Ierissos, Aristotelis, Chalkidiki,Central Macedonia
Tower of Koutsaki
| Location: |
| 50m west of the 1st Elementary School of Ierissos in Chalkidiki |
| Region > Prefecture: |  |
| Central Macedonia Chalkidiki | |
| Municipality > Town: | |
| City of Aristotelis • Ierissos | |
| Altitude: | |
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Elevation ≈ 5 m (Relative Height≈0 m) |
| Time of Construction | Origin | |
| between 1259-1283 | Post-BYZANTINE  |
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| Castle Type | Condition | |
| Ruined Tower |
Few Remains
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Few remains of a big monastic tower near the 1st Elementary School of Ierissos in eastern Chalkidiki.
History
This was one of the more than 70 towers which protected the dependencies of the Monasteries of Mount Athos in Chalkidiki.
The tower of Koutsaki was part of the metochi of Koutsaki that belonged to the Iviron monastery. According to the documents of the monastery, the tower was built between 1259 and 1283. It was destroyed by the Turks in 1821 during the Greek war of Independence.
After that it was never used again, never repaired but it was still standing until the 1920s when it was demolished with dynamite to use the material for the building of the school nearby.
What remained from the tower was a pile of rubble which recently was cleaned and as a result a small part of the basis of the tower is now visible. It is interesting that the tower seems to have been built with spolia and material from the ancient city of Akanthos.
| First entry in Kastrologos: | July 2017 |
Sources
- Publication Kyttaro of Ierissos, issue 8/2012, p16, article by Kostas Ypsilantis
- Alex Kalantzis , website Κάστρα της Ελλάδας
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| Access |
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| Approach to the monument: |
| The road to ancient Akanthos passes outside the elementary school of Ierissos. A narrow dirt-road goes around the school and to the west, after 50m, leads to the tower. |
| Entrance: |
| Free access |
