59. Raif Mehmet House
Brief documentation:
The building originally belonged to Raif Mehmet and in 1931 it was resold to Despina Kapazoglou-Virra. During the period 1931-1941 the surgical gynecology clinic of Vasilios Karageorgis was housed in the building, as indicated on the small triangular pediment. Today it is used as a residence.
Vasilissis Sofias Street is a central street of the city, through which the parade during the famous Carnival of Xanthi passes, which is also called "Thracian Folklore Festivals" and takes place in the city since 1966. The Carnival of Xanthi is the second largest in the country, after Patras’, and is honored by many visitors from Greece and neighboring countries.
The building is a large three-storey building, the original form of which has been altered over the years and by the changes that have been made on the ground floor and the first floor.
It is a building with neoclassical style, which is particularly evident in its symmetry and corner pilasters with architraves.
Another characteristic of the building is the wide cornice of the roof and the solid parapet on the façade with the emblematic pediment in its center.
Category of thematic interest: ARCHITECTURAL / HISTORICAL INTEREST
History:
The building originally belonged to Raif Mehmet and in 1931 it was resold to Despina Kapazoglou-Virra. During the period 1931-1941 the surgical gynecology clinic of Vasilios Karageorgis was housed in the building, as indicated on the small triangular pediment. Today it is used as a residence.
Elements of architecture:
The building is a large three-storey building, the original form of which has been altered over the years and by the changes that have been made on the ground floor and the first floor. It is a building with neoclassical style, which is particularly evident in its symmetry and corner pilasters with architraves. Another characteristic of the building is the wide cornice of the roof and the solid parapet on the façade with the emblematic pediment in its center.
Description of other elements:
The building had its own water supply of 6 drams per second (0.66 m³ around the clock), a large quantity for that time. Vasilissis Sofias Street is a central street of the city, through which the parade during the famous Carnival of Xanthi passes, which is also called "Thracian Folklore Festivals" and takes place in the city since 1966. The Carnival of Xanthi is the second largest in the country, after Patras’, which is honored by many visitors from Greece and neighboring countries.
Purpose - Use: Residence, Sanitary area
Characterization: Government Gazette 612B/30-4-1976 and Government Gazette 661/Β/17-5-1976, Government Gazette 1097/14.12-1995
Dating (period): Unknown
Year of construction: Unknown
Location of the monument: 41.142073871544746, 24.888086862462554
Bibliographic references:
• Katsari-Vafiadis, J. Ed. 2023. "History and recording of the neoclassical buildings of the traditional settlement". Xanthi: Municipality of Xanthi, p. 85
Address: Vas. Sofias 5
Visitable: No