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European and Byzantine art in 19th century Xanthi (60')
The route is about 2 km long, lasts about 60 minutes and is of moderate difficulty. This route will give the visitor with artistic interests and quests to get to know European and Byzantine art, as expressed in buildings of old Xanthi in the 19th century.

Starting from the church of Agios Vlasios and ending at the Stavropoulos House, you will visit the churches of old Xanthi with the wood carvings on the iconostasis, the portable icons, the miniature objects, representative samples of the post-Byzantine period. In the buildings of secular architecture you will admire the European style ceiling paintings and frescoes, of the so-called Belle Époque (1871-1914).

In the old churches it is worth observing the Byzantine portable icons that bear strong western iconographic influences, mixed with traditional Byzantine standards and follow theological concepts after the 1453 conquest. They are created either by workshops active in Thrace or northern Greece (e.g. the workshop of Ainos), or by the Mount Athos workshop (e.g. the painters Nikiforos and his student Ioasaf), or by individual painters (e.g. Nikolaos from Hasköy in Constantinople, Thassios M. Evangelidis, Patrinos Takis Prionas).

It is also worth noting the crucifix in the Church of Agios Georgios, a work of Fotis Kontoglou (1959), the embroidered icon of Archangel Michael in the Church of the Taxiarchs, the marble relief candlestand in the Church of Agios Vlasios.

On the other hand, in the rich neoclassical residences one can see works of Bavarian or German painters, such as the frescoes in the Houses of Kougioumtzoglou, Stavropoulos and Michaloglou or the goddesses from the twelve Gods, which adorn the staircase of the Metaxas House. Of interest are the ceiling paintings with decorative and floral motifs in the Daniel Mansion and the Moses Mansion, while a unique example of neoclassical sculpture in the city is the statue in the courtyard of the Church of St. George.

26. Hilmi Pasha Mansion – 1905 Boutique Hotel

Brief documentation:

This building was erected in 1905 as the residence of the senior administrative official Halil Hilmi Pasha. In the 1920s the building was bought by the lawyer Emmanuel Karyotakis (1884-1951), MP with the Liberal party of Eleftherios Venizelos in the years 1928-1933 of the prefecture of Rodopi, to which Xanthi belonged until 1944. During the Bulgarian occupation in World War II (1941-1944) the building was requisitioned and used to house services of the Bulgarian administration.
After the liberation, the building functioned as a Center for Foreigners, while in 1954 it returned to the possession of the Karyotakis family. On the ground floor of the building operated for many years a seamstress shop, owned by Chrysoula and Charikleia Veliou. In 2006 it was resold to the current owners who fully restored it internally and externally and turned it into a luxury hotel.
It is a three-storey building of urban character, which is influenced by neoclassical architecture. The ground floor was designed from the beginning to function as a commercial store, while the two floors served as a living space with separate access. The exterior of the building is decorated with false pillars and false capitals, while its various levels are separated by stepped cornices.
Inside the mansion there is decoration with ceiling paintings and frescoes. During the period of use of the building by the Bulgarians in World War II, many alterations were made to it and the painting decoration inside was overlayed.

Category of thematic interest:  ARCHITECTURAL / HISTORICAL INTEREST

History:

This building was erected in 1905 as the residence of the senior administrative official Halil Hilmi Pasha. In the 1920s the building was bought by the lawyer Emmanuel Karyotakis (1884-1951), MP with the Liberal party of Eleftherios Venizelos in the years 1928-1933 of the prefecture of Rodopi, to which Xanthi belonged until 1944. During the Bulgarian occupation in World War II (1941-1944) the building was requisitioned and used to house services of the Bulgarian administration.
After the liberation, the building functioned as a Center for Foreigners, while in 1954 it returned to the possession of the Karyotakis family. On the ground floor of the building operated for many years a seamstress shop, owned by Chrysoula and Charikleia Veliou. In 2006 it was resold to the current owners who fully restored it internally and externally and they converted it into a luxury hotel.

Elements of architecture:

It is a three-storey building of urban character, which is influenced by neoclassical architecture. The ground floor was designed from the beginning to function as a commercial store, while the two floors served as a living space with separate access. The exterior of the building is decorated with false pillars and false capitals, while its various levels are separated by stepped cornices.

Description of other elements:

Inside the mansion there is decoration with ceiling paintings and frescoes. During the period of use of the building by the Bulgarians in World War II, many alterations were made to it and the painting decoration inside was overlayed.

Purpose - Use: Residence, Commercial space, Administrative building, Hotel

Characterization: Preservable, Institution of the Ministry of Culture, Decision DILAP/C/1118/18603, Government Gazette 530/88

Dating (period): Early 20th century

Year of construction: 1905

Location of the monument: 41.1422718318089, 24.887009626363092

Bibliographic references:

•    Katsari-Vafiadis, J. Ed. 2023. "History and recording of the neoclassical buildings of the traditional settlement". Xanthi: Municipality of Xanthi, p. 134

 Address: Evripidi Chasirtzoglou 3

Visitable: No

 

25. Moses Mansion 25. Moses Mansion 35. Daniel Mansion – Multiplex of Art and Thought 35. Daniel Mansion – Multiplex of Art and Thought
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