The Hellenic Institute of Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Studies in Venice bids farewell, with deep sorrow and respect, to its Director for at least fifteen years (1998–2013), Professor Emerita of History, Chryssa Maltezou.

Chryssa Maltezou was born in Alexandria, Egypt, in 1941. She studied at the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Athens, where she also obtained her doctorate, focusing her academic interests on the Venetian presence in Greek territories. She served as a Professor at the University of Crete (1982–1995) and at the Department of Theatre Studies of the University of Athens (1995–1998), and she was later named Professor Emerita at the University of Athens (2009 and on).

In 1998, she was elected Director of the Hellenic Institute of Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Studies in Venice, succeeding Professor Nikolaos Panagiotakis. Through tireless efforts and a steadfast focus on the research and study of Venetian sources, she transformed the Institute into a centre of research and publishing, setting every activity under strict scientific criteria. She devoted herself to the training of research scholars and established multiple connections with prominent archival institutions in Italy, as well as academic centres in Greece and abroad.

She organised and systematised the Archive of the Greek Community (formerly Brotherhood) of Venice, preserving invaluable material and undertaking its first detailed digitisation.

Highly accomplished in her field, Chryssa Maltezou authored numerous studies exploring various aspects of the interaction between the West and Post-Byzantine Hellenism. She became a full member of the Academy of Athens in 2012, occupying the Chair of Modern Hellenic History (1453-1821).

The Hellenic Institute of Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Studies in Venice, a place she cherished and served with dedication, contributing significantly to its history – one that future historians will undoubtedly recount – will forever preserve her memory.