#culturalguide

[culturalguide]

WALK IN THE PAST: OTTOMAN ATHENS

FIRST STOP: 

Starting one’s walk from the Mansion of Benizelos (96 Adrianou str., Plaka) the 16th century is gradually unfolded in front of their eyes. This is one of the very few remaining architectural examples of the 15th-18th century, preserved in southern Greece; it is, on the other hand, a typical example of the pre-revolutionary northern Greek architecture. The Mansion of Benizelos used to be the family mansion of Regoula Benizelou (1522-1589), daughter of Angelos Benizelos and Sirigi Palaiologina. After her husband’s passing, Regoula devoted her life in beneficences and was thereafter recognised as Saint Filothei. The municipalities of Psychiko (lit. kind act) and Filothei are named after her. Saint Filothei was tortured to death by the Turks and her relic can be found today in the Metropolis of Athens along with the relics of the Patriarch of Constantinople, Gregory V, who also became a martyr for the nation in 1821. 

[culturalguide]

Akrotiri is the Cycladic (yet, with a handful of similarities to Minoan culture) settlement on the island of Santorini, which was destroyed by the volcanic eruption of 1600 BC. Excavations were initiated by Spyros Marinatos in 1967 and are being continued by Mr.Doumas. Under the volcanic ash, the prehistoric city lies almost untouched by centuries, while furniture and pottery witness the past activity of the ancient civilization.#