It is located at the Square in Chora, the upper part of the city, righ across the kiosk where the Municipal Guides are stationed. Its construction started in 1754, for its first owner Chatzigiannides, a merchant, and it took a number of years for it to get finished and decorated. It was offered to the merchant's daughter as dowery at her marriage to Dimitrios Sachinis. In the years to follow, it changed ownership a number of times until it was purchased by the Greek State from its last owners, the Nerantzopoulos family, in 1969.
Today, the mansion belongs to the Greek Ministry of Culture and is open to the visitors. It is definately a sight-seeing attraction and, besides our photos, one is strongly urged to visit the house and marvel at the interiors with his/her own eyes. The stained glass windows in the first floor give us details of Siatista and the house in the form of poems carved into the glass!
Nerantzopoulos Mansion: The Sign on the Gate |
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Nerantzopoulos Mansion: Protruding Third Floor 'Sachnisia'
They hang over the yard, a very good watch-out point for eventual risks knocking at the gate |
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Nerantzopoulos Mansion: Protruding Third Floor 'Sachnisia'
Same patio photographed from inside the mansion yard (Nouvro) |
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Nerantzopoulos Mansion: Wine Barrels in the Basement |
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Nerantzopoulos Mansion: Going Up the Stairs To the First Floor. |
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Nerantzopoulos Mansion: Fancy Fireplace |
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Nerantzopoulos Mansion: Photo Of The Last Owner By The Fireplace |
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Nerantzopoulos Mansion: Hexagonal Central Navel On The Woodcarved Ceiling |
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Nerantzopoulos Mansion: Decoration Of Wall And Ceiling |
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Nerantzopoulos Mansion: Entrance and Decorated Cupboards (Misandres)
The entrance doors were made low for anybody entering to have to bend the head to get in. This was believed to infuse the visitor with respect to the house and its owners. |
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Nerantzopoulos Mansion: Photo Of The Last Owners
Konstantinos and Vassiliki Nerantzopoulos |
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Nerantzopoulos Mansion: Decorated Cupboard Doors And Pictures Scattered All Around The Mansion |
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Nerantzopoulos Mansion: Corner Decoration |
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Nerantzopoulos Mansion: Decoration Over the Cupboard Door |
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Nerantzopoulos Mansion: Oblong Ceiling Navel Decorated With Woodcarved Watermelons
Believed to bring wealth and happiness to the House |
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Nerantzopoulos Mansion: Heavily Decorated Room Corner |
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Nerantzopoulos Mansion: The House's Iconostasis |
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Nerantzopoulos Mansion: Sunny Space On The Intermediate Floor ('Diliakos') |
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Nerantzopoulos Mansion: Stained Glass Window |
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Nerantzopoulos Mansion: Stained Glass Window |
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Nerantzopoulos Mansion: Square Navel in the Center of a Woodcarved Ceiling
Unless something is done soon, it will collapse |
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Nerantzopoulos Mansion: Stained Glass Windows |
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Nerantzopoulos Mansion: Armoir Decorated Doors (Misandra) |
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Nerantzopoulos Mansion: Fireplace |
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Nerantzopoulos Mansion: Fireplace Hood Detail
The Holy Cross as a top ornament. It is either a cross or the two-headed byzantine eagle that were used as top hood ornaments. |
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Nerantzopoulos Mansion: Another Fantastic Ceiling Ready To Collapse! |
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Nerantzopoulos Mansion: Decorative Drawings On The Walls |
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Nerantzopoulos Mansion: Decorative Drawings On The Walls.
Detail of the central deco drawing in the previous photo: the Byzantine Eagle over Constantinople |
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Nerantzopoulos Mansion: More Decorative Drawings On The Walls. |
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Nerantzopoulos Mansion: Another Fireplace
This one with the eagle at the hood top |
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Nerantzopoulos Mansion: Stained Glass Window |
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Nerantzopoulos Mansion: Stained Glass Window Detail
Decorative pattern in the previous photo |
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Nerantzopoulos Mansion: Stained Glass Window Detail Nr 2
A poem in ancient Greek, welcoming the visitor to the mansion, carved into the glass. The date as well is carved: September 10th, 1755 |
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Nerantzopoulos Mansion: Another Stained Glass Window
Please pay attention to the two riders at the bottom. They are St. Demetrios and St. Georgios, symbolizing the dates of departure and return of the merchant house-owner. The former is celebrated on October 26th, when the men of the house left to carry Siatistan goods to the Balkans or Central Europe. St. George is celebrated right after the Greek-Orthodox Easter, usually one week prior to the Roman-Catholic one. In other words, women and children had to stay back in Siatista for about six long winter months and the day of the husband's and father's return was one of big celebration. |
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Nerantzopoulos Mansion: A Second Stained Glass Window With The Saints |
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Nerantzopoulos Mansion: St. Demetrios (Stained Glass Window Detail)
Bottom left in the previous photo |
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Nerantzopoulos Mansion: Detail Of The Photo Before Last With The Date (1755) |
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Nerantzopoulos Mansion: Wall Decorative Drawing |
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Nerantzopoulos Mansion: Imposing Wood-carved Ceilings Of The Main Feasting Premises
The stained glass windows over the ones that are open have been replaced with mortar when the initial glass was broken. |
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Nerantzopoulos Mansion: Northern Outer View
The protruding 'sachnisi' visible in the photo is the exact outer part of the hall in the previous one. You can check the drawn shutter of the fourth window to the right in the previous photo and compare with the first half of the first window to the left in this one. The eventual shutting off of the stained glass top windows with planks of wood (or even built with bricks) is seen here as well. |
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Nerantzopoulos Mansion: Northern Outer View, Different Angle |
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Nerantzopoulos Mansion: Southern View, From Inside The Yard (Nouvro)
The entrance to the house's 'Mesia' or 'Embati' (Entrance Hall) is visible |
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Nerantzopoulos Mansion: Southern View, From Inside The Yard (Nouvro)
This is the 'sachnisi' of one of the rooms for the winter (ondas) and this intermediate floor is called 'metzopatoma' (Middle Floor) |
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