ATHANASIOS SOLOMONIDES

Athanasios Solomonides was born in Axarion, small town out of Smyrna, Asia Minor. Died in Lowell, January 24, 1923 at the age of forty-five. His father Joseph Solomonides, was a well to-do commission merchant in the various land products that his country, produced. His mother, Sebasti, was a learned and beautiful woman whose devotion to her faith and ambition to see her children educated became 'proverbial among her friends. It is said that Athanasios inherited her deep religious spirit and John, the eldest son, her ambition and great aristocratic attitude. Mr. Solomonides often mentioned an older sister whom he held in great reverence. While Athanasios was yet a child, Joseph Solomonides moved his family to Smyrna as this offered better educational facilities for his children as well as an advance in his business. John Solomonlaesi ten years older than Athanasios, graduated from a Turkish-French Medical School with honors in 1896. Athanasios and his sister entered school in Smyrna, conducted by nuns of the Catholic faith. Here the sister died. At the age of sixteen both parents had died brother John was continuing his medical studies in Athens. Athanasios went to Athens. In Athens the brothers quarreled as Athanasios wasn’t willing to take up the life of a student as mapped out by John. As a result of this dispute the brothers parted and never met again. Nevertheless Athanasios always carried a great love and respect for this oldest brother. A few days after the quarrel, Athanasios saw a beautiful icon sent to a member of the Royal Family in Greece from one of the monasteries on Mt. Athos. it was placed on exhibition and when young Solomonides saw it he was so deeply impressed that he vowed he would never die until he had produced one just like it. Whether any of his Icons resembles this particular one no one knows but the youth went in search of some sort of work immediately and toiled hard until he. earned sufficient money to take him to that Holy Mountain. We do not know at what age he entered the monastery, how he was received or in what particular monastery he lived. However, he was soon advanced to the position of a brother in the institution and was known no longer as Athanasias but Acakios. From Mt. Athos young Solomonides went to the island of Paros and there became Egoamenos, or Brother superior in the Monastery of "Faneromeni” where he remained for three years. It was here that he painted a fine Madonna, which was sold to a wealthy Greek lady in Paris who paid him well for It. This lady appreciated Solomonides' work so much that when she heard he was In America she wrote letters of encouragement and sent him several packages of gold leaf as well as a large quantity of raw paints and various brushes.

After three years at the Monastery of Paros a bitter dispute arose with the district officer over a 1arge piece of property belonging to his monastery. His brother John in this country had been writing him to come to America which he did. Upon reaching New York he found his brother had gone west, so this modest, pious man who hitherto lived a life of prayer and sacred work found himself alone, bewildered and confused. Solomonides did some Interior decorating for a Greek Church in N.Y. but was unable to get enough work to support himself.

Seeing an advertisement in the paper for help wanted he came to Lowell where he married. He worked as dyer at the Columbia Textile Company at which place his arm was badly crushed. So maimed and practically penniless he tried to forget his art, in fact he seldom spoke of it to anyone. He left a widow with five children the oldest of which was eight. But, he also left behind some of his works. For awhile, three of his full-size icons were displayed at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and now are at the altar of the Transfiguration Greek Orthodox Church in Lowell, Massachusetts.