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Sintrivaniou (Fountain) Square

Sintrivaniou (Fountain) Square has an important sample of the urban furniture of the late Ottoman period.

  1. Modern and Contemporary era (1912 - )


    1936 Taken down to build roads. The sculpture was shattered and its pieces were initially scattered at YMCA Park and later found at a machine shop.

    1977 On April 4th, it was moved to its current position.

    2013 The fountain was listed as a monument.

  2. Ottoman era (1453- 1912)


    1889 Inaugurated with brilliance, in the presence of international personalities of the time. The fountain was officially called "Chamidie Fountain".

  3. Byzantine era (331 AC- 1453)


  4. Roman era (30 BC- 330 AC)


  5. Hellenistic era (322- 31 BC)


  6. Classical era (478-323 BC)


  7. Archaic era (800-479 BC)


  8. Geometric era (-1100- 800 BC)


  9. Prehistory (-1100 BC)


What I can see

As part of the embellishment, expansion and Europeanization of the city during the late Ottoman period, the coastal and eastern Byzantine walls were demolished and Sintrivani Square was developed, with its fountain that remains an important sample of the urban furniture of the late Ottoman period (late 19th century). The sculpture rests on a circular base, which is made from white marble, bearing similarity to other fountains in the city, with additional western elements. Specifically, the obelisk at the top is a standard Egyptian decoration, the upper part is a western decor with palmettes, a wreath with a ribbon in volute corbels and lion heads, and finally, the drops behind each semicircle of the lower part are an ancient Greek element that denotes neoclassicism. Nowadays, the fountain is located to the right of the initial position and the square has significantly shrunk in favour of wheeled vehicles.

What I can't see

During the Ottoman period, it was called Siantirvan, Kalamarias Square or Taksim Square, after the homonymous square in Istanbul. Before the creation of the square, there was a large plane tree here; impalements occurred underneath the tree, while its branches were used for hangings. The fountain was the Sultan’s gift to the city. After the annexation of Thessaloniki by Greece, particularly during the interwar period, the square was larger and full of life, with many historic cafes and taverns, which currently do not exist. During the same period, when a group of Jewish residents visited the fountain to get water (running at specific hours during that time), they were shocked to see wine flowing from the fountain. A distiller who later became mayor, used to adulterate his wine by connecting a barrel with the fountain through a hose. That day, he forgot to remove the hose and so, through suction, the wine started running from the fountain.

Bibliography

Unsigned, (2013), Μνημείο χαρακτηρίστηκε το περίφημο συντριβάνι της Θεσσαλονίκης, [The famous fountain of Thessaloniki is listed], in in.gr

http://news.in.gr/culture/article/?aid=1231267881

Last visit 23/9/2014

Field observation by scientific editors

Ζafeiris Ch., (2014), Θεσσαλονίκη, η παρουσία των απόντων, η κληρονομιά Ρωμαίων, Μουσουλμάνων, Εβραίων, Ντονμέδων, Φράγκων, Αρμενίων και Σλάβων, [Thessaloniki, the presense of the absent, the heritage of Romans, Muslims, Jews, Doenme, Franks, Armenians and Slavs], Thessaloniki: Epikentro

 

Serefas S., Petridis P., (2012), Εδώ: Τόποι βίας στη Θεσσαλονίκη, [Here: Places of violence in Thessaloniki], Agra

 

Tomanas Κ., (1997), Οι πλατείες της Θεσσαλονίκης μέχρι το 1944, [The squares of Thessaloniki until 1944], Thessaloniki: Nisides