Neoclassical and eclectic buildings of old Xanthi
The route is about 1 km long, lasts about 60 minutes and is of low difficulty. It starts from Michaloglou mansions and ends approximately next to the river Kosynthos. In it, the visitor has the opportunity to get acquainted with the styles of neoclassicism and eclecticism, as expressed in numerous buildings of old Xanthi.

Neoclassicism emerged in the 18th and 19th centuries and is strongly influenced by the principles governing the architecture of classical antiquity. The buildings are distinguished for the simplicity of their geometric forms, the Doric detail, the simplicity, the absolute symmetry, the dividing lines of the vertical spreads and the pilasters with false capitals at the corners.

Eclecticism, on the other hand, is the architectural style of the 19th and 20th centuries, in which a variety of elements from various eras and styles are selected and used, in a single building. In Xanthi, influences from neoclassicism (e.g. absolute symmetry, verticality) are recognized, while individual elements bear influences from Art Deco (e.g. strong decorative mood), Central Europe (e.g. turret roof configuration or turret development), English Baroque (e.g. the use of red brick) and Romanesque style (e.g. arched openings and curved arches).

08. Fotiadis House – Social Clinic of the Metropolis

Brief documentation:

The building was built in the period 1890-1910 as the residence of the Fotiadis family, while today it belongs to the Holy Metropolis of Xanthi and Peritheoriou, after a donation. During Ottoman rule, the building served, for short periods, as the headquarters of the Greek Consulate.
After the accession of Thrace to the Greek State, it functioned as the residence of each priest of the adjacent Metropolitan Church, while for some time it also housed the Meals of Love of the Metropolis. Today, it operates downstairs, as a Social Clinic and Pharmacy and upstairs, as a School of Byzantine Music.
It is a two-story symmetrical building, whose two floors are independent and do not communicate internally. Access to the upper floor is via an external staircase located in the courtyard. The building has been built with stonework, while internally it is wooden, with wooden floors and plank ceilings. The roof is wooden and tiled.
The interior spaces are typically arranged around a central hall, on either side of which there are two rows of rooms. The building burned down and was renovated in 1932, while the exterior coatings of the masonry have now been removed.
A special feature of the building is the balcony made of cast wrought iron.


Category of thematic interest:  ARCHITECTURAL / HISTORICAL INTEREST


History:

The building was built as the home of the Photiades family, while today it belongs to the Holy Metropolis of Xanthi and Peritheoriou, after a donation. During Ottoman rule, the building served, for short periods, as the headquarters of the Greek Consulate. After the accession of Thrace to the Greek State, it functioned as the residence of each priest of the adjacent Metropolitan Church, while for some time it also housed the Meals of Love of the Metropolis. Today, it operates, downstairs, as a Social Clinic and Pharmacy and upstairs, as a School of Byzantine Music.


Elements of architecture:

It is a two-storey symmetrical building, whose two floors are independent and do not communicate internally. Access to the upper floor is via an external staircase located in the courtyard. The building has been built with stonework, while internally it is wooden, with wooden floors and plank ceilings. The roof is wooden and tiled.
Spaces in the interior are typically arranged around a Central hall, on either side of which there are two rows of rooms. The building burned down and was renovated in 1932, while the exterior coatings of the masonry have now been removed.


Description of other elements:

A special feature of the building is the balcony made of cast wrought iron.


Purpose - Use: Residence, Administrative building


Characterization: Preserved, Institution of the Ministry of Culture, Decision DILAP/C/11/63051, Government Gazette 73/86


Dating (period): Late 19th – early 20th century


Year of construction: 1890 - 1910


Monument location: 41.144051870118744, 24.887883467302597


Bibliographic references:

•    The traditional settlement of Xanthi, Municipal Enterprise of Xanthi, Xanthi 2008.
•    Germantzidis N., Glimpses at the old town and the history of our country, Environmental Education Program, Ed. Cultural Development Center of Thrace, Xanthi 1993.
•    Katsari-Vafiadis, J. Ed. 2023. "History and recording of the neoclassical buildings of the traditional settlement". Xanthi: Municipality of Xanthi, p. 37.


 Address: Lefkadas and Antika, Mitropoleos Square


Visitable: No


 

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