Photo: Aristotle Onassis and Jackie Kennedy in the wedding dress designed by Valentino. (Getty Images / Bettman)
Exactly 57 years ago today, on October 20, 1968, the world held its breath as Jacqueline Bouvier-Kennedy, the legendary "Jackie," former First Lady of the U.S. and a symbol of American aristocracy, married the Greek tycoon Aristotle Onassis on his private island, Skorpios, in the Ionian Sea.
Christen Papas
It was the "wedding of the century," a union that clashed two different worlds, ignited reactions, intrigue, and drama across the globe, and redefined the terms of global luxury and fame.
The Drama Before the Wedding: America's Widow
The decision of the 39-year-old Jackie to remarry, just five years after the assassination of her husband, President John F. Kennedy, and a few months after the murder of his brother, Robert Kennedy, caused shock. The "Widow of America," as she had been called, lived under a constant burden: fear. Onassis, with his immense fortune and connections, as well as his private domain—Skorpios—seemed like the only man in the world who could offer her the absolute security she desperately sought for herself and her two children, Caroline and John-John.
The American press reaction was furious. Screaming headlines, such as the notorious "Jackie, how could you?," accused the former First Lady of betraying the memory of Kennedy and of a marriage based purely on self-interest. In private letters, she wrote that Onassis was "wise and kind" and that only she could decide what was best for the protection of her family. This marriage, beyond the financial factor, was her escape from the "showcase" of Washington.
The Prestige of the Greek: Onassis at the Zenith
For Aristotle Onassis, this marriage was not just a romantic conquest. It was the ultimate confirmation of prestige—the culmination of a life full of personal ambition and success. The Greek who started from nothing managed to bring the most famous and influential woman on the planet to Skorpios. It was the victory of Greek entrepreneurial genius against American aristocracy. "He had managed to marry and have the First Lady of the United States by his side," his personal secretary, Kiki Feroudi-Moutsatsos, stated, emphasizing the significance of the event for the tycoon's status.
Photo: A photo from the era shows Jackie Onassis, along with Christina, visiting the waterfalls above Nydri, in Dimosari, riding donkeys, as the road stopped at a certain point and car access was not possible.
The relationship between Onassis and Jackie had everything: intensity, negotiations, and, above all, a mythical prenuptial agreement that secured huge capital for Jackie if she decided to leave.
On Skorpios: The Simple Ceremony at Panagitsa
The wedding was performed with exceptional simplicity and secrecy, considering the Croesus's wealth, in the small chapel of Panagitsa (Our Lady) on the island. It was a Sunday, and the weather was rainy and stormy, with the autumnal drizzle lending an almost dramatic and melancholic note to the ceremony.
Photo: Jackie's wedding dress worn for her marriage to John F. Kennedy. (Bertrand Rindoff Petroff/Getty Images)
Jackie, defying extravagance, wore an elegant two-piece Valentino dress made of chiffon and lace, in a soft beige color, with a white ribbon in her hair. The dress was, in fact, ready-to-wear and not a special commission, a detail that underscored her desire for discretion.
The guests were few, about 30 in number, in a close family circle:
From Jackie's side, her children, Caroline (11) and John-John (7), her mother Janet, her stepfather Hugh Auchincloss, and her sister Lee Radziwill.
From Onassis's side, present were his son Alexander and his daughter Christina, who viewed their father's new wife with intense suspicion, fearing she threatened their position in the empire.
After the ceremony, a reception followed on Onassis's legendary yacht, the "Christina," which had been transformed into a floating palace. The wedding dinner was a display of exquisite gastronomy, including caviar, fillet mignon, sweet soufflés, and champagne.
The Shadow of Callas and the Tragedy
The couple's daily life on Skorpios and later in their Paris apartment was not rosy. Onassis continued to maintain contact with Maria Callas, his great love, whom he considered a "piece of his soul." The passionate relationship reportedly continued even after the marriage, a fact that Onassis, driven by his Greek bravado, seemed to boast about rather than hide. Jackie, on the other hand, chose silence and independence, absorbed in shopping, travel, and decorating.[Photo:
Getty Images photo
In 1973, the family balance definitively collapsed with the tragedy: the sudden death of his beloved son, Alexander, in a plane crash. Onassis never recovered. The pain isolated him. The marriage to Jackie, which had begun as an agreement of protection and prestige, essentially ended, although it formally lasted until his own death in 1975. Onassis was buried on Skorpios, next to his son, as was his daughter Christina later. The island, his personal refuge and the symbol of his empire, became their family tomb.
The Epilogue of the Legend: The End of the Onassis Era on Skorpios
After the death of Aristotle Onassis, Skorpios passed to his daughter, Christina, and eventually to his granddaughter, Athina Onassis. For decades, the island remained the inaccessible symbol of a bygone era of luxury and power, a place connected to the myth of the wedding and the family's sorrow.
However, the island's legend officially closed its chapter in 2013, when Athina Onassis decided to sell Skorpios. The island was acquired by the Russian tycoon Dmitry Rybolovlev (through a company of his daughter's interests, Ekaterina), for a sum that reached 100 million euros. This sale signaled the official end of the "Onassis Era" in the Ionian Sea and the passing of the legendary island into hands foreign to the Greek dynasty, leaving behind a story that continues to resonate.
