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Ioannis Varvakis (1745-1825), also known as Ivan Andreevich Varvatsi (Greek: Ιωάννης Βαρβάκης); (Russian: Иван Андреевич Варваци) was distinguished member of the Russian and Greek communities and a benefactor of the places where he lived. His real name was Leontidis. Born on the Greek Island of Psara, Varvakis was a Greek orthodox who became a skilful sailor and built a ship, the St.Andrew, which he later offered (with his crew) to the Russian forces during the Russo-Turkish War, 1768-1774. He spent his entire fortune to equip the ship and to arm it with canons and showed extraordinary courage during the Battle of Chesma (Turkish: Çeşme) in July 1770. His xebec was transformed into a fire ship, packed with combustibles, set on fire and steered into a large Turkish ship. But the Russo-Turkish War, 1768-1774 did not give independence to Greece, as the Ottoman sultan signed peace by the Treaty of Kuçuk Kainarji in 1774, which granted Russia the northern part of the Black Sea. On the other hand, this war created a mass exodus of Greeks to Russia.
Varvakis Coat of Arms. Without a drachma in his pocket, Ioannis Varvakis decided to seek an audience with Catherine II of Russia. He went to Saint Petersburg, where he met with Grigori Alexandrovich Potemkin, Russian general-field marshal, statesman, and favorite of Catherine II the Great, who arranged the audience with the empress of Russia. Catherine II the Great was particularly generous giving Varvakis 1,000 golden roubles as a gift and an authorisation for unlimited and duty-free fishery in the Caspian Sea and the right to choose a place to settle in Russia. He also received an official patent signed by Catherine II the Great prooving that Ivan Andreevich Varvatsi (his new Russian name) was named first lieutenant of the Russian Navy on October 21, 1772. From Saint Petersburg he left for Astrakhan, without any idea of how he could develop the fishery. In the northern Caspian Sea his fishery enterprise made him a millionaire. The boats of Varvakis were charged sturgeons, white salmons and other precious fishes. Knowing the passion of Greeks for caviar, he tried to arrange exporting caviar to Europe. He invented a solution to preserve the caviar eggs fresh while transportation on the ship. He produced timber boxes, which did not cause alterations in the precious eggs, were absolutely waterproof and thus were maintained in very good condition. Varvakis shipped caviar from Astrakhan to Greece by camels or by boats through Volga river. In 1788 the business of Varvakis employed more than 3,000 workers...
The Mansion of Ivan Varvatsi (Ioannis Varvakis) in Taganrog on a 19th century postcard. ©TaganrogCity.Com In 1810, Varvakis was granted the title of hereditary nobleman with family coat of arms by Alexander I of Russia, who also made him Court Counsel and decorated with a diamond Order of St Anne awarded for exceptional services and the order of St.Vladimir. In 1812 he moved to the city of Taganrog, populated by Greek colonists who, like the Greeks of classical times, took refuge from poverty or tyranny in townships around the northern Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. In 1813, Ivan Varvatsi spent 600,000 rubles for construction of Greek Jerusalem Monastery in Taganrog. When Alexander I of Russia died in Taganrog in 1825, the burial service for the Russian Czar was read in this monastery.
The Greek Monastery (1809-1814) in Taganrog, where the burial service for the Czar Alexander I of Russia was read in 1825. © TaganrogCity.Com Ioannis Varvakis returned to Greece in 1824, fought during the Greek War of Independence, 1821–1832 and died on Zanthe on 10th January 1825. After his death and to commemorate his heroism in liberating Greece from Ottoman rule, his family were keen to encourage education for children in Greece and built a school called “Varvakeion” in his honour Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/
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