Ioannis P. Taboulareas–Researcher, Author
Ioannis P. Tavoulareas was born in 1903 in the mountainous village of Saidona, Messenia, where he finished the four-grade Primary School. He learned the cobbler's art and then worked in several cobblers’ workshops in Kalamata. At the same time, having the germ of research, he started the study to locate the ancient city of Pharai (today's Kalamata) in 1952. He followed the Archaeological Service daily and was "omnipresent" in every archaeological excavation.
In 1952, Ioannis P. Tavoulareas discovered, in the Monastery of Kalogrea, ancient tombs of the Classical, Hellenistic and Roman periods, consisting of ancient gifts (burial gifts), which he handed over to the Museum of the Letters Club (today's "Historical and Folklore Museum of Kalamata") where the mansion of scholar, Georgios Kyriakou, is housed. In this way, Yiannis Tavoulareas undertook service at the museum:
"...During the foundation of the priestly school, there I found a grave of the Roman period with offerings, nine clay vessels and lamps placed inside a pitcher, and these were handed over to the Museum". (Excerpt from the Ioannis P. Taboulareas’ diary, which was made public by Vasilios I. Maniatis).
In 1960, continuing his archaeological research, together with the then Superintendent of Antiquities, Nikos Gialouris, he found graves and an ancient building in the square of the Ypapanti Metropolitan church:
"...During the renovation works at Ypapanti Square, I spotted a large building excavated by archaeologist Nik. Gialouris. It was discovered that the unearthed building belonged to the classical era, 450 BC, and it would be one of the two buildings that traveller Pausanias would see in Farai from the found pieces of clay vessels of the classical era..." (Excerpt from the staff diary of Ioannis P. Taboulareas, which was made public by Vasilios I. Maniatis).
Ioannis P. Taboulareas, through his research work, immensely helped the Archaeological Service, thanks to his inexhaustible passion, even though he knew few letters. This "Wise" man (as Kalamata residents called him) spent almost his entire life going around and investigating ancient tombs, monasteries, chapels and Mani towers, guided by his intuition and genuine love for the place.
His reward for the valuable services he offered was his appointment to the Antiquities Service by the General Administrator of Greece, Yiannis Papadimitriou, a seat he kept until 1967.
Ioannis P. Taboulareas wrote several books of historical and archaeological content, as well as monographs. Indicatively, the following are mentioned: "Epitaphion Ieron Mantilion" (1969) ", Two monasteries, Samueli, Vaidenitsa" (1970) ", The churches of Saidona" (1981), "Petrobeis Mavromichalis’ headdress" (1982), "Old Kalamata" (1982), "The Great Lazarus and the Mani Jokes" (1985) etc.
Ioannis P. Tavoulareas passed away in 1995 (at the age of 92) in Kalamata, and the residents of the city always remember him as a simple man, a "lover" of historical research who left an indelible mark on the Messenian region.