On Monday, February 9, 2026, at 5:30 p.m., a representation from the Liguria Delegation of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George, led by the Delegate, Nob. Luigi Filippo Granello di Casaleto, Knight of Justice, took part in the conference The Greek Language in Everyday Speech, organized for the World Day of Greek Language and Culture under the patronage of the Municipality of Genoa.

The event was held in the prestigious Representative Hall of Palazzo Doria Tursi, formerly the residence of Nicolò Grimaldi and today the main seat of the Municipality of Genoa.

The principal promoter of the initiative was Giorgio Oikonomoy, Knight of Merit with Silver Star of the Constantinian Order, who offered a high-level cultural contribution on the influence of the Greek language on modern everyday vocabulary and on the historical relations between Genoa and ancient Greece, with particular reference to the figure of Roman Emperor Constantine the Great and the Hellenic context of his time.

Established in 2017 and celebrated each year on February 9 in honor of the poet Dionisio Solomòs, the World Day of the Greek Language pays tribute to one of the oldest and most fruitful languages in human history. From the Mycenaean attestations in Linear B to modern Greek, this language boasts an unbroken continuity of more than three millennia.

The reflections developed during the conference highlighted the role of Greek as the matrix of Western philosophical, scientific, and theological thought. Terms such as “logos,” “ethos,” “democracy,” “politics,” “anatomy,” and “psychology” still today bear witness to the indelible imprint of Hellenic civilization on our everyday language.

The participation of the Liguria Delegation in the conference represented a moment of great cultural and spiritual value, in the spirit of historical memory and commitment to promoting the Christian principles and humanistic culture that form the very foundation of the Constantinian mission.

The conference The Greek Language in Everyday Speech, introduced by Dimitri Magliveras, President of the Hellenic Community of Genoa, and by Konstantinos Kostopoulos of the Greek Orthodox Church in Genoa, and moderated by the journalist Paolo Zerbini, featured a distinguished panel that examined, from different perspectives, the vitality of the Greek language and its enduring influence on Western culture.

Among the speakers, in addition to Giorgio Oikonomoy, were Prof. Marco Martin, Dr. Paolo Lingua, Councilor Prof. Giacomo Montanari, Prof. Antonello Anfossi, Father Mauro De Gioia, and Eliano Calamaro.

Particular attention was devoted to Greek as the language of the New Testament and as the vehicle of the earliest Christian theological development, as well as an instrument for preserving the classical heritage during the Byzantine age. This legacy constitutes an ideal bridge between East and West, between classical civilization and Christianity, in harmony with the historical and spiritual values of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George.

Giorgio Oikonomoy
A Modern Artist with an Ancient Heart

Born in Athens and Ligurian by adoption, Giorgio Oikonomoy is a painter, sculptor, graphic artist, engraver, designer, and architect. His artistic activity began between 1965 and 1970, parallel to his studies at the Università degli Studi di Firenze, where he graduated in Architecture with highest honors and distinction.

His pictorial research is marked by a constant striving toward light, an element he shapes with a personal and refined technique. Genoa and Liguria — with their rooftops, ports, sails, and maritime atmospheres — form a privileged horizon of his inspiration. In his works, classical memory and contemporary sensibility coexist in a figurative synthesis of intense expressive power.

Many of his works are permeated by a profound ethical and spiritual message: children, hands raised toward the sky, the dove, and men of goodwill become symbols of peace, fraternity, and hope. Official artist of UNICEF, Oikonomoy has dedicated many creations to childhood and solidarity, including works for the Istituto Giannina Gaslini, monuments to peace, and pieces donated to religious and civic figures.

In 2004, on the occasion of the XXVIII Olympic Games, he presented a significant series of large paintings dedicated to the harmonies between classical Greek art and Italian Romanesque-Baroque art, paying tribute to his two cultural homelands, Greece and Italy. His artistic journey is coherent, original, and deeply rooted in tradition, yet always open to dialogue among peoples and civilizations.

Saint George

A Knight of Merit of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George, Oikonomoy has exalted in his works the figure of Saint George, a universal witness of faith and defender of the weak, venerated in the various Christian traditions.

Particularly significant is the series of fifteen large canvases on Constantinian themes, accompanied by captions and a catalog with extensive critical and interpretive contributions. These were exhibited at the 2013 exhibition marking the seventeenth centenary of the Edict promulgated in 313 by Emperor Constantine the Great at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Milan, promoted by the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George and the Collegio dei Dottori dell’Ambrosiana.

In these works, the artist interprets with theological sensitivity and references to Byzantine art the figure of Constantine and the value of religious freedom, offering a visual meditation on the relationship between faith, history, and contemporary life.

The exhibition was an original and fascinating reinterpretation of the Constantinian story, presented as an event that marked the history of thought, art, and Christian civilization. Visitors were invited to enter the flow of Constantine’s history and that of his Edict of Milan, challenged to ask themselves the fundamental questions about the meaning of life, society, and freedom — questions that the great emperor knew how to “carry with him” throughout his human life and reign.

The placement of the exhibition in the church built upon the remains of the ancient Roman forum of Mediolanum, in the immediate vicinity of Constantine’s palace where the Edict of 313 was conceived, made this event unique and highly evocative. It helped rediscover the City of Milan as a treasure chest of history and art, continuing a millennial tradition that reaches us today through images worthy of admiration and capable of inspiring reflection.

The Artist with the Grand Master, Prince Pedro, and his Consort before a painting

The inauguration of the exhibition was also attended by H.R.H. Prince Pedro of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, then still Duke of Noto and today Duke of Calabria, Count of Caserta, Head of the Royal House of the Two Sicilies and Grand Master of the Constantinian Order, together with his Consor, H.R.H. the Duchess.

The Exhibition Catalogue was enriched by the Presentation of H.R.H. Prince Pedro of Bourbon-Two Sicilies:

“It gives me the greatest pleasure to present this refined catalogue: an internationally recognized master, Giorgio Oikonomoy, has succeeded in interpreting with great sensitivity the figure of Constantine, his era, and his politico-religious thought through the large paintings displayed in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.”

and by the Preface of H.E. Duke Diego de Vargas Machuca, late President of the Royal Commission for Italy of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George:

“In expressing profound gratitude to Maestro Oikonomoy for his great generosity and for the skill with which he interpreted the theme entrusted to him, I extend every good wish for the success of the Exhibition.”

BELOW:  PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE ARTIST GIORGIO OIKONOMOY (INCLUDING WITH THE DUKE AND DUCHESS OF CALABRIA) AND SOME OF HIS PAINTINGS