu and a member of the ''Société Phrénologique de Paris.'' In 1852 he was elected MP for the Ionian Parliament and was a member of the Party of Radicals who campaigned for the unification of the Ionian Islands with the

Kingdom of Greece The Kingdom of Greece (, Romanization, romanized: ''Vasíleion tis Elládos'', pronounced ) was the Greece, Greek Nation state, nation-state established in 1832 and was the successor state to the First Hellenic Republic. It was internationally ...

. One of the main streets in Corfu town is named after him. * Captains Dimitrios and Christos Arvanitakis (fl. 1870), two brothers who led a gang of brigands in the 19th century and fought at the Battle of Mouzaki. * Leandro Arvanitakis (1823-1892), Professor of Latin and Greek at the

Halki Seminary The Halki seminary, formally the Theological School of Halki ( and ), was founded on 1 October 1844 on the island of Halki ( Turkish: Heybeliada), the second-largest of the Princes' Islands in the Sea of Marmara. It was the main school of theo ...

. * George Arvanitakis (1872-1946), son of above, Professor of Science at University of Athens. * Evangelos Arvanitakis MP (1907-1971), Minister of Communications in the Greek Government who was arrested during the Junta of 1967-74. {{Surname

References

Greek-language surnames Greek noble families