Demetrius Stefanovich Schilizzi (many spellings; el, Δημήτριος Στεφάνοβικ Σκυλίτσης; 1839–1893) was an Ottoman-born Greek banker in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

and

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

, and later a steamship owner in Constantinople. He was also the acting Italian consul in

Calcutta Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...

for some time starting in 1864, and an amateur composer.

Life

Demetrius was born in Constantinople to Zannis Stefanovich Schilizzi (1806–1888), one of the Schilizzi merchant and shipping family originally from

Chios Chios (; el, Χίος, Chíos , traditionally known as Scio in English) is the fifth largest Greek island, situated in the northern Aegean Sea. The island is separated from Turkey by the Chios Strait. Chios is notable for its exports of mastic ...

, and Eleni Vouro. The Schilizzi family was one of the trading dynasties that arose after the 1822

Chios massacre The Chios massacre (in el, Η σφαγή της Χίου, ) was a catastrophe that resulted to the death, enslavement, and refuging of about four-fifths of the total population of Greeks on the island of Chios by Ottoman troops, during the G ...

of the

Greek War of Independence The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution or the Greek Revolution of 1821, was a successful war of independence by Greek revolutionaries against the Ottoman Empire between 1821 and 1829. The Greeks were later assisted by ...

. Demetrius' uncle J. S. Schilizzi (1805–1892) was in the Black Sea

grain trade The grain trade refers to the local and international trade in cereals and other food grains such as wheat, barley, maize, and rice. Grain is an important trade item because it is easily stored and transported with limited spoilage, unlike other ...

Livorno Livorno () is a port city on the Ligurian Sea on the western coast of Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of 158,493 residents in December 2017. It is traditionally known in English as Leghorn (pronou ...

, and founded a London branch in 1837. Demetrius Schilizzi began his banking career in Paris. In 1871 Demetrius Schilizzi was living in Surrey Gardens,

Hyde Park, London Hyde Park is a Grade I-listed major park in Westminster, Greater London, the largest of the four Royal Parks that form a chain from the entrance to Kensington Palace through Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park, via Hyde Park Corner and Green Pa ...

, with J. S. Schilizzi. In 1873 the London firm Schilizzi & Co. was restructured, with J. S. Schilizzi retaining the name, and Demetrius and two other family members forming Schilizzi Brothers, in business at 25

Austin Friars Austin Friars is a coeducational independent day school located in Carlisle, England. The Senior School provides secondary education for 350 boys and girls aged 11–18. There are 150 children aged 4–11 in the Junior School and the Nursery ha ...

. He was also a director of the Imperial Bank, joining its board in 1873 on the death of Pantaleone Constantine Ralli. He became a naturalised British subject on 27 February 1874. On his death Schilizzi left a reported £600,000 in securities, largely to a brother and nephew. He was buried at the

Şişli Greek Orthodox Cemetery Şişli Greek Orthodox Cemetery ( tr, Şişli Rum Ortodoks Mezarlığı), also known as ''Şişli Eastern Orthodox Cemetery'', is a Christian cemetery in Istanbul, Turkey. The burial ground is the final resting place of people professing the ...

Benefactor

The Greek Orthodox cathedral of St. Stephen in Rue Georges Bizet, Paris, designed by

Joseph Auguste Émile Vaudremer Joseph Auguste Émile Vaudremer (6 February 1829 – 7 February 1914) was a French architect. He won the prix de Rome and designed several public buildings in France, particularly in Paris, four of which have been designated ''monuments historiqu ...

and decorated by Charles Lameire and

Ludwig Thiersch Ludwig Thiersch (April 12, 1825 in Munich – May 10, 1909"Thiersch", ''Meyers Konversations-Lexikon'') was a German painter, primarily of mythological and religious subjects and especially of ecclesiastical art, also influential in Greece. Ear ...

(iconostasis), and a home for the aged (present-day Foyer Jean Bosco) by the same architect in the Rue de Varize, were commissioned by Schlizzi, who did not live to see them completed. Schilizzi's brother Paul oversaw and possibly funded the completion of the work. Demetrius Schilizzi had earlier been on the Building Committee of

St Sophia's Cathedral, London Saint Sophia Cathedral ( el, Καθεδρικός ναός της Αγίας Σοφίας) is a Greek Orthodox church on Moscow Road in the Bayswater area of London. It was consecrated as the Church of the Holy Wisdom on 5 February 1882 by Ant ...

Musical works

Schilizzi's works include ''Hélène, polka-mazurka'', published in Paris by E. Girod, 1858, and ''Fantaisie élégante pour la flûte'', published by Legouix, 1861. The fifth fantasy in

Jean Rémusat Jean Rémusat (1815–1880) was a French flautist, composer of music for the flute, and conductor. In later life he lived in Shanghai. Life Rémusat was born in Bordeaux in 1815. From 1830 he studied at the Paris Conservatoire with flautist Jean-L ...

's ''Le Flûtiste romancier'', published 1959, and the second number in

Jules Demersseman Jules Auguste Demersseman (9 January 1833 – 1 December 1866) was a French flautist and composer. Biography Demersseman was born in Hondschoote, Département Nord, France, near the Belgian border. At 11, he was a student of Jean-Louis Tul ...

's ''Six petites fantaisies faciles pour deux flûtes'', Op. 28 bis, appear both to be using a melody from a

romance Romance (from Vulgar Latin , "in the Roman language", i.e., "Latin") may refer to: Common meanings * Romance (love), emotional attraction towards another person and the courtship behaviors undertaken to express the feelings * Romance languages, ...

composed by Schilizzi, titled ''Simplicité''.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schilizzi, Demetrius Stefanovich 1839 births 1893 deaths

Demetrius Demetrius is the Latinized form of the Ancient Greek male given name ''Dēmḗtrios'' (), meaning “Demetris” - "devoted to goddess Demeter". Alternate forms include Demetrios, Dimitrios, Dimitris, Dmytro, Dimitri, Dimitrie, Dimitar, Dumit ...

19th-century classical composers 19th-century Eastern Orthodox Christians 19th-century Greek businesspeople Burials at Şişli Greek Orthodox Cemetery Greek bankers Greek businesspeople in shipping Greek classical composers Greek emigrants to the United Kingdom Greeks from the Ottoman Empire Naturalised citizens of the United Kingdom Constantinopolitan Greeks Diplomats from Istanbul Musicians from Istanbul Businesspeople from Istanbul