In the neighborhoods of Agios Vlasios and Agios Georgios
The route is about 2 km long, lasts about 60 minutes and is of moderate difficulty. In it, the visitor will discover the influence of the Greek Orthodox community on the urban fabric of old Xanthi.

Focusing on the two Orthodox churches of Agios Vlasios and Agios Georgios, two homonymous districts were developed, with buildings of rich tobacco merchants, who benefited the two churches respectively. These neighborhoods were inhabited by members of the rising class of tobacco merchants, who built large mansions such as the Michaloglou Mansions, the Karabetsis Mansion with its painted exterior decoration and the majestic Mansion of Hilmi Pasha.

The development of these districts around religious and at the same time social centers, in a multicultural regime, led to the diverse urban landscape that the visitor will encounter. The route starts from shops that existed in the commercial part of these districts, passes by mansions, such as the mansion of Hamdi Bey, and ends by highlighting various points around G. Ladas or Antikas Square.

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

 

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