On this day, the death of Evangelis Zappa, who paved the way for the modern Olympic Games

Our great national benefactor Evangelis Zappas was born in Lambovo, Northern Epirus, in 1800 and was the son of the merchant Vasilios Zappas and Sotira Zappas. At the age of 13 and after receiving his basic education in Tepeleni, he moved to Ioannina and was enlisted in the bodyguard of Ali Pasha, in which he served until the age of 20.

He remained in the garrison of the then lord of Epirus even after the attack against Ali by the sultan's troops began. As soon as he learned that the Souliotes under Markos Botsaris were fighting the sultan's forces on Ali's side, he joined them and became Botsaris's chief henchman.

​14 Ιουλίου 1993: Οι 6 όροι του Κωνσταντίνου Μητσοτάκη προς την Αλβανική Κυβέρνηση

He fought in The defense of souli and after The Capitulation on July 28, 1822, He Took refuge in Messolonghi. After markos botsaris died, he continued To Serve under Nikolaos Zervas, lambros Veikos, Nakos panourgias and Yannis Gouras.

Κατά το 1824 έλαβε το βαθμό του ταξίαρχου και ορίζεται διοικητής στα βλαχοχώρια της Αιτωλοακαρνανίας. Ανταμείφθηκε για τις υπηρεσίες του στην Επανάσταση, με τον Κυβερνήτη Ιωάννη Καποδίστρια να του παραχωρεί εθνικές γαίες. Ωστόσο εκείνος τα αποποιήθηκε και τα κτήματα και τον στρατιωτικό βαθμό και μετέβη στη Βέροια επιδιδόμενος στο εμπόριο και τη γεωργία. Καθώς δεν μπόρεσε εκεί να συμβιώσει με τους Τούρκους, το 1831 μεταβαίνει στο Βουκουρέστι, όπου άσκησε αρχικά το επάγγελμα του πρακτικού ιατρού, από τις γνώσεις που κατέκτησε στην Επανάσταση από τον συμπατριώτη του Πάνο Παναγιώτου.

Thus he made many acquaintances, began to lease lands to monasteries, proceeding with intelligence in the creation of his immense fortune. His important collaborator was also the national benefactor and his cousin Konstantinos Zappas.

In 1837, he rented a large area of land in Brosteni and slowly the two's fortune skyrocketed, until by 1850 he reached the peak of his business activity and began to donate large sums of money to charitable and national causes.

In 1859, he sent a letter to King Otto of Greece, offering 400 shares of his steamship company to support Greek industry.

In addition, he submitted a design for a building that would house the "Olympia", as he intended to name the event. He also intended to build a stadium for the revival of the Olympic Games, which was implemented on August 19, 1858, with the first "Olympia" taking place on November 15, 1859 in what is now Kotzias Square in Athens. However, Evangelis Zappas never visited Athens.

In 1863 he suffered a sudden mental breakdown, with his cousin Konstantinos Zappas seeking treatment, but he was unsuccessful.

Evangelis Zappas "passed away" on June 19, 1865, at the age of 65. He was buried in the Church of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary on his estate in Brosteni, in what is now southern Romania, then Moldavia.

Through his will, he left all his property to the Olympic Committee, with his cousin Konstantinos Zappas building the "Zappion" Mansion and placing his head there, while his body was placed in the Lambovo school.

The issue of Zappa's estate took on major proportions, with Romania and Evangelis' relatives making many claims. However, with the Treaty of Bucharest, diplomatic relations between Greece and Romania were restored.