Most popular Monuments in Halkidiki Region
Lighthouse of Possidi - Halkidiki
The lighthouse of Possidi in Halkidiki: At the end of Possidi beach stands a charming old whitewashed lighthouse. Built in 1864, the lighthouse stood very near to the water in its early days but now the sea has backed away. The sand stretch was formed later from piling up of sediments. This colonial-styled lighthouse is still in use today and has a small flowery garden beside it, adding to its beauty.
Tall pine trees line behind the traditional lighthouse which sits solemnly on the edge of the beach. It is the only building along the beach of Possidi. Near the lighthouse lie the ruins of the ancient temple of Poseidon, while 1 km to the west, the beautiful church of the Virgin Mary is found, built in 1619.
Tower of Saint Paul - Nea Fokea Halkidiki
Byzantine tower belonging to St. Paul’s Monastery in Nea Fokea, Halkidiki. It is the only tower of Halkidiki that is preserved up to the battlements. Next to the tower is the church of the Holy Apostles.
In 1407 Ioannis Palaiologos granted the area of the present village to the monastery of Agios Pavlos of Mount Athos. Τhe Byzantine tower, which is still preserved, was then built. The Byzantine tower guarded the great subordinate of the monastery. The tower has a base of 50 square meters, a height of 17 meters and is built with materials of ancient buildings. From the old Metohi, there is a small church built in 1868, as well as some ruins of other buildings. On the tower in 1821 Emmanouil Papas, the head of the revolution in Halkidiki, had its headquarters.
Tower of Prosforio - Ouranoupoli Halkidiki
The Byzantine tower of Ouranoupolis village is known as the Tower of Prosforio. It was built in the 14th century, apparently before 1344 by monks of the Vatopedi Abbey in Mount Athos, to protect the area from enemy invasions. It is situated next to the small harbor of Ouranoupolis. This tower is part of a small fortified complex and serves as a base for the Prosforio monastery, which is a dependency of the Vatopedi Abbey.
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 was added after the reconstruction.
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.
Stavronikita Tower - Sani Halkidiki
The Stavronikita Tower (also called ‘St. George-Tower’ is the landmark of the Sani area. It was constructed 1543 in order to protect the Monastery of Stavronikita. The tower is in an excellent state of repair, it is 8 meters high, but the archaeologists believe that an upper floor is missing, and the original tower was much taller. It belongs to the category of smooth external towers with simple exterior structure. It is well built with a strong careful masonry in which sporadic and naughty pieces of bricks and ceramics are inserted.
In its original form, the tower had at least three floors and at the top there was a roof with ramparts and loopholes. It is not excluded that there was a chapel on the roof. Today only two floors and an underground space are preserved, and underneath it there is still an underground area that probably was a reservoir of water but it is now piled. In the interior, floors with wooden floors have been formed, which, with some wear, have been preserved to this day.
Mariana Tower - Olynthos Halkidiki
The tower was built in 1374 and by the monks of Dochiariou Monastery, acting as a focal point and defense for the dependency of the same name. A characteristic feature is the cross formed of tiles set into the masonry of the southern wall, which confirms the ownership of the tower. It still exists today to a height of about 15m. The tower of Mariana served as a center of residence and defense of the estate of Dochiariou monastery. It was probably surrounded by a wall that surrounded the hill as well as the chapel, part of which survives to about 150 meters. In the course of the years – from the 16th century onwards – it became a Turkish settlement – until 1912. There was a time when in the tower, a Turk named Eriff Tselepis, was installed and robbed the passers-by.
It is one of the most beautiful examples of Byzantine towers in Halkidiki, for the construction of which beside the stone from the adjacent quarry (still works today) a number of ceramics and ancient architectural members were used from the ruins of ancient Olynthos. Today it is preserved at a height of about 12 meters and 3 floors.
Tower of Krounas - Ierissos Halkidiki
The Krouna Tower is located approximately 1km of Ierissos and it’s one of the most important sights in the area. It’s preserved almost in full height (12m). The Tower was a dependency, surrounded by a wall, which has almost collapsed. It is estimated that it was built in the 15th century and it is named after the many crows which have their nests there (kourouna+crown).
Moreover, the property is referenced as a dependency of Korouna in Ottoman reports of the 15th century and belonged to the Hilandariou monastery until 1542. Then, the monastery periodically lost ownership of the dependency until 1719, when it was purchased among other properties in the area. It was sold and repurchased at least twice.
The tower today has a height of 12 meters. It’s supposed to have another floor that collapsed. In many sources it is mentioned with its full name, Tower of Krouna of the monastery of Hilandariou. The monument is under the jurisdiction of the 10th Ephorate of Byzantine Antiquities. You can see it only externally (marked on the main road outside Ierissos).
Tower of Galatista - Halkidiki
There are many stories and myths about Galatista Tower that nowadays, have become legends! One of them says that a queen named "Galatia" lived in the tower and that's how the village took its name after. She used to communicate through an underground pine that leads to the area of Agia Paraskevi in the fields.
The tower is definitely built in Venetian style but it’s not Venetian. It is not known when it was built exactly. Perhaps in the early 15th century. It can therefore be described as a ’’post-Byzantine’’. Imposing, narrow, with recesses on its outer walls and small vertical slots for windows, the Galatistas Tower is obviously a fortress-observatory that communicated with the plain and its villages and is also likely to be used as a prison. It is made of solid stone and clay (the so-called taran or kurashani) and has a dark brown color. When there was still a forest around, it is said that only from a distance one could find it!