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European and Byzantine art in 19th century Xanthi
The route is about 1 km long, lasts about 60 minutes and is of moderate difficulty. In it, the visitor with artistic interests and quests will have the opportunity to get acquainted with European and Byzantine art, as expressed in buildings of old Xanthi in the 19th century.

Starting from the Michaloglou Mansions in the district of Agios Vlasios and ending at the church of Pammegistoi Taxiarchs, one will visit the churches of old Xanthi, representative samples of the post-Byzantine period, while in the buildings of secular architecture one will admire ceiling paintings and frescoes, of the so-called Belle Époque (1871-1914).

In the old churches it is worth observing the portable icons that carry strong western iconographic influences, which are mixed with traditional Byzantine standards and follow theological concepts after the 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 Agios Georgios.

41. Metaxas Mansion

Brief documentation:

The building was built in 1900, as evidenced by the dedicatory inscription located above the main entrance, in the area of the districts of Agios Georgios – Agios Vlasios by the tobacco trading family Metaxas.
It is an imposing three-storey mansion of bourgeois character. The architectural style of the building is influenced by neoclassicism. Its exterior includes a number of decorative elements, such as false pillars with false capitals, cornice on the windows, the main entrance and the coronation of the masonry, as well as decorative sculptural elements on the window frames.
The main entrance of the mansion is arched and includes a dedicatory inscription and a ceramic lion's head as a decorative element.
The building has two balconies with ornate ironwork and painting decoration of folk aesthetics on the lower side. The staircase of the entrance is also decorated with a painting depicting the four goddesses of antiquity Athena, Artemis, Hera and Aphrodite.
In front of the building there is a small courtyard, surrounded by an iron courtyard, which is decorated with propellers and spears.

Category of thematic interest:  ARCHITECTURAL / HISTORICAL INTEREST

History:

The building was erected in 1900, as evidenced by the dedicatory inscription located above the main entrance of the building. It is located in the area of the districts of Agios Georgios – Agios Vlasios and belonged to the homonymous tobacco trading family. The building was originally designed to function as a residence and does not seem to have changed use since its foundation.

Elements of architecture:

It is an imposing three-storey mansion of bourgeois character, which is built according to the standards of neoclassicism. The exterior of the building is constructed with absolute symmetry and includes a number of decorative elements, such as false pillars with false capitals, cornice on the windows, the main entrance and the coronation of the masonry, as well as decorative sculptural elements on the window frames.
The main entrance of the mansion is arched and includes a dedicatory inscription and a ceramic lion's head as a decorative element.

Description of other elements:

The building has two balconies with ornate ironwork, which are decorated with paintings of folk aesthetics in the their underside.
The staircase of the entrance also includes painting decoration depicting the four goddesses of antiquity Athena, Artemis, Hera and Aphrodite. 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: Preservable, Institution of the Ministry of Education, Category "A", Decision 5385, Government Gazette 1097/95

Dating (period): Early 20th century

Year of construction: 1900

Location of the monument: 41.141743762449345, 24.885384011219628

Bibliographic references:

•    Dimitris Mavridis, Angelophylaktos Xanthi, Holy Metropolis of Xanthi and Peritheoriou, Xanthi 2007
•    Dimitris Mavridis, Houses of Xanthi, Holy Metropolis of Xanthi and Peritheoriou – D.E.A.X., Xanthi 2009
•    Eleni Kouni, Vasilis Aivaliotis, Sofia Adamantidou, Lefteris Kounis and jewelry in Xanthi, P.A.KE.THRA. – d.e.a.x., Xanthi 2006
•    Xanthi. The city with a thousand colors, MUNICIPALITY OF XANTHI – P.A.KE.THRA., XANTHI 2008
•    Katsari-Vafiadis, J. ed. 2023. "History and recording of the neoclassical buildings of the traditional settlement". Xanthi: MUNICIPALITY OF XANTHI, P. 163

 Address:  Markou Botsari 26

Visitable: No

 

39. Michaloglou Mansions 39. Michaloglou Mansions 44. Church of Agios Vlasios 44. Church of Agios Vlasios
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