Tower House

Κάμπος, Δυτική Μάνη, Μεσσηνία. 

Πυργοκατοικία Αλέξανδρου Κουμουνδούρου.

Kampos, West Mani, Messenia – Greece.

Tower-house of Alexandros Koumoundouros.

The towers of Mani are military hallmarks of a glorious era. The first fortification towers appear in the 13th century and they are an expression of the fighting spirit of the region. The main reason for the imperative need of fortifying with a tower was the segregation of Mani society into clans or families. The building of the family tower was the great dream and final goal of the men of Mani and the common obligation of all the male members of the clan. The tower was the bastion of freedom but also the fort of the warring parties in the terrible Mani feuds.

The Mani region has a unique set of characteristics. It is a place that combines the beauty of the landscape with the simplicity and warmth of the people who inhabit it. Despite the dominance of the stone buildings it is a place that fascinates visitors. Until recent years Mani was a difficult place to reach and was characterised by the tower houses that the people built for refuge in times of trouble. The main feature that strikes first time visitors is the simple but rigid architecture of the buildings built mainly of stone. The imposing castles, fortified chateaus and mansions and cobbled streets make the Mani virtually an "open museum".

The tower house of Koumoundourou, in the village of Kampos, was built in the 1830’s. It has two floors and a semicircular protrusion and its reputation is due mainly to the fact that Alexander Koumoundouros (1815 - 1883) was for many years Prime Minister of Greece during the post Greek revolution era.

More images from the region of Mani at my gallery: KevrekidisPhotography 

[ FujiFilm FinePix HS10 ]

© 2013 Jordan Kevrekidis

1821

Παλαιά Καρδαμύλη, Δυτική Μάνη.
Old Kardamyli, West Mani – Greece.















A Maniot warrior at Mourtzinos Tower in Old Kardamyli.

Mani is one of the foremost traditional regions in Greece and possesses a profuse historical and cultural heritage. Mani lies to the southern part of Peloponnesus, within the administrative authority of Laconia and Messenia. It is a land of stone towers and beautiful beaches. Mani is home of the Maniots (Maniátes in Greek). The Maniots hold themselves to be the direct descendants of the Spartans and through the Spartans the Dorians.

Maniots, known for their martial qualities, were the first to join the Greek liberation movement. On March 17, 1821, the Maniat clan leaders gathered in Areopolis and declared war against the Ottoman Empire. Their flag was white with a blue cross in the center. Atop the flag was the motto "Victory or death". The Maniots were responsible for writing "Victory" and not "Freedom" on their banner, since Mani was always free. At the bottom of the flag was an ancient Spartan inscription, “With the shield or on the shield” (used by King Leonidas I of Sparta). On March 21, an army of 2,000 Maniots under the command of Petros Mavromichalis, Theodoros Kolokotronis, and Papaflessas marched from Areopolis to Kardamyli and on to Kalamata. The Greek War of Independence had begun. By the end of March, the Peloponnese was in open revolt against the Turks and by October 1821 the Greeks had captured Tripolis (Tripolitsa). The Peloponnesian revolt was quickly followed by revolts in Crete, Macedonia and Central Greece.

The Greeks drove the Turks out of the Peloponnese and proceeded to the captured part of Central Greece by 1828. Greece was finally recognized as an independent nation in May 1832. The Revolution is celebrated by the modern Greek state on the 25th of March as the Independence Day.

More images at: Kevrekidis Photography

[ FujiFilm FinePix HS10 ]

© 2012 Jordan Kevrekidis

Kardamyli

Καρδαμύλη, Δυτική Μάνη, Μεσσηνία.
Kardamyli, West Mani, Messenia – Greece.

Kardamyli (or Kardamili) is a seaside village located in the Mani, a stunning region in the southern Peloponnese. In the Iliad (Book 9), Homer cites Kardamyli as one of the seven cities offered by Agamemnon to Achilles as a condition to rejoin the fight during the Trojan War. The village preserves its ancient name. The older town includes a medieval castle and the imposing church of Saint Spyridon.




The skyline of Kardamyli, like many other Maniot towns and villages, is dominated by the distinctive regional architectural of the various towers built by scions of the Nikliani clans, the medieval aristocracy of the Mani. Kardamyli is the departure point of many mountain trails, some of which lead to the peak of Mount Taygetus. Nearby is the Viros Gorge, with a total length of 20 km.

More images at: Kevrekidis Photography

[ FujiFilm FinePix HS10 ]

© 2011 Jordan Kevrekidis