83. Orfeos Street
Brief documentation:
Main street with shops and residences in the heart of the traditional settlement, which ends at Mitropoleos Square. Already from the late Ottoman period it was the main retail street of the city.
Orpheus is one of the most important mythical musicians and poets of antiquity, associated with Thrace. His father was King Oeagros of Thrace and his mother was Calliope, Muse of epic poetry. He was such a great musician that with his music he enchanted people, beasts, and even made trees move to enjoy his melodies.
He took part in the Argonaut expedition and then returned to Thrace, where he married Eurydice. His wife, while one day in the forest, was bitten by a snake and died. Desperate Orpheus decided to go down to the underworld to bring his wife back. With the power of his lyre he persuaded the gods to allow him to get Eurydice, but on condition, until they ascended the earth, that he should not return to see her. Orpheus, however, turned to see her and she returned forever to Hades.
For the death of Orpheus there are several versions. Either he was killed by maenads, because he stopped worshipping the god Dionysus, or because due to his devotion to Eurydice, which he lost, he rejected love by introducing pedophile love. Legend has it that the maenads threw his body into the river Evros, while his head and lyre floated in the sea and reached the shores of Lesvos. After his death, the soul of Orpheus was reunited with the soul of Eurydice in the underworld.
Category of thematic interest: ARCHITECTURAL / HISTORICAL INTEREST
History:
Main street with shops and residences in the heart of the traditional settlement, which ends at Mitropoleos Square.
Elements of architecture:
Already from the late Ottoman period it was the main retail street of the city. With its natural extension, Evripidou Street, it ends at the so-called Frankish complex at the end of the street, located by Melkidi.
Description of other elements:
Orpheus is one of the most important mythical musicians and poets of antiquity, associated with Thrace. His father was King Oeagros of Thrace and his mother was Calliope, Muse of epic poetry. He was such a great musician that with his music he enchanted people, beasts, and even made trees move to enjoy his melodies.
He took part in the Argonaut expedition and then returned to Thrace, where he married Eurydice. His wife, while one day in the forest, was bitten by a snake and died. Desperate Orpheus decided to go down to the underworld to bring his wife back. With the power of his lyre he persuaded the gods to allow him to get Eurydice, but on condition, until they ascended the earth, that he should not return to see her. Orpheus, however, turned to see her and she returned forever to Hades.
For the death of Orpheus there are several versions. Either he was killed by maenads, because he stopped worshipping the god Dionysus, or because due to his devotion to Eurydice, which he lost, he rejected love by introducing pedophile love. Legend has it that the maenads threw his body into the river Evros, while his head and lyre floated in the sea and reached the shores of Lesvos. After his death, the soul of Orpheus was reunited with the soul of Eurydice in the underworld.
Purpose - Use: Road network
Characterization: overnment 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: 41.142915276720046, 24.887038681975156
Bibliographic references:
• Evlambia Avramidou, Vasilios Aivaliotis. "Streets and place names of Xanthi". Xanthi, PAKETHRA, 2003.
• Ch. Melkides, "The Muslim monuments of Xanthi". Athens: Technical Chamber of Greece, 2007, p. 92.
Address: Orfeos Street
Visitable: Yes