Panagis Vallianos was a well – known merchant and pioneer of Greek shipping. The central square of Argostoli has the name of this great benefactor, and his statue adorns its upper side.
Panagis Vallianos was born in 1814 in Kefalonia and died in 1902 in London. He was a well-known merchant and shipowner and pioneer of Greek Shipping who lived mostly in Great Britain. He initially ran his business in Russia, but he soon transferred it to England. Due to his perceptive spirit and business insight, by 1880, he had under his control a significant part of the Greek fleet. Within 10 years, the Vallianos family owned about 20 steamships.
A great amount of his fortune was given to charities and donations to the Greek State. Along with his brothers, in 1888, they funded the building construction as well as the initial operation’s cost of the National Library of Greece, which took his name as a tribute. The majestic neoclassical building is located at Panepistimiou Street in Athens.
His bequest benefited both his homelands by building schools, hospitals, orphanages and churches in Kefalonia as well as donating money to Saint Sophia’s Cathedral and to the Orthodox cemetery in London, where he was buried.
The central square of Argostoli city is named after the great benefactor and his statue adorns its upper side.
To find out more about Panagis Vallianos you can visit the link below: https://greekshippinghalloffame.org/?inductee=pvaglianos-en