COASTAL ARCHITECTURE for a route of coastal castles in Greece
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COASTAL ARCHITECTURE for a route of coastal castles in Greece Igoumenitsa 2021 “Project co-funded by European Union, European Regional Development Fund (E.R.D.F.) and by National Funds of Greece and Italy” 3
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IDENTITY KEYS ID 01_Igoumenitsa Castle 5
Contributors Kassiani Lazari, Archaeologist Theodora Lazou, Historian-Archaeologist Anastasia Koukoula, Architect Translations: Nektarios Karadimas, Kassiani Lazari © Ministry Of Culture and Sports-Ephorate of Antiquities of Thesprotia 6
ΙNDEX IDENTITY KEYS ID 01_Igoumenitsa Castle 1 FILING OF THE MONUMENT 1.1 Territorial extent (regional level) 1.2 Photographic survery 1.3 Archive research 2 HΙSTORICAL AND TERRITORIAL ANALYSIS OF THΕ AREA 2.1 Historical description of the area 2.2 Historical description of the monument 2.3 Technical description of the monument 2.4 Intersections with relevant historical, naturalistic, archaeological, architectural areas 2.5 Traditions and activities related to the monument, to the sea and the area 3 TERRITORIAL EXTENT 3.1 Connections with the territory 4 SURVERY OF THE MONUMENT 4.1 Metric-Architecture Survey 5 SOURCE OF PHOTOS 6 BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES 7
FIG 01 | Igoumenitsa castle above the city and the port 8
IDENTITY KEYS ID 01_Igoumenitsa Castle Region: Epirus Province: Thesprotia Municipality: Igoumenitsa Location: Igoumenitsa Coordinates: Latitude 39°30'0.99\"N – Longitude: 20°15'57.26\"E Property: Greek State – Municipality of Igoumenitsa Period: 15th – 19th century Typology: Castle Area (sq.m.): 6.300 sq.m. 9
1 FILING OF THE MONUMENT 10
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1.1 Territorial extent (regional level) The region of Epirus is located in the north-western corner of Greece and consists of four regional units. The north-western coastal part of Epirus extends from the border with Albania in the north, down to the town of Parga in the south, collectively forming the Regional Unit of Thesprotia. Since the establishment of Thesprotia as an administrative unit in 1936, Igoumenitsa has served as its capital. The town has a current population of approximately 10,000 and hosts one of the largest harbours in Greece, founded within the bay of the same name. The Castle of Igoumenitsa, the architectural remains of which are preserved today in the centre of the town within a pine grove on a low hill, has a long history and is an important cultural heritage monument in the area. 12
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FIG 02 | Aerial view of the castle, the port and the gulf of Igoumenitsa 14
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1.2 Photographic survey Photographic documentation of the monument before the interventions. FIG 03 | North fortification FIG 04 | The north tower (Tower 7) 16
FIG 05 | The SE side of the fortification walls FIG 06 | The SW side of the walls 17
1.3 Archive research Work on the archives has led to the discovery of a number of representations of the Castle of Igoumenitsa in engravings, mainly from the 17th century. In almost all of these, the layout of the castle and orientation of the walls closely match the monument as it appears today, while in the interior are depicted various buildings, mainly residential, but also a Christian church and a Muslim mosque with its minaret. Amongst the more recent photographs is an aerial view from 1940, showing the castle prior to the tree planting programme that took place in the 1950s, along with the construction of a recent water tank on its northeastern side. 18
FIG 07 | Corfu and the coastline of Thesprotia as depicted in maps of 1570 by Mashias Zündt (left) and of 1582 by Antonio Millo (right). The map of Zündt shows the castle of Igoumenitsa (Gamenizza) at the mouth of the bay, while the map of Millo shows the bay of Igoumenitsa (Gomenize) and the church of Agios Nikolaos, in Prasoudi or Agionisi. Corfu and Thesprotia are depicted in reverse not by mistake, but because the North had not yet been identified with the top of the map FIG 08 | Corfu and the coastline of Thesprotia, as depicted on a map by the Ottoman admiral and cartographer Piri Reyes in the first half of the 16th century 19
FIG 09 | The castle of Igoumenitsa in an aerial photograph of the 1940 20
FIG 10 | The castle of Igoumenitsa from the port in the 1950 FIG 11 | The castle of Igoumenitsa in an aerial photo of the 1990s 21
2. HΙSTORICAL AND TERRITORIAL ANALYSIS OF THE AREA 22
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2.1 Historical description of the area Since the 8th century, the wider region of Thesprotia formed part of an administrative unit of the Byzantine Empire, named Vagenitia or Vagenetia. After 1204 and the partial collapse of the empire, the area was incorporated within the Despotate of Epirus. In 1294 it was included in the large dowry given by Nikephoros, the Despot of Epirus, to his daughter Thamar on the occasion of her marriage to Prince Philip of Taranto of the Angevin House. Throughout the 13th century and the first half of the 14th, the region was a focus of rivalry and conflict between the Byzantine empire, the Byzantines of the Despotate of Epirus and the Angevin kings of Naples along with their allies, the Orsini family which dominated the Ionian islands. From the beginning of the 15th century, the region gradually came under the control of the Ottoman Empire. Τhe conquered areas formed part of the new Ottoman sanjak of Arvanid. During the Ottoman- Venetian wars and up until the 17th century and the final inclusion of the area within the Ottoman Empire, coastal Epirus was repeatedly a battlefield. Until the 18th century the aghas and beys of the Tsamides served as the representatives of Ottoman control in the region, although at the same time harbouring separatist sentiments. By the end of the century, the power of Ali Paşa Tepelenë had been consolidated, emerging as a powerful actor in the region until his final rupture with the Sultan and death in 1822. 24
FIG 12 | The castle of Igoumenitsa (Gomenizze) in an engraving by Vincenzo Coronelli (1687) FIG 13 | The Venetian cartographer Vincenzo Coro- nelli (1650-1718) will draw the castle of Igoumenitsa 25
Towards the end of the 19th century, Igoumenitsa was a small fishing village. By the eve of the Balkan Wars (1912) and realising the geographic importance of the area, the Ottomans attempted with the help of the local bey, Hamit, to develop the harbour town, which they called Resadié. Their plans were interrupted by the beginning of the first Balkan War and the subsequent liberation of the area by the Greek army in February 1913. During the Interwar period, two major infrastructure projects were initiated, leading to the development of the harbour and the opening of the main road to Ioannina in 1933. Both led to the growth of Igoumenitsa as the main financial centre in the region. In 1936 Thesprotia became an independent prefecture, with Igoumenitsa as its capital. FIG 14 | A rare photograph from the early 1930s. In the coastal zone below the hill of Grava was still the dock for small boats. The road to Ioannina has not been constructed yet (1933). Photo George Vafiadakis, 1931 26
FIG 15 | Igoumenitsa from Agionisi. At the top of the hill the castle. On the left the Prefecture’s Headquarters. The construction of the second floor has begun but has not been completed. Before the 1940s. Photo. L. Kissopoulos FIG 16 | The coastal front of the city in 1952. The forest is slowly beginning to hide the ruins of the castle. The second floor of the Prefecture’ Headquarters has been completed, while the building of the Forest Service can be seen at the back 27
2.2 Historical description of the monument The foundation of the first fortress on the pine covered hill above the town of Igoumenitsa is dated to the late Roman period, and is probably associated with the late Roman to early Christian settlement of Ladochori, founded by Roman settlers during the 2nd century A.D. in the middle of the bay of Igoumenitsa. During the Roman imperial period between the 1st and 3rd centuries A.D., the coastal settlement experienced significant commercial and financial prosperity, during which time the first fortress was built. In the 6th century, use of the settlement declined and it was gradually abandoned. Evidence for the settlement of Igoumenitsa during the following centuries is patchy. The harbour must still have been in use as it was mentioned in a portolan chart from the town of Pisa, dated to the mid-12th century, where it was referred to as portum Gomitisso, located near the Calama River. During the mid-13th century, Thesprotia was incorporated within the Despotate of Epirus and a new period began with Byzantine control of the area. In 1294, part of Thesprotia together with Igoumenitsa was given by Nikephoros, Despot of Epirus, as a dowry for his daughter Thamar on the occasion of her marriage to Prince Phillip of Taranto. In 1361 when Epirus and the Despotate were conquered by Stefan Dušan and the Serbs, the town was referred to as Goumenitsa in a chrysobull of the Despot Simeon Ouresēs Palaiologos. During the Venetian period from the mid-15th century, Igoumenitsa was used as a naval base and anchorage, referred to as Porto delle Gomenizze. During the same period the layout of the castle was changed, reinforced with towers, fortified gates, postern gates, arched gateways and openings for cannons. 28
FIG 17 | Engravings of Coronelli 29
The end of the first Venetian-Turkish war in 1479 marked the beginning of Ottoman rule in the area. However, they became more prominent after 1540 when all of the Venetian territories along the coast of Epirus fell. In the 17th century, during the fifth Venetian-Turkish war (1645-1669), the Venetian fleet mounted a number of diversionary raids in the area. All of these actions culminated in the blowing up of the Turkish fortress in 1685 by admiral Morosini, after having removed its 12 cannons to Corfu. After the fall of the Venetian Republic at the end of the 18th century, Ali Paşa Tepelenë of Ioannina took control of the former Venetian naval base and tried with little success, to repair its half destroyed fortress. During the following centuries, the area was abandoned and completely forgotten. Nowadays the sparsely preserved ruins bear silent witnesses to a glorious past. 30
FIG 18 | The castle of Igoumenitsa in a color sketch of an unknown eyewitness who was aboard Morosini's fleet when he blew up the fort on October 28, 1685. The sketch shows the settlement inside and outside the walls as well as the small auxiliary castle (fortini) built by the Turks in the port area. Shortly before the arrival of the Venetians, the Turkish guard and the inhabitants of the castle had managed to leave it (Gomenize Abandonate, ie abandoned) 31
2.3 Technical description of the monument The Castle of Igoumenitsa has a trapezoidal layout with its eastern side in a zigzag line. It has a total surface area of approximately 6,300m2 and the perimeter is 412m in length. Its fortification walls are 2m in average thickness and have been repaired during various times in the past, while in places they are preserved up to a height of 6m. The towers along the perimeter walls are one of the main characteristics of the castle, which were linked with the interior of the precinct through arched gates. The two best preserved examples are located on the outer edge of the south-eastern fortification wall, measuring 6.4x6.2m and 6.5x6m accordingly. Along the south-western wall is the only tower which preserves its domed ceiling, while in the north-western corner is the largest of the towers, measuring 8x7.2m. The main gate is located roughly in the middle of the zigzag south-eastern fortification walls and was secured by two towers. The opening of the gate was approximately 2.5m in width and was framed by two carefully made vertical pillars, with the door secured by a wooden beam. Along the perimeter of the wall, mainly the better preserved southern and less well-so western sides, are arched cannon-openings which were repeatedly repaired and altered. Partially preserved wall fragments belonging to various periods, as well as parts of stone-paved floors, indicate the presence of other architectural features and buildings within the castle. Exposed to a height of 1.5m within the north-western corner of the precinct, are the remains of the walls of a rectangular room on which plaster is preserved. The north-eastern part of the castle was secured by an inner cross-wall (diateichisma), forming an interior acropolis, with the gate probably located in the middle. 32
FIG 19 | Groundplan 33
FIG 20 | The SE side of the fortification (up) and the north tower (down) 34
FIG 21 | The area of the gate before the interventions 35
FIG 22 | Αrched cannon-openings in the south side of the fortification 36
FIG 23 | Tank adjacent to the NW corner of the walls and wall fragments belonging to various chronological periods 37
2.4 Intersections with relevant historical, naturalistic, archaeological, architectural areas The Castle is the only publically accessible archaeological monument within Igoumenitsa and can be easily reached from the central area of the town, as well as via the coastal road through the pine grove that surrounds it. Due to the close proximity of the castle and the harbour, both can be enjoyed during brief visits to the town, along with other historical and touristic points of interest, including the following. The Archaeological Museum of the town is located within a distance of 1.5km of the castle and includes displays of the most important finds from Thesprotia from the Palaeolithic period up until Byzantine times. Each of the five halls charts the archaeological and historical development of Thesprotia through time. Also covered are the most important settlements of the late Classical and Hellenistic periods (4th-2nd centuries B.C.) during which the area flourished, along with aspects of private and public life, as well as burial customs of the people who lived in Thesprotia. FIG 24 | The Archaeological Museum of Igoumenitsa 38
FIG 25 | Archaeological Museum of Igoumenitsa. Permanent exhibition 39
The Roman villa excavated within the new harbour of Igoumenitsa will be publically accessible within the next few years, following completion of the 3rd construction phase of the harbour. The villa is dated to between the 2nd and 4th centuries A.D. and consists of a residential area and workshop dedicated to wine making. Adjacent to the main building is an opulent mausoleum which was used by the owners. FIG 26 | The Roman villa excavated within the new harbour of Igoumenitsa. Plan of enhacement works 40
FIG 27 | Aeriai view of the Roman villa and the mausoleum 41
Strolling along the promenade of the town, visitors can stop at the old Xenia Motel, designed by the well -known Greek architect Aris Konstantinidis, which currently houses the Technological Educational Institute (TEI) of Epirus. They can also marvel at the mansion of the Pitoulis family, located just a short distance further into the town. The mansion is a unique example of a wealthy urban dwelling of the Interwar period, within the otherwise modern town of Igoumenitsa. Within the pedestrianised part of the city centre is the folklore museum ‘Rena’s House’. The museum, which aims to revive local customs and traditions, has displays with more than 2000 objects. These include embroidery and woven textiles, traditional dress of the region and objects associated with children, along with many other everyday items. 42
FIG 28 | Τhe mansion of the Pitoulis family (Photo September 1977) 43
FIG 29 | Xenia Motel: the \"colorful\" wings of the rooms. Photo Dem. Papadimas (‘60s) FIG 30 | The interior of the restaurant of Xenia Motel. Photo Nick. Stournaras (1960) FIG 31 | Aris Konstantinidis drawings for the armchairs that he used widely in Xenia Hotels 44
FIG 32 | Xenia Motel today FIG 33 | The folklore museum ‘Rena’s House’. 45
Approximately 10km from the town is the archaeological site of the Tower of Ragio. The monument is situated on a low hill near the old mouth of the Kalamas River, where evidence for human presence from the Middle Palaeolithic to the Ottoman period has been identified. The characteristic feature of the monument is the double storey residence (Tower), which was constructed during the Ottoman period on top of the remains of the northern tower of earlier defensive walls built during the 5th century B.C. The route from Igoumenitsa to the Tower of Ragio runs parallel to the popular 4km long tourist beach of Drepano, as well as past the Mouth of the Kalamas River, a protected area due to its rich fauna and flora and an ideal spot for birdwatching. 46
FIG 34 | The archaeological site of the Tower of Ragio FIG 35 | The restored tower of the Ottoman period 47
FIG 36 | The protected area at the mouth of Kalamas River 48
FIG 37 | The protected area at the mouth of Kalamas River FIG 38 | Drepanos beach 49
FIG 39 | Drepanos wetland, a refuge for flamingo herds 50
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