Vretos, Ioannis A.

Vretos, Ioannis Α. (Kea 1836 – Athens 1920). Publisher and journalist. On 2 October 1856 (old calendar) he registered in the Law School of the then Othonios University of Athens, but never completed his studies owing to insurmountable financial difficulties. A little later in the same year, he moved to Constantinople where he initially worked as a tutor.

He was founder and editor of the newspaper Omonoia (Constantinople, March 1862-1867). In 1863, together with K. Skalieris, I. Tantalidis, K. Kalaitzakis and A. Ismyridis, he established the Masons’ Lodge named “Progress” and in 1872 he was a founding member of the Thracian Educational Society. Co-publisher, director and contributor to the Constantinople newspaper Neologos (31 Dec 1866/1 January 1867 – 27 April/9 May 1881); until his withdrawal in the spring of 1881, the newspaper in question was printed in their own printing and lithograph shop. He also served as correspondent for the newspapers Armonia (Constantinople, 1864-1868) owned by Michail ChourmouzisByzantis (Constantinople, 1856-1871 and 1871-1888) and Kairoi (Athens, 1872-1875, 1883-1885 and 1889-1920) owned by Petros Kanellidis. He then took part in editing the newspaper Kathimerini (1887-1888) owned by Babis Anninos and Michail Lambros. In 1885 he contributed, together with Georgios Kasdonis, to establishing the bookshop Estia.

In 1900 he returned to Constantinople from Athens, where he continued as a journalist. Publisher of the annual Encyclopedic Almanac (in Greek, Constantinople, 1901-1917) the publication of which was continued initially by I. Kollaros (1921) and later by the Estia bookshop (1922, 1923 and 1924).

In addition, Ioannis A. Vretos collaborated in compiling the nine-volume Encyclopedia of History and Geography (in Greek) (Constantinople, 1869-1892) which, until his departure from what was called the Boutyras Group, was printed in his own printing and lithography shop. And finally he co-authored Moral Stories (in Greek), published by Estia in 1925, after his death. He also wrote The good father (in Greek; reader, Constantinople, 1895); Grammar of the mother tongue, (in Greek, Constantinople, 1895), Series of Selected Readings (in Greek), G. Seitanidis publisher, Constantinople 1895, Selected readings for use by Public and Private schools for boys and girls alike (in Greek, Constantinople, 1896). He also translated, together with Stavros I. Voutyras and Georgios Vafeiadis, the work by Ponsonde Terrail entitled Knights of the Night (into Greek, Constantinople, 1868).

SOURCESNeologos, Constantinople, no. 386, 16 July 1868; no 3630, 27 April/9 May 1881; no. 7866, 29 Aug./10 Sept. 1895 and no. 8183, 24 Aug./5 Sept. 1896

BIBLIOGRAPHY: Andreas Ath. Antonopoulos, The Greeks of the Ottoman Empire and the Eastern Question 1866-1881. The testimony of Neologos in Constantinople (in Greek), New Circle of Constantinopoliton,Tsoukatos Publications, Athens 2007; Dimitris Stamatopoulos, Reform and secularisation. Towards a reconstruction of the history of the Ecumenical Patriarchate(in Greek), Alexandria, Athens, 2003, p. 216; Christina Stamatopoulou-Vasilakou. Greek Theatre in Constantinople in the 19th century, Vol I: History, Plays, Companies, Actors, Theatres (in Greek), New Circle of Constantinopoliton, Athens 1994, p. 48; Dionysios P. Kalogeropoulos, “Vretos, Ioannis A." Great Greek Encyclopedia (in Greek), Vol. VI, p. 774.

Andreas Ath. Antonopoulos

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