{"id":42146,"date":"2023-11-11T16:46:03","date_gmt":"2023-11-11T14:46:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/klqewmpxo.cyon.link\/?p=42146"},"modified":"2024-09-30T07:23:13","modified_gmt":"2024-09-30T04:23:13","slug":"naxos-steinhaeuser","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/azalas.de\/en\/naxos-stonehouses\/","title":{"rendered":"Village architecture and stone houses"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Cycladic villages<\/h3>\n

T<\/big>he Cycladic villages usually consist of small houses standing close to each other in narrow alleyways. The villages of Naxos except for the settlements directly at the coast (like Moutso\u00fana) are all very old and mostly existed already in the Middle Ages. They were built so as to use as little fertile land as possible. In recent decades, all the villages have expanded somewhat, as new houses are being built around the old settlement.<\/p>\n

\"Koronos,
\nThe villages on Naxos consist of small, whitewashed houses standing close together (here the village of K\u00f3ronos).<\/small><\/p>\n

\"Apiranthos,
\nAp\u00edranthos<\/small><\/p>\n

T<\/big>he alleyways in the villages are usually very narrow. The houses are two or sometimes three storeys high. Often in order to enlarge the houses rooms have been added to them that cover the alleyways, which then lead through a kind of tunnel. A special feature of the architecture of some villages are the “cut-off” corners of the houses, which allow the loaded mules to get round the corners without bumping into them.<\/p>\n

\"alleyways<\/p>\n

\"alleyways
\nnarrow alleyways in Ap\u00edranthos<\/small><\/p>\n

\"alleyway
\na room built above the alleyway<\/small><\/p>\n

\"alleyway
\nThese tunnel-like alleyways, covered by extensions of the houses, are common in the island’s mountain villages.<\/small><\/p>\n

\"alleyway
\ntwo “cut corners”<\/small><\/p>\n

\"alleyway<\/p>\n

Stone houses<\/h3>\n

T<\/big>he simplest houses on Naxos are the mit\u00e1ti<\/a>, small stone houses scattered across the landscape that served as homes for shepherds and farmers on land far from the villages. The mit\u00e1ti<\/em> typically have only a low entrance in the centre of the long side and no windows. The roof consists of stone slabs reaching from wall to wall (with a layer of earth on top). Accordingly, the mit\u00e1ti<\/em> could not exceed a certain width, although this could be increased somewhat by widening the walls towards the top.<\/p>\n

\"old
\nA mit\u00e1tos<\/em> is a narrow stone house, usually built in N-S direction, without windows and with a low entrance in the centre of the long side (usually facing east).<\/small><\/p>\n

\"old
\nWhile the building is rectangular on the outside, the upper parts of the walls approach each other on the inside, which is achieved by thickening the walls towards the top. In this way, the space between the walls is reduced so that it can be bridged by large stone slabs.<\/small><\/p>\n

T<\/big>he construction of larger rooms could be achieved in various ways. The most common method was to build an arch in the centre of the room so that the width of the room could be doubled. Buildings of this type no longer fall into the category of mit\u00e1tos<\/em>, but are “real” houses. They had a “normal” entrance through which one could walk upright, a fireplace and usually at least one window. As with the mit\u00e1ti<\/em>, the roof was covered with earth and was hardened by rolling a marble cylinder on the earth before the first rains. In houses of this type, which can be found scattered all over the island, a family lived for long periods of time, perhaps even the whole year. Often there are also a stable and \/ or a storehouse next to the main building.<\/p>\n

A small house on Mount Fan\u00e1ri<\/h3>\n

\"small
\nHere, on the western slope of Fan\u00e1ri, a small estate with a “real” stone house and two small mit\u00e1ti<\/em>, which served as stables, and a grape treading basin (lino\u00fa)<\/em>.<\/small><\/p>\n

\"small
\nThe roofs were covered with a layer of earth.<\/small><\/p>\n

\"small
\nThe interior with a stone bench and niches built into the wall for shelves. The walls were carefully plastered.<\/small><\/p>\n

\"small
\nthe other end of the room with a bricked-up window, another niche and the small fireplace.<\/small><\/p>\n

\"small
\nThe entrance from the inside with further niches and shelves; on the right you can see the arch that supports the roof.<\/small><\/p>\n

\"small
\nView upwards to the ceiling with the arch in the centre and stone slabs to the right and left. In this building as usually the outer wall is built thicker towards the top which makes it possible to create a larger interior space.<\/small><\/p>\n

\"small
\nThe small stable is built as a simple mit\u00e1tos<\/em>.<\/small><\/p>\n

Larger houses<\/h3>\n

L<\/big>arger rooms could be created by supporting the roof with wood. Suitable wood was more difficult to find on Naxos than stone slabs; strong branches of the Phoenician juniper were most frequently used. The disadvantage of wood is its lower durability: while the roofs covered with stone slabs are still intact in many mit\u00e1ti<\/em>, wooden roofs have mostly collapsed.<\/p>\n

\"old
\nHere a “real” house (near the mills in the river valley below Ap\u00edranthos) with three large rooms, the ceiling of which was originally supported by wooden beams.<\/small><\/p>\n

\"old
\nThis house also has a real window. Its lintel was made of wood and has disappeared, but the round arch above it is still standing.<\/small><\/p>\n

The houses in S\u00edfones<\/h3>\n

\"old
\nS\u00edfones is a typical small settlement of old stone houses built from the excellent slate of the area.<\/small><\/p>\n

\"old
\nIn the courtyard of the abandoned house, a fig tree has – very typically – taken root. You can see the large marble posts around the door (“m\u00f3rsa”)<\/em> and the beautiful built-in shelf next to it.<\/small><\/p>\n

\"old
\nThe houses are two-storey buildings with stables and storehouses around them.<\/small><\/p>\n

\"old<\/p>\n

\"old
\nA large arch in the centre of the vestibule. The ceiling rests on wooden beams.<\/small><\/p>\n

\"old
\nThe roof of this room consists of large stone slabs resting on smaller stone slabs which rest on the walls, that are straight, i.e. not widened at the top.<\/small><\/p>\n

\"old
\nWhile some of the houses already have a concrete roof (presumably originally with wood), the roof of the houses seen here is supported in a different way:<\/small><\/p>\n

\"old
\nIron girders are used here, on which precisely fitted stone slabs lie. The iron beams are tracks from the rails for the wagons used in the emery mines.<\/small><\/p>\n

\"old
\nIn this house you can see the typical very large fireplace with the fire in the centre and a small bench or low stool on the right and left.<\/small><\/p>\n

\"old
\nAnd here is the obligatory marble cylinder which was used to consolidate the earth roof in the autumn to make it rainproof.<\/small><\/p>\n

Houses in Agi\u00e1<\/h3>\n

\"old
\nThis is a real house, situated in the fertile, water-rich valley of Agi\u00e1.<\/small><\/p>\n

\"old
\nIt has a high door and a beautifully built window with upright stones and a round arch.<\/small><\/p>\n

\"old
\nA large arch stands in the centre of the room.<\/small><\/p>\n

\"old<\/p>\n

\"old
\nOriginally, strong wooden beams lay on the arch, with stone slabs on top of them. This construction made it possible to create an unusually large space. Unfortunately, most of the wooden beams have fallen down over time.<\/small><\/p>\n

\"old
\nOn a smaller building nearby, which was also covered with wood (probably juniper branches) and stones, the thick layer of earth on the roof is visible.<\/small><\/p>\n

\"old<\/p>\n

W<\/big>hat a pity that all these beautifully and carefully built houses are slowly falling into ruin!<\/p>\n

see also:<\/p>\n