Date

Circa 1910

Creator

The 700 Greeks who took refuge in Ajaccio (from the persecution of the Ottomans) formed around 20% of the inhabitants of the town (3200 in 1731). They were offered the use of the 17th century church of La Madonna del Carmine which is still known as the Chapelle des Grecs. They inhabited Ajaccio from 1731 to 1775, after which they were relocated to the village of Cargese (27 km north). The young Napoleon often passed this chapel on his walks with his elder brother. A commemorative plaque on the wall gives a quotation from the memoirs of Joseph Bonaparte: 'Our daily walks with Napoleon went beyond the Chapelle des Grecs along a coast as beautiful as that beside the Gulf of Naples, in countryside heavy with the scent of myrtles and orange trees.' There are still some 300 Greek families in Cargese.