Donor of “Nikolopouleios Library” is Konstantinos Agathofron Nikolopoulos. His father, Georgakis Nikolopoulos came from Andritsaina and after the unsuccessful revolution of Orloff he left to Smyrni to evade possible reprisals. His mother Panayota Matzourani came from Andritsiana and was a midwife.
Konstantinos was born there in 1786. After having successfully attended the Evangelic School of Smyrni, at the age of 18 he was found in Bucharest, where his half-brother lived and he studied to become a schoolteacher. At the age of 20 he was found in Paris and lived there for 14 years tutoring private lessons as a teacher. The tutoring did not take place in his house, in order to economise on heating, which was then particularly expensive in Paris, while later he taught Literature. Simultaneously, he dealt with poetry and music, and while he was still alive, his name was included in the “World Biography of Musicians”. Nikolopoulos demonic and exceptionally philomath, impassioned patriot, eager collector of books, aware of the Greek language and literature, spoke and wrote excellently the French, German and Italian languages. He became member of the Ionian Academy and the Artistic Company of Paris, and was named in an appreciable place in the Library of the Institute of France.
He publishes his poems in “Logios Ermis” (Literary Hermes) and the “Filologikos Tilegrafos” (Literature Telegraph). He publishes the magazine “Melissa” (Bee) with Mr. Sp. Kondon. He publishes the work of his scholar friend Zalikis. He publishes “Odin pros to Ear” (Song to the Springtime) and dedicates it to Kapodistrias, “Asma Ellinosotirion” (Chant for the Grace of Greece) and “Asma ston Episkopo Patron Germano” (Chant to Bishop of Patras German), dedicated to Satobrian.
From 1819 until 1831 he is one of the collaborators of Encyclopedic Review of Paris. He writes articles, studies, criticisms on the published books, obituaries and comments. After the beginning of the liberating fight he stresses and publishes marches, anthems, precepts and calls to the fighting Greeks and Philhellenists. All his work is distinguished by a pure patriotism, a passion to see Greece free.
In Paris he acquired important Library, been famous among the best private Libraries. He gave away to the mother country of his father, Andritsaina, this library, with the desire to see Greece released and with faith that with the study and the knowledge of its history would regenerate. He aknowledged his decision to the Municipality of Andritsaina by the following letter in 1838.
Ευγενέστατε Δήμαρχε της Ανδριτζαίνης,
Εντιμότατοι, σύμβουλοι της Δημαρχίας,
Και λοιποί πάντες Ανδριτζανίται,
Φίλοι και αδελφοί
Συμπατριώται μυριοπόθητοι !
Προ τριάκοντα ετών διατρίβων εν Παρισίοις ως φιλόμουσος, και αποβλέπων εις το κοινόν όφελος της Ελλάδος, και ιδιαιτέρως εις το της Ανδριτζαίνης, ένθα εγεννήθη ο αοίδιμος και ενάρετος πατήρ μου Χατζή-Γεωργάκης Νικολόπουλος Μισιρτζής, επίτροπος του Αγίου Τάφου, αποθανών προ πολλού υπέργηρως εν Σμύρνη, συνέστησα μετά πολλών πόνων, ταλαιπωριών και ιδρώτων Βιβλιοθήκην μεγάλην και αξιολογωτάτην κατά πάντα, έχων σκοπόν ίνα έλθω εις Ανδρίτζαιναν προς διάδοσιν των ολίγων φώτων, όσα εκτησάμην εν τη πεφωτισμένη Γαλλία, και τελειώσω πλησίον υμών, των αγαθών και φιλομαθών Αρκάδων ησύχως και ευδαιμόνως το επίλοιπον μέρος της ζωής μου. Επειδή δ' έμαθον εκ της φήμης ότι επιθυμείτε καταστήσαι μέγα και τακτικόν σχολείον εις φωτισμόν των υμετέρων τέκνων, εις αύξησιν και βελτίωσιν του υμετέρου εμπορίου, εις τελειοποίησιν της σωτηρίου γεωργικής τέχνης, εν ενί λόγω εις ευδαιμονίαν όλων των κατοίκων της Ανδριτζαίνης και της λοιπής Πελοποννήσου, μετά χαράς, φίλοι και αδελφοί, προσφέρω δώρον προς υμάς όλον τον πλούτον, ον μοι εδωρήσατο φιλανθρώπως ο παντοδύναμος θεός, δηλαδή όλην μου την Βιβλιοθήκην. Λέγω δε υμίν εν ταυτώ το του Αποστόλου «Αργύριον και Χρυσίον ουχ' υπάρχει μοι, ο δε έχω, τούτο υμίν δίδωμι». Όθεν πέμψατέ μοι όσον τάχος δύο άνδρας πιστοτάτους και επισήμους, Ανδριτζανίτας, προς ους εγώ ευθύς παραδώσω αδιστάκτως τον προσφερόμενον πλούτον, διότι αλλέως, εστιν αδύνατον. Εν τοσούτω δε φροντίσατε ίνα καταστήσητε τάχιστα τουλάχιστον κατά το παρόν, σχολείον ελληνικόν και αξιόλογον, όπερ αφ'ου συν θεώ έλθω εις Ανδρίτζαιναν κατά τον μέγα μου πόθον, κατασταθήσεται, ως ελπίζω, κοινή Ακαδημία δι'όλην την Πελοπόννησον.
Έρρωσθε, ευδαιμονούντες διηνεκώς, άνδρες φιλόκαλοι, φιλόμουσοι και φιλοπάτριδες.
Ο υμέτερος συμπατριώτης
Αγαθόφρων Νικολόπουλος
ά la Bibliotheque de l' Institut,ά Paris.
Eν Παρισίοις τη α΄του Ιουνίου αωλή Ν.
Επ. Γραφετέ μοι πάντοτε δια του εν Αθήναις φιλτάτου ανεψιού μου Κυρίου Χαραλάμπους Χριστοπούλου, Ανδριτζανίτου".
In 1840 the books were transferred to Andritsaina (in 47 boxes) by boat from Paris in Nafplion and from there by animals in Andritsaina and were placed provisionally in a church, Saint Barbara, near the School.
He died on 12 June 1841 in the Hospital (Hotel Dieu), without any relative. In 1932 the books were placed finally in a wing of the building of High School after a lot of discomforts.
The books are precious and hard to find, from the first publications of typography, in 1500 and afterwards. A lot of books contain notes, signatures, dedications of famous men (blazons of Dukes, etc.). The Library of Nikolopoulos is also updated in all branches of History, Geography, Legal, Medicine etc. and contains all the Greek classic writers in all publications.
In 2003, the Pan-Hellenic Association of Friends of Library gave away the furniture for the collection of “NIKOLOPOULOS” to our Library.
