Late Ottoman period in Old Xanthi
This route is about 1.3 km, lasting about 50 minutes and of low difficulty. In it, the visitor will have the opportunity to tour landmarks and buildings of Xanthi, connected with the Muslim community of the city and mainly the Ottoman ruling class that dominated until the accession of Thrace to the Greek state in 1920.

From traditional buildings (Mansion of Muzafer Bey) to urban houses (Hilmi Pasha mansion) and of course mosques (Ahrian Mosque, Sunne Mosque), members of the Muslim community marked with their presence the urban fabric of the Old Town. Starting from the "top" of the traditional settlement and the Ahrian Mosque, the oldest mosque of Xanthi, the visitor will descend and cross the narrow streets of the city.

Through the buildings of beys and pashas of the Ottoman Empire, the visitor will experience up close the famous multiculturalism of the city of Xanthi, along with a fusion of cultural elements and aesthetic influences, with both traditional, local architectural elements and European influences.

28. Memet Pasha Mansion – Bread and Chocolate cafe

Brief documentation:

This building was built during the first decade of the 20th century and belonged to Memet Pasha, a particularly wealthy Ottoman landowner. The ground floor of the building has always functioned as a commercial store, while the two floors were used as residences. For years there operated the bakery of Antonios Skouloudis.
In 1925 the heirs of Memet Pasha sold the building to Georgios Chalavatzis, Bishop of the Catholic Church in Greece. Then, the building was bought by the Armenian lumber merchant Avendis Menedian. Today on the ground floor there is a café-bar, owned by Emmanuel Tsepelis.
It is a magnificent two-storey residential residence, which is built according to Western European standards and in imitation of the buildings with apartments of central Europe. The ground floor area is lined with red bricks and includes false capitals as decorative elements. The exterior of the building is constructed with symmetry, while there are two balconies on the floors, which have iron bars made with a local craftsman's design and are rarely found outside Xanthi. The very special feature of the building is the removal of the corner of the building at the junction of the streets, which has been transformed into a tripartite prismatic end and gives the impression of a circular finish. The two-storey house above the ground floor shop consists of six rooms and two large halls.


Category of thematic interest:  ARCHITECTURAL / HISTORICAL INTEREST


History:

The building was built during the first decade of the 20th century and belonged to Memet Pasha, a particularly wealthy Ottoman landowner. The ground floor of the building has always functioned as a commercial store, while the two floors were used as residences. For years there operated the bakery of Antonios Skouloudis.
In 1925 his wife Sadika and his son Halil sold the building to Georgios Chalavatzis, Bishop of the Catholic Church in Greece. Then, the building was bought by the Armenian lumber merchant Avendis Menedian. Today on the ground floor there is a café-bar, owned by Emmanuel Tsepelis.


Elements of architecture:

It is a magnificent two-storey residential residence, which is built according to Western European standards and in imitation of the buildings with apartments of central Europe. It includes a commercial store on the ground floor and a two-storey residence on the floors that grow on top of it. The ground floor area is lined with red bricks and includes false capitals as decorative elements. The exterior of the building is constructed with symmetry, while there are two balconies on the floors. The very special feature of the building is the abolition of the corner of the building at the junction of the streets, which has been transformed into a tripartite prismatic end, which gives the impression of a circular finish. The two-storey house above the ground floor shop consists of six rooms and two large halls.


Description of other elements:

The ironwork has been made with a local craftsman's design and is rarely found outside Xanthi.


Purpose - Use: Residence, Commercial space


Characterization: Preservable, Institution of the Ministry of Culture, Decision DILAP/C/480/18908, Government Gazette 331/94


Dating (period): Early 20th century


Year of construction: Early 20th century


Location of the monument: 41.142395764426766, 24.887009287595976


Bibliographic references:

•    Xanthi: Ten Monographs, P.A.KE.THRA., Xanthi 2001
•    Katsari-Vafiadis, J. Ed. 2023. "History and recording of the neoclassical buildings of the traditional settlement". Xanthi: Municipality of Xanthi, p. 132


 Address: Evripidi Chasirtzoglou 2


Visitable: Yes

 

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