Townsfolk throw their weight behind a restoration

It took persistence, love – and a fit of anger. These were the ingredients that led to the transformation of the Ancient Theater of Orchomenos in Boeotia (Viotia), central Greece (also referred to as “Minyan Orchomenus” to distinguish it from a later city of the same name in Arcadia), from a forgotten site to a model of restoration, sponsored by the local residents.

With a love of culture and a sense of civic duty, journalist Lambros Rodes had been following the efforts of Diazoma, a citizens’ platform that raises money through crowdfunding for the restoration of ancient theaters throughout the country. He had been thinking about how he could get the ancient theater of his own town into the scheme, when he became incensed to discover that a prominent fellow citizen had offered 30,000 euros for the restoration of the Ancient Theater of Orchomenos – not in Boeotia, but in Arcadia. “So I am writing an angry article in Nea tis Viotias [the Viotia News daily] asking how it is possible that a resident does not help finance our own theater,” he tells Kathimerini. “The letter reached Stavros Benos, president of Diazoma, who invited me for a meeting. He explained that no one could give money for Boeotian Orchomenos, because no one had created an online piggy bank for this theater.”

Rodes leapt into action and created a crowdfunding account. Since that day, he has written about the project on the local website that he maintained for this effort, explaining why it was important and the progress of the campaign. He did not fail to publicly congratulate each individual who contributed financially. “Citizens, businesses and schools gave money. We also had anonymous donors. We managed to raise the money in two years. Others who had opened piggy banks earlier than us did not succeed so quickly,” Rodes notes.

“It was a feat. We were in the midst of the worst [economic] crisis when this money was collected. But locals believed in our vision and everyone helped,” says former mayor Kostas Xirogiannis. When they realized that the local community could not provide further support, residents and local bodies approached private individuals and institutions, who in turn were motivated by the vision and effort that the local community had made. Among them was the man through whom the city had contacted Diazoma. Between 2011 and 2012, the project of Orchomenos secured 200,000 euros, the largest amount ever collected through Diazoma, which would finance the studies for the theater’s restoration.

‘Success story’

‘We managed to raise the money in two years. Others who had opened piggy banks earlier than us did not succeed so quickly’

“Orchomenos became the success story of this project,” Diazoma’s Benos told Kathimerini. “Even the cooperation that was created between all the municipal authorities was unprecedented. It was a small miracle, and I believe that this hitherto unknown monument will in a few years become one of the most prominent in our country.”

Benos was well aware that the biggest obstacle for the Culture Ministry is financing the studies required for any restoration that could bring European funds. The piggy banks created through Diazoma serve exactly that purpose. In the case of Orchomenos there was an additional level of complexity. The ancient theater was adjacent to two other important monuments of different time periods: the 9th-century Church of Panagia Skripou, the oldest Byzantine monument in Viotia and one of the most important in Greece, and the Mycenaean vaulted tomb of Minyas, also known as the “Treasury of Minyas” (1250 BC), which was first excavated by German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann. Therefore, the study concerns the creation of an archaeological park encompassing all three sites, which the residents of Orchomenos hope will attract visitors.

The first contracts were signed in 2014. “If the project is completed, it will gain a lot of momentum, and we hope it will bring more visitors,” says Giorgos Tzavaras, the mayor of Orchomenos, adding that the area is currently more popular with visitors interested in religious tourism. According to Rodes, the project to restore the theater is already bearing fruit. “Thanks to the project, we acquired a guest house in Orchomenos. We didn’t even have rooms to let until then. Now we have a nice guest house built by a local businessman who thought that since we are restoring the monument, people will come,” he said.

The restoration

The theater dates from the end of the 4th century BC. Kiki Kalliga, deputy director of the Ephorate of Antiquities of Boeotia and manager of the Ancient Theater of Orchomenos, tells Kathimerini that its construction was likely part of the strategy of the Macedonians who, after their victory in the Battle of Chaeronea (338 BC), wanted to diminish the political influence of Thebes, favoring cities that had not sided with the Thebans. One of them was Orchomenos, which they endowed with an ancient theater where the Common of Boeotia could meet, the political organization of the Boeotians where member-cities gathered and discussed joint festivals, the army and taxation. During the Roman era, the area flourished and the theater was modified to more closely resemble the Roman style. With the end of the ancient world and the rise of Byzantium, however, it was gradually abandoned.

Over the centuries, stones from the ancient theater were used for other buildings, such as the Church of Panagia Skripou and even to build houses until the end of the 19th century. Over time, the ancient theater was forgotten and buried. Not even Schliemann, who explored the area in the late 19th century, found it. It came to light again thanks to the efforts of Greek archaeologist Theodore Spyropoulos from the local ephorate of antiquities, who dug in the area in the early 1970s. In 1973, the excavation revealed the largest part of the hollow and the orchestra. A few years later, Spyropoulos organized the first International Conference of Archaeology. A similar conference will be held this September on the occasion of the theater’s restoration, Rodes said.

The community

Kalliga stressed the importance of the restoration for the people of the surrounding area. “We wondered if people would be affected, even indirectly, by the improvement of public space. The works are not yet open to the public, they cannot tell what will happen in the end, but what we hear from the residents is encouraging. They stop and tell us: ‘How nice of you to do it! Well done.’” She also said that the local community protects the restoration. “Due to the needs of the reconstruction we had to demolish the fence. We were worried that the site would be robbed or, even worse, vandalized and [people might] spray slogans on the theater. But there was no other way. A year has passed, and only a battery and some oil have been stolen. No one has tampered with anything.”

The restoration will be completed next month and the ancient theater will be able to host performances and welcome the public. In fact, it will be included on a tour of otherwise unknown ancient theaters that have been restored that is to be announced by the Ministry of Culture, in cooperation with Diazoma and the Greek National Theater.