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Prosforio Tower
The tower is the landmark of Ouranoupolis. It seems to exist since the 12th century and is the largest and best-preserved tower in Halkidiki. The complex consists of the byzantine tower, the small, fortified yard called “barbakas” and the “arsanas” (port) of 1865. It belonged to the dependency of Prosforion (today’s Ouranoupoli) the original core of which already belonged to the Vatopedi monastery in 1018. Scattered information regarding what happened to the building is found from sources, since the excavations are not yet finished. However, it is known so far that the despot of Thessaloniki, John Palaiologos was hosted here in 1379, that the tower suffered great damage by an earthquake in 1585 and that in 1858 it was abandoned –as most of the towers at that time in Halkidiki. Moreover, it was probably burned in 1821, since there are testimonies that in 1858 it was in a terrible condition and abandoned. Its current condition is the result of an extensive repair and reconstruction that followed.
In 1924, after the exchange of population, refuges from Asia Minor settled in the dependencies and founded Ouranoupoli. Several houses were built over time and gradually joined the building set. In 1928, the couple Joice and Sydney Loch came as members of humanitarian groups. They settled in the tower and offered essential help to the refuges and the victims of the 1932 earthquake. The building has been through at least three main structural-historical phases. The byzantine phase (11th-12th century) includes the lower building without the two floors. In the next phase, dated during the Ottoman rule and probably after the 1585 earthquake, three more floors were added, two of which are preserved until present day. The third floor might have been another level of battlements. The inner wood paneling of the building and the roof, preserved until present day were built in the third phase, and were included in the reconstruction that finished in 1862. The external oblique retaining wall (called skarpas), was built after the reconstruction.
The “barbakas”, i.e. the fortified perimeter, is attached to the eastern side of the tower that seems to be an addition during the early Ottoman rule, with subsequent repairs. The accommodation and storage spaces inside barbakas were designated in the middle 19th century. Arsanas (harbor) is located northwest of the tower, and was built in 1865 together with a pier that nowadays does not exist. It consists of the semi basement storage of the dependency’s boat, the warehouses in the semi upper floor and the upper floor. There were also other buildings: warehouses, barns, olive mills, wells. Nowadays only the “halkadio” and the “kolligadiko” located a little farther, are preserved.
Source: Municipality of Aristotelis
