Juan Gómez Millas, a Chilean politician then Universidad de Chile Faculty of Philosophy and Letters Dean, arrived his country in 1947.
Although in Chile there was already, since colonial times, a remarkable academic dedication around Classical Age themes, the specific study of Byzantium had not reached the depth that it achieved with Malleros' work and academic activity, who dedicated his life to Byzantinology, both through the publication of specialized books and articles, as well as outreach and extension works, including conferences and even broadcasting programs.
He collaborated in 1953 in carrying out the first extension course on the subject (under the title "Byzantium and Western Culture") at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso.
This university institution, which has been officially named after it since 1998, receives sponsorship from Greek state through an annual contribution to its financing.
The center, which has a library of several thousand volumes, mostly in greek language, has edited several works on its area of study, in addition to publishing magazine Byzantion Nea Hellás.