The cultural and folklore character in Xanthi today

The city of Xanthi has highlighted over the years an incomparably rich cultural character, which has been indelibly imprinted on its urban fabric. Dozens of places and buildings in old Xanthi function as expressions of the culture and folklore of the city, where artistic events and events of small and large scale take place.

On this route, about 2 km, lasting about 60 minutes and of moderate difficulty, the visitor will have the opportunity to tour almost the entire area of Old Xanthi and visit buildings and places of cultural and artistic activities, as well as places where folklore customs regarding religious ceremonies continue. This route mainly concerns the period of the Old Town Festivals, which take place every year since 1991 in late August-early September.

Starting from the Daniel Mansion, the famous house of Manos Hadjidakis, and ending at the Chapel of Agioi Theodoroi, the visitor will have the opportunity to get to know places that have operated and still operate throughout the year as seats of cultural associations, groups, writers and artists active in the city of Xanthi.

Apart from the established Old Town Festivals, these spaces are functional throughout the year, either as visitable exhibition spaces, such as the Folklore Museum, the House of Shadow and the Municipal Art Gallery, or as venues for events, concerts, etc., such as the F.E.X. House of Culture.

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52. Katina Veikou-Serameti House

Brief documentation:

The date of construction of the building is unknown, but it was probably built sometime in the second half of the 19th century. It was designed from the beginning to function as a residence and after the war this house was inhabited by the educator, poet and folklorist Katina Veikou-Serameti.
Veikou-Serameti was born in Epivates of Eastern Thrace in 1912, came to Xanthi in 1922 as a refugee, a city in which she lived until her death in 1989. In 1931 she graduated from the Teaching School of Thessaloniki (taught by the legendary pedagogue Miltos Kountouras) and was immediately appointed as the first teacher of the village of Myki in the Pomakohoria of Xanthi. In 1952 he was awarded the first prize of the "Linguistic Society at Athens". He had published many poetry collections, while he wrote systematically in the Xanthi folklore magazine
"Thracian Chronicles" articles concerning the folklore of Xanthi and the village Epivates of Eastern Thrace.
The building is a two-storey tiled residence with two wings in the shape of a "Π", built according to the standards of the folk Macedonian architecture of the 19th century. The decoration on the exterior of the building is quite simple. On the first floor there are several windows, which are framed by simple, wooden frames with a decorative cornice on the upper side.
On the first floor of the building there is also the characteristic protrusion, the sachnisi, which apart from the decorative role it fulfills, it also satisfies basic functional needs of the building, as it adds additional space to the first floor.
In front of the building there is a small courtyard, surrounded by an iron rail, which is decorated with propellers and spears.

Category of thematic interest: CULTURAL / FOLKLORE INTEREST

History:

The date of construction of the building is unknown, but it was probably built sometime in the second half of the 19th century. It was designed from the beginning to function as a residence and does not seem to have changed use since its foundation. After the war, the teacher, poet and folklorist Katina Veikou-Serameti lived in this house.
Veikou-Serameti was born in Epivates of Eastern Thrace in 1912, came to Xanthi in 1922 as a refugee, a city in which she lived until her death in 1989. In 1931 she graduated from the Teaching School of Thessaloniki (taught by the legendary pedagogue Miltos Kountouras) and was immediately appointed as the first teacher of the village of Myki in the Pomakohoria of Xanthi. From an early age he was involved in collecting folklore material of Eastern Thrace, especially Epivates, and later she was also involved in recording folklore material of Xanthi. In 1952 he was awarded the first prize of the "Linguistic Society at Athens". He had published many poetry collections, while he wrote systematically in the Xanthi folklore magazine
"Thracian Chronicles" articles concerning the folklore of Xanthi and the village Epivates of Eastern Thrace.

Elements of architecture:

The building is a two-storey tiled residence with two wings in the shape of a "Π", which is built according to the standards of the folk Macedonian architecture of the 19th century. The decoration on the exterior of the building is quite simple. On the first floor there are several windows, which are framed by simple, wooden frames with a decorative cornice on the upper side. On the first floor of the building there is also the characteristic protrusion, the sachnisi, which apart from the decorative role it fulfills, it also satisfies basic functional needs of the building, as it adds additional space to the first floor.

Description of other elements:

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: Government Gazette 612B/30-4-1976 and Government Gazette 661/Β/17-5-1976 - Government Gazette 1097 D/14.12-1995

Dating (period): Second half of the 19th century

Year of construction: Second half of the 19th century

Location of the monument: 41.144296437132, 24.886265182359963

Bibliographic references:

• Xanthi. The city with a thousand colors, Municipality of Xanthi – P.A.KE.THRA., Xanthi 2008

Address: Pygmalionos Christidi 41

Visitable: No