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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.

78. Kotsioudis Mansion - Building of the Research Center "Athena"

Brief documentation:

The building was built by Socrates Kotsioudis in 1917 in the district of the Akathist Hymn. It was originally designed to function as a residence. Throughout the 20th century it changed several owners, always maintaining its original use as a residence, while for years the former Mayor of Xanthi, Pygmalion Christidis, lived here. In 2001 it became the property of the Institute of Language and Speech Processing of the Research Center "Athena".
It is an imposing two-storey mansion of bourgeois character. The architectural style of the building is influenced by neoclassicism, while its exterior façade includes a number of decorative elements, a beveled corner of carved granite, false pillars with false capitals on the first floor, a cornice between the first and second floors, as well as the coronation of the masonry, a cornice with decorative sculptural elements above the window frame and elaborate ironwork above the windows.
The building also has, above the imposing central door on Pygmalionos Christidi Street, a small balcony with characteristic local iron railing.
On the first floor of the building there are successive triangular extensions of the interior, constructed according to the western European standards of erker. Inside the mansion there is painting decoration with ceiling paintings and frescoes, probably created by a German artist. Finally, the roof has antefixes at its four corners.

Category of thematic interest:  ARCHITECTURAL/HISTORICAL/CULTURAL/FOLKLORE INTEREST

History:

hematic interest    ARCHITECTURAL/HISTORICAL/CULTURAL/FOLKLORE INTEREST
5. History    The building was built in 1917. It was originally designed to function as a residence. Since 2001 it belongs to the Research Center "Athena" which plans to restore it.
It was erected after the end of the Balkan Wars in the district of the Akathist Hymn, by Socrates Kotsioudis. Then it was bought by the tobacco merchant Pantelis Kougioumtzoglou, while after his death in 1924 the building became the property of his heirs. In 1928, Anna Kougioumtzoglou-Kaloudi, daughter of Pantelis Kougioumtzoglou, bought the share of the other co-heirs of the mansion and acquired the entire property, which she retained until her death in 1972. For years the former Mayor of Xanthi Pygmalion Christidis lived here. A few years later, in 1977, her heirs sold the mansion to Stavros Goudelis. After his death in 2001, his heir Anastasios Vogiatzis sold the building to the Institute of Language and Speech Processing of the Research Center "Athena", which operates in Athens and Xanthi and retains its ownership until today.

Elements of architecture:

It is an imposing two-storey tiled mansion of bourgeois character, which is built according to the standards of neoclassicism. It is located at the junction of Pygmalionos Christidi and Filippou streets and is developed on three levels: semi-basement, ground floor and first floor. The exterior of the building includes a number of decorative elements, such as a beveled corner of carved granite with decorative cornices on the ground floor, false pillars with false capitals on the first floor, a cornice between the first and second floor, as well as the coronation of the masonry, a cornice with decorative sculptural elements above the window frame and elaborate iron on the windows. The building also has, above the imposing central door on Pygmalionos Christidi Street, a small balcony with characteristic local iron railing. On the first floor of the building, on Filippou Street, there are successive triangular extensions of the interior, constructed according to Western European standards of erker.

Description of other elements:

The interior of the mansion is decorated with ceiling paintings and frescoes, which were probably created by a German artist. Finally, the roof has antefixes at its four corners.

Purpose - Use: Residence, Research Area

Characterization: Ministry of Culture / DILAP / C / 3247 / 11732 / 26-02-1991, Government Gazette 199 / B / 1991

Dating (period): Second decade of the 20th century

Year of construction: 1917

Location of the monument: 41.144257, 24.886417

Bibliographic references:

•    Georgia Fountoukidou, Restoration and reuse of the Athena mansion in Xanthi, diploma thesis, interdepartmental Postgraduate Program – Protection, Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Monuments, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki 2018
•    Eleni Kouni, Vasilis Aivaliotis, Sofia Adamantidou, Lefteris Kounis and wall painting in Xanthi, P.A.KE.THRA. – d.e.a.x., Xanthi 2006
•    Katsari-Vafiadis, J. Ed. 2023. "History and recording of the neoclassical buildings of the traditional settlement". Xanthi: MUNICIPALITY OF XANTHI, P. 121

 Address: Pygmalionos Christidi 36

Visitable: No

 

77. Chapel of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary 77. Chapel of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary 79. Hamdi Bey Mansion – Democritus University of Thrace Building 79. Hamdi Bey Mansion – Democritus University of Thrace Building
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