Kandilaptis was born October 23, 1881, in Argyropolis, then a city in the
Ottoman Empire (now
Gümüşhane,
Turkey). He was the last of 4 children. His parents were Theodoros and Kiparissia (or Paresa) Kandilaptis. In 1899, after graduating from the
Phrontisterion of Argyropolis, he pursued an educational career teaching from 1899 until 1914 in villages in the province of Argyropolis and
Erzincan. In 1914, during
World War I, he was called to join the Ottoman army, but he was declared a fugitive in the period of 1920-1922 and was exiled to
Erzurum. Later, he took part in the
Population exchange between Greece and Turkey, leaving his hometown in the summer of 1924. He fled to
Greece, where he settled with his family in
Alexandroupoli. He took with him important historical relics of Pontic history including the
Golden bulls of the
Empire of Trebizond, the bones of
Alexios IV of Trebizond, and several library manuscripts, saving them from destruction. until his retirement in 1951. On June 29, 1966, the Greek state honored Kandilaptis' work in letters, awarding him with a special ceremony held in
Athens and the Gold cross of the
Order of the Phoenix. He died from illness on January 14, 1971, in
Alexandroupoli.
Personal life In 1908, Kandilaptis married Angeliki Louka, with whom he had seven children (four boys and three girls). One of his children was
killed in action during the
Greco-Italian War,
Lieutenant Theodoros Kandilaptis, whose name bears Alexandroupouli's military camp. == Writing works ==