Tower of Prosfori

LocationOuranoupoli

Byzantine tower with later building phases, with its adjoining (arsas, two-storey building) in Ouranoupoli. It was part of the Vatopedi monastery complex in the area, known from the sources as Prosfori. It is the largest and best preserved tower in Chalkidiki and today houses a small collection of antiquities.

The building has at least three major building phases. The first, Byzantine (11th-12th century), includes the lower, stone-built section, without the two floors. In the next phase, which was placed in the years of the Ottoman domination and probably after the devastating earthquake of 1585, three more floors were built, of which the two today are preserved. The third phase includes the internal woodworking of the building and the roof that has been rescued to date and was included in the reconstruction works that were completed in 1862. The outer oblique retaining wall (scarpa) was added after the reconstruction.

On the east side of the tower is the barbakas, the fortress, which seems to be an addition to the early Ottoman occupation with later repairs. The modern accommodation and storage areas within the barbakas were defined in the middle of the 19th century. Northwest of the tower is the Arsana building, built in 1865 along with a quay that does not exist today. It consists of the semi-basement storage area of ​​the boat, the storage rooms in the semi-basement, and the upper one with the loggia. There were other buildings: warehouses, barns, olive shop, wells. Nowadays, only the copper and the cingulate are preserved.

The current shape of the tower emerged after its extensive repair and reconstruction followed. In 1924, following the exchange of populations, refugees from Asia Minor settled in the grounds and founded Ouranoupoli. Over the years, residences have been built that have been gradually integrated into a single building block. In 1928 Loch, Joyce and Sidney came as members of humanitarian organizations. They were installed in the tower and offered substantial help to the refugees and later to the earthquake victims. The tower complex today belongs to the Ministry of Culture. Museums and exhibitions are organized in it.