Tower of Ouranoupoli

The tower is known to have existed already in 1344, but appears to have been older than this.

In May 1379, the “despot” (King) of Thessaloniki, loannis Palaeologos, was hosted at the tower and during his stay there granted it exemption from taxes. It must have suffered considerable damage from the earthquake of 1585 and, probably, received extensive repairs. In August 1858 the tower is reported “empty and uninhabited inside” (presumably after being burned down during the devastation of Halkidiki in the revolution of 1821), but this same year saw the beginning of extensive repair and reconstruction works that gave it its present form.

Recently, the tower was consolidated and restored by the 10th Ephorate of Byzantine Antiquities.

Later, the external sloping buttress wall was added, probably after the earthquake of 1905. Nowdays, after the recent restoration works, the interior of the tower is preserved with the original constructions of the 19th century.

The metochion estate owned many other buildings (storehouses, barns, an oil press, tenant lodgings (“kolligospita”), wells, etc), only two of which are preserved, about fifty meters to the south-west of the tower. The installations of the metochion were used for many years as lodgings for the new inhabitants, who built Ouranoupolis in 1923.

Nowdays, the tower estate belongs to the Greek Ministry of Culture.