Benizelon Mansion

What I can see

We see the last surviving konak (Ottoman term for luxurious houses) and one of the oldest buildings in Athens. It belonged to the noble family of Benizelos Palaiologos. It is a typical mansion of the Ottoman period, with a loggia, an inner courtyard with a fountain and auxiliary buildings. It is located within a high wall. On the ground floor, there is a collonade with arches and cylindrical columns and a stone staircase leads to the first floor. There are also traces of older buildings, probably from the 16th century, in which it is assumed that Filothei Benizelou, later Saint Filothei, lived. Later additions of the 19th and 20th centuries had altered its original physiognomy. They were removed during its recent restoration.

What I can't see

Today it belongs to the Archdiocese of Athens and the aim is to operate as a museum of the Benizelos family and pre-revolutionary Athens. When Filothei Benizelou lost her husband, she never remarried. After 10 years, she became a nun. She turned the neighbouring church of Agios Andreas into a monastery and the nuns were taught reading, writing, weaving, embroidery and other arts. At the same time, a workhouse, a hospital and a nursing home operated. Her work angered the Ottoman authorities and they tortured her to death. In 1600, the Ecumenical Patriarch sanctified her.

Info

• Address: 96 Adrianou St.

Bibliography