Epirotes in Xanthi
This route is about 1 km long, lasts about 50 minutes and is of low difficulty. Through the route, the visitor will be able to get a taste of Epirus in Xanthi and admire the architectural mastery of the famous stone masons of Epirus.

The contribution of these builders to the reconstruction of old Xanthi was significant after the catastrophic earthquake of 1829 and is also associated with the settlement of other families from Epirus in Xanthi in the 19th century (e.g. notary and insurer Stefanos Blatsios, pediatrician Konstantinos Karabetsis, doctor Georgios Maletsidis etc.).

The craftsmen of Epirus built churches, houses, fountains and bridges in the city and the region, as well as carved stone reliefs found in temples and houses (e.g. crosses, figures of saints, etc.). Finally, the people of Epirus are associated with commissions and dedications of icons and other relics in the temples of old Xanthi. For example, the Epirote Georgios Kagialidis dedicated to the Metropolitan Church the icon of St. George in Ioannina.

51. Stathopoulos Workshop

Brief documentation:

The building was designed from the beginning to function as a commercial store. From the mid-2000s until 2017 it housed the workshop of the painter Dimitris Stathopoulos.
Stathopoulos was born in Thessaloniki in 1946 and lived in Xanthi until 2017 when he passed away. Since 1970 he has participated in many solo and group exhibitions. He has designed stage sets by groups in Xanthi, while he illustrated books and painted portraits of Thracian artists. His works can be found in collections in Greece and abroad as well as in many municipal galleries (including Xanthi’s). He has made oil and tempera paintings, while since the 80s he has devoted himself to watercolor, with realist tendencies. With this technique he imprinted many corners and buildings of old Xanthi.
The building is a one-storey building, of simple architecture which was originally designed to be used as a shop. The commercial function of the building determined its morphological characteristics, as it includes symmetrical arched openings on the ground floor (shop window), which are covered with large iron shutters. It is built with carved stonework, which is made of the characteristic local granite.
Above the main entrance of the building there is a large skylight, which is covered with ornate ironwork. There is similar architecture in other commercial spaces in the old town of Xanthi.


Category of thematic interest:  CULTURAL / FOLKLORE INTEREST


History:

The building was designed from the beginning to function as a commercial store. From the mid-2000s until 2017 it housed the workshop of painter Dimitris Stathopoulos.
Stathopoulos was born in Thessaloniki in 1946 and lived in Xanthi until 2017 when he passed away. Since 1970 he has participated in many solo and group exhibitions. He has designed stage sets for theatrical plays by groups in Xanthi. He illustrated books and painted portraits of Thracian artists. In 1999 he participated in the program THRACE-AEGEAN-CYPRUS working as a representative painter from Thrace in Marathokampos, Samos. His works can be found in collections in Greece and abroad as well as in many municipal galleries (including Xanthi’s). He has made oil and tempera paintins, while since the 80s he has devoted himself to watercolor, with realist tendencies. With this technique he imprinted many corners and buildings of old Xanthi.


Elements of architecture:

The building is a one-storey building, of simple architecture which was originally designed to be used as a shop. The commercial function of the building determined its morphological characteristics, as it includes symmetrical arched openings on the ground floor (shop window), which are covered with large iron shutters. It is built with carved stonework, which is made of the characteristic local granite.


Description of other elements:

Above the main entrance of the building there is a large skylight, which is covered with ornate ironwork. There is similar architecture in other commercial spaces in the old town of Xanthi.


Purpose - Use: Commercial spac,e Cultural space


Characterization: Preservable, Institution of the Ministry of Education, Category “B”, Decision 5385, Government Gazette 1097/95


Dating (period): Late 19th century


Year of construction: Late 19th century


Location of the monument: 41.145210, 24.889163


Bibliographic references:

•    D. Mavridis (ed.). Xanthi, the city with a thousand colors. Xanthi, PAKETHRA 2008, p. 193


 Address: Aristeidou 39


Visitable: No

 

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