Benefactors of the Greek Orthodox community of Xanthi
This route is about 2 km, about 60 minutes and of moderate difficulty. In it, the visitor will be able to tour buildings of architectural or religious interest at the same time, which were either built thanks to the donation of a benefactor from Xanthi, or are related to the residence or shop of the benefactor's family.

The role of benefactors was particularly important for the Greek Orthodox Christian populations during the Ottoman period, since they took care of the construction and decoration of schools, churches and buildings of public character (e.g. clubs) and thus contributed to the preservation of the ethnic and religious identity of the community.

The visitor starts from the chapel of Zoodochos Pigi on Lefkou Pyrgou Street and ends at the chapel of Agia Paraskevi in the heart of the old town. Along the way he will learn about the tobacco benefactors An. Sigalas, P. Stalios, M. Matsinis, the Kougioumtzoglou family, the teacher D. Chasirtzoglou, M. Floris etc. He will also "meet" the metropolitans of Xanthi and Peritheoriou Eugenios, under whose guidance and encouragement the churches of the old town were rebuilt and decorated after the catastrophic earthquake of 1829, and Ioakeim Sgouros, who rebuilt the Metropolitan Mansion and part of the monasteries.

Important were also the donations of professional guilds to the churches, such as the shoemakers' and the cobblers’ unions, which donated to the church of Akathist Hymn the icon of the Holy Trinity, or of Epirotan G. Kagialidis, who dedicated to the Metropolitan Church the icon of St. George of Ioannina, or of the Velios family, who donated several icons to Kavaki.

66. Chapel of Ag. Friday

Brief documentation:

The chapel is located on Ioakeim Sgourou Street and was built by the owner of the plot Nikos Zardinidis and his sister Anastasia in memory of their parents. The Zardinidis family lived next door and granted the plot in order to build the chapel.
Nikolaos Zardinidis (1917-2001) served as Minister of Transport and Public Works in the government of Konstantinos Karamanlis in 1977, and later served as a Member of the European Parliament.
There are also 12 donors and 16 benefactors, as characterized by marble inscriptions fixed on either side of the entrance. Some of them have some kind of kinship with the founder, while the rest are simple neighbors.
The chapel of Agia Paraskevi celebrates on July 26 and is flooded by crowds of believers from the eve.
The chapel is a single-aisled small church, with an entrance on the west and south side of the chapel. There is an introductory space with a flat roof, lower than the gabled roof of the central space. The bell tower of the chapel is located on the roof of the central hall, on the raised parapet that is formed, and rests on two pillars.
The chapel is located in a verdant courtyard full of trees, colorful flowers and ornamental plants. In the courtyard an older chapel is preserved.


Category of thematic interest:  ARCHITECTURAL/HISTORICAL AND RELIGIOUS INTEREST


History:

The chapel is located on Ioakeim Sgourou Street and was built by the owner of the plot Nikos Zardinidis and his sister Anastasia in memory of their parents. The Zardinidis family lived next door and granted the plot in order to build the chapel.
There are also ten donors and sixteen benefactors, as described in marble inscriptions fixed on either side of the entrance. Some of them have some kind of kinship with the founder, while the rest are simple neighbors.
The chapel of Agia Paraskevi celebrates on July 25 and 26 and is flooded by crowds of believers from both Xanthi and the surrounding areas.
Nikolaos Zardinidis (1917-2001) served as Minister of Transport and Public Works in the government of Konstantinos Karamanlis in 1977, and later served as a Member of the European Parliament.


Elements of architecture:

The chapel is a single-aisled small church, with an entrance on the west and south side of the chapel. There is an introductory space in the form of a narthex with a flat roof, lower than the gabled roof of the central space. The bell tower of the chapel is located on the roof, on the raised parapet that is formed, and rests on two pillars.
The chapel is located in a verdant courtyard full of trees, colorful flowers and ornamental plants. In the courtyard an older chapel is preserved.


Description of other elements:

Above the entrance there is a marble dedicatory inscription that reads "IN MEMORY OF OUR PARENTS ANASTASIA AND NIKOS ZARDINIDIS 1967".
The chapel is located opposite the hangout of the Cultural Association of Asia Minor during the Old Town Festivals.


Purpose - Use: Church building


Characterization: Government Gazette 612B/30-4-1976 and Government Gazette 661/Β/17-5-1976, Government Gazette 1097/14.12-1995


Dating (period): 1960s


Year of construction: 1967


Location of the monument: 41.14356386749423, 24.886994133185393


Bibliographic references:

•    "Churches, Monasteries and Chapels of the Old Town", Thomas Exarchou, Old Town Celebrations, 2000
•    "The Churches of Old Xanthi", Georgios Tsigaras, Municipal Development Enterprise of Xanthi, Holy Metropolis of Xanthi and Peritheoriou, 2008


 Address: Ioakeim Sgourou


Visitable: No

 

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