Buildings of traditional architecture in Old Xanthi
This route is about 1 km, about 50 minutes and of moderate difficulty. Starting from the heart of the Old Town and ending at Lefkou Pyrgou Street, the visitor will get to know the houses and mansions of the old Xanthi built according to the principles of traditional architecture.

They can be distinguished by their structural materials, such as stone, wood and the so-called "tsatma" (mixture of clay and straw on braided reeds, wood). A key element of traditional architecture is the "sachnisi", the wooden or metal corbels that supported the projections of the floor, etc.

Many morphological elements are similar to those of houses in Epirus and Macedonia, a fact that is explained by the well-known mobility of building groups, from Epirus and Western Macedonia to the whole of northern Greece. Especially after the earthquakes of 1829, which leveled Xanthi, the well-known stonemasons from these areas are considered to have come and rebuilt the city.

52. Katina Veikou-Serameti House

Brief documentation:

The date of construction of the building is unknown, but it was probably built sometime in the second half of the 19th century. It was designed from the beginning to function as a residence and after the war this house was inhabited by the educator, poet and folklorist Katina Veikou-Serameti.
Veikou-Serameti was born in Epivates of Eastern Thrace in 1912, came to Xanthi in 1922 as a refugee, a city in which she lived until her death in 1989. In 1931 she graduated from the Teaching School of Thessaloniki (taught by the legendary pedagogue Miltos Kountouras) and was immediately appointed as the first teacher of the village of Myki in the Pomakohoria of Xanthi. In 1952 he was awarded the first prize of the "Linguistic Society at Athens". He had published many poetry collections, while he wrote systematically in the Xanthi folklore magazine
"Thracian Chronicles" articles concerning the folklore of Xanthi and the village Epivates of Eastern Thrace.
The building is a two-storey tiled residence with two wings in the shape of a "Π", built according to the standards of the folk Macedonian architecture of the 19th century. The decoration on the exterior of the building is quite simple. On the first floor there are several windows, which are framed by simple, wooden frames with a decorative cornice on the upper side.
On the first floor of the building there is also the characteristic protrusion, the sachnisi, which apart from the decorative role it fulfills, it also satisfies basic functional needs of the building, as it adds additional space to the first floor.
In front of the building there is a small courtyard, surrounded by an iron rail, which is decorated with propellers and spears.


Category of thematic interest:  CULTURAL / FOLKLORE INTEREST


History:

The date of construction of the building is unknown, but it was probably built sometime in the second half of the 19th century. It was designed from the beginning to function as a residence and does not seem to have changed use since its foundation. After the war, the teacher, poet and folklorist Katina Veikou-Serameti lived in this house.
Veikou-Serameti was born in Epivates of Eastern Thrace in 1912, came to Xanthi in 1922 as a refugee, a city in which she lived until her death in 1989. In 1931 she graduated from the Teaching School of Thessaloniki (taught by the legendary pedagogue Miltos Kountouras) and was immediately appointed as the first teacher of the village of Myki in the Pomakohoria of Xanthi. From an early age he was involved in collecting folklore material of Eastern Thrace, especially Epivates, and later she was also involved in recording folklore material of Xanthi. In 1952 he was awarded the first prize of the "Linguistic Society at Athens". He had published many poetry collections, while he wrote systematically in the Xanthi folklore magazine
"Thracian Chronicles" articles concerning the folklore of Xanthi and the village Epivates of Eastern Thrace.


Elements of architecture:

The building is a two-storey tiled residence with two wings in the shape of a "Π", which is built according to the standards of the folk Macedonian architecture of the 19th century. The decoration on the exterior of the building is quite simple. On the first floor there are several windows, which are framed by simple, wooden frames with a decorative cornice on the upper side. On the first floor of the building there is also the characteristic protrusion, the sachnisi, which apart from the decorative role it fulfills, it also satisfies basic functional needs of the building, as it adds additional space to the first floor.


Description of other elements:

In front of the building there is a small courtyard, surrounded by an iron rail, which is decorated with propellers and spears.


Purpose - Use: Residence


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


Dating (period): Second half of the 19th century


Year of construction: Second half of the 19th century


Location of the monument: 41.144296437132, 24.886265182359963


Bibliographic references:

•    Xanthi. The city with a thousand colors, Municipality of Xanthi – P.A.KE.THRA., Xanthi 2008


 Address: Pygmalionos Christidi 41


Visitable: No

 

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