Manthos Rizaris (, 1764–1824) and Georgios Rizaris (, 1769–1842) were

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

benefactors, merchants and members of the organization

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 ...

.Biography, pictures of their bequests, and their testament
(Greek) Rizari brothers were born in the village of Monodendri of

Zagori Zagori (; ), is a region, a municipality, and a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the Pindus mountains in Epirus, in northwestern Greece. The seat of the municipality is the village Asprangeloi. It has an area of some and contains 46 v ...

region (

Epirus Epirus () is a Region#Geographical regions, geographical and historical region, historical region in southeastern Europe, now shared between Greece and Albania. It lies between the Pindus Mountains and the Ionian Sea, stretching from the Bay ...

). They lost both parents at an early age. Manthos Rizaris, the elder brother, moved to

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

, in order to work in his uncle's trading business. At 1806 Georgios followed. They got involved in trade and made a fortune. At 1817 Manthos became member of Filiki Eteria, and supported financially with huge amounts of money the

Greek Revolution The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution or the Greek Revolution of 1821, was a successful war of independence by Greek revolutionaries against the Ottoman Empire between 1821 and 1829. In 1826, the Greeks were assisted ...

: a total donation of over 50.000 Russian rubles was offered for the Revolution's objectives. Manthos, died at 1824 in

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

. Both brothers supported the independence of Greece . With their financial aid helped: the poor, the orphans, the ones that suffered because of the armed conflicts that took place during this period. After Manthos' death, Georgios moved to

Odessa ODESSA is an American codename (from the German language, German: ''Organisation der ehemaligen SS-Angehörigen'', meaning: Organization of Former SS Members) coined in 1946 to cover Ratlines (World War II aftermath), Nazi underground escape-pl ...

, and continued his business there. He found in his home place (Monodendri) the ''School of Greek Courses'' (Greek: Σχολή των Ελληνικών Μαθημάτων). Many orphans were awarded with full scholarships, including full coverage of their living costs. At 1837 George Rizaris settled in Athens, his goal was to found a Religious Institution in the newly formed

Greek state Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

that would prepare educated priests. At 1843 after his death, the Hieratical school has started to function. In gratitude for their contribution, the school, was named: Rizarios Hieratical School. The school continues to function as a religious and educational institution today and it is based in

Halandri Chalandri (, Ancient Greek: Φλύα, ''Phlya'', also ''Halandri'', ''Khalandri'') is a town and a suburb in the northern part of the Athens agglomeration, Greece. It is a municipality of the Attica region. Geography Chalandri is a suburb in No ...

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

. Moreover, they have founded a number of schools in their home place Monodendri and in Epirus region. Their bequests continue to offer to Greek education and Greek Orthodox church.

References

External links

Rizarios Foundation

Rizarios Hieratical School
1824 deaths 1842 deaths Brother duos Greek philanthropists Greek businesspeople Members of the Filiki Eteria People from Zagori 19th-century merchants {{greece-bio-stub