The library of Professor Konstantinos G. Pitsakis

The library was transferred to the Foundation in 2018 through the generous donation of his family. It is estimated to contain approximately 32,000 items. Notable sections include those related to law (Byzantine, post-Byzantine, ecclesiastical), church history, Byzantine history, and Greek philology. There is also a large number of series and periodicals that scientifically complement the above categories. The collection is further enriched by smaller thematic sections on Greek history and literature, as well as philosophy.

Konstantinos Pitsakis (1944-2012) was a Professor of Law and an executive at the National Bank of Greece. He studied law at the University of Athens and earned his Ph.D. from the Faculty of Law at Democritus University of Thrace in 1985. He specialized in Byzantine law, both secular and ecclesiastical. In 1971, he edited the re-publication of the Hexabiblos by Konstantinos Armenopoulos, including an extensive introduction, notes, and glossary, for which he was given an award from the Academy of Athens. In 1992, he was appointed Associate Professor of the History of Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Law at the Department of History and Ethnology at the University of Thrace, and from 1998, he served as Associate Professor and later as Professor in this field at the Faculty of Law of the same University. He also taught in postgraduate programs at the University of La Sapienza in Rome and at the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales in Paris. He published studies, papers, and reviews in Greek and international journals, conference proceedings, and collective volumes, with over 260 documented works. Alongside his academic career, he served in various positions at the National Bank of Greece, notably as deputy and manager of the maritime branch. He participated in numerous scientific associations and research groups, both in Greece and abroad. Among his roles, he was President of the Publications Committee of the National Bank of Greece, a member of the Supervisory Committee of the Hellenic Institute in Venice, a member of the Board of Trustees of the National Library of Greece, a member of the Directorate of the General State Archives, a member of the Scientific Committee of the Foundation of the Hellenic Parliament for Democracy and Parliamentary Studies, and Vice President of the International Society for Byzantine Studies. For his extensive contributions, he was honored by the Patriarchate of Constantinople with the title of Archon Megas Nomophylax.