The shield of “FILIKI ETERIA” (Society of Friends)
The foundation of FILIKI ETERIA in September 1814 in Odessa by three unknown merchants of diaspora Emmanuel Xanthos, Athanasios Tsakalov and Nicolaos Skoufas was the greatest political action that was the mother of the revolution in 1821. The members of the society managed to awaken all Greeks to a fight for freedom against the Ottoman empire slavery and create the Greek National State. Greeks achieved their goal counting on their own forces of will. The foundation of FILIKI ETERIA coincided with the Vienna conference in October 1814 at a time when the Great Powers took decisions against the enslaved people.
The structure of the organization of FILIKI ETERIA was based on the standards of Carbonari and Freemasons. The leading team was called the “invisible authority” and from the first moment, it was surrounded by mystic glamor. The members after joining the society took an oath of allegiance and communicated with codes, nicknames and secret language.
In honoring the anniversary of the two hundred years since the Greek Revolution in 1821 the MAKRIADIS House of jewelry has created the lucky charm of 2021 inspired by the seal of FILIKI ETERIA. The letters engraved on the shield stand for the initials of the first names of the leaders of FILIKI ETERIA where the name of Ioannis Kapodistrias comes first.
I: Ioannis Kapodistrias, A: Anthimos Gazis, A: Athanasios Tsakalov, P: Panagiotis Sekeris, N: Nikolaos Skoufas, E: Emmanouil Xanthos, P: Panagiotis Anagnostopoulos, A: Antonios Komizopoulos, A: Athanasios Sekeris.
The letter E stand for the word Hellas (Greece).