St. Augustine, FL – February 4-6, Adamantia Klotsa, Consul General of the Hellenic Republic, head of the Greek Consulate, Tampa Office participated in the 35th anniversary of the Dedication of St. Photios Greek Orthodox National Shrine in St. Augustine, Florida. Metropolitan Alexios, Metropolitan of Atlanta, Bishop Dimitrios of Xanthos, Rt. Rev. Bishop Gregory of Nyssa, and Shrine 1st Vice President, Archon Dr. Manuel N. Tissura at the St. Photios Foundation annual Meeting, welcomed her.
Shrine Director, Polexeni Maouris Hillier, thanked the Honorable Klotsa for her four visits to St. Photios and St. Augustine as she introduced her as the keynote speaker at the Trustees dinner.
Mrs. Hillier said, “In 2015, Adamantia came to St. Augustine to celebrate Greek Landing Day in conjunction with the 450th Celebration of the Founding of St. Augustine. Then, in February, 2016, she gave us the opportunity to host a ministerial visit at St. Photios.
The Honorable Terence Spencer Nikolaos Quick, deputy minister to the Prime Minister, made a visit to St. Augustine February 28th, 2016 to pay homage to the first Greek Community in North America.
With 3-4 day notice, the Tampa Greek Consulate staff organized a tour that included a mayoral reception for Mr. Quick, in which he and Mayor Nancy Shaver exchanged greetings and gifts in the Constantine Sisters Courtyard. After a tour of St. Photios and reflecting on the Avero House as a sanctuary for the survivors of the New Smyrna Colony, there was a solemn walk to the Tolomato Cemetery where MP Quick laid a wreath at the gravesite of the Mary Darling, daughter of Ioannis Ioannopolis. The entourage then proceeded to the St. Augustine National Cemetery to lay a wreath at a grave of a descendent of Stephanos Stephanopoli, another Greek colonist who arrived with the Turnbull colony.
This diplomat makes a difference. I thank God for the dynamic relationship we have shared. Adamantia Klotsa was born in Athens, she holds a B.A. in Archeology, and a B.A. in Law, as well as a MA in Prehistoric Archeology from the University of Athens. She entered the Diplomatic Service of the Hellenic Republic in 1998. In the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Hellenic Republic, she served at the office of the Secretary General, the NATO Department and the Personnel Department.”
She recognized the unique characteristics of a typical American city like Tampa, like St. Augustine. She reminded everyone that here in Florida there is the treasure of Tarpon Springs with the largest Epiphany celebration in the world; the treasure of St. Augustine with the largest colonization of Greeks in the New World. She encouraged everyone to continue to celebrate their heritage fully.
On February 5th and 6th, Ms. Klotsa attended ecclesiastical services and the St. Photios National Shrine Day banquet. She greeted His Eminence, Archbishop Demetrios, Geron of America with Nancy Shaver, Mayor of St. Augustine. Ms. Klotsa has introduced the application of a Sisters City relationship with the city of St. Augustine and Koroni, Greece.
