George Emmanuel Argyros Mansion In Santorini

The George Emmanuel Argyros Mansion is situated in the village of Messaria and is one of the most important recent architectural monuments of Santorini. Built on top of a traditional Greek house, the mansion represents a living work of art of the neoclassic style and it is an important reference to the Greece’s cultural heritage.

The monument was built in 1888 by G. Argyros -a landowner and wine merchant- on a land on which a traditional building that lied on a quarter of an acre was previously erected. The earthquakes from 1956 made lots of damages to the building as its SE corner collapsed together with the main roof.

Since then, the building remained uninhabited for a long period of time. The Argyros Mansion was completely restored by the Ministry of Culture, having its restoration project made by the architect F.Nastouli and the civil engineer A. Talaiporos of the Static Society.

The building was identified a real piece of art by a ministerial decree of 1985, having its own protection zone of 50 meters length.

The Greek people pride on its morphological and its architectural value. Despite the fact that the monument is built on the neoclassic style, it combines elements of influences of eclecticism with the traditional style of Santorini. There also are ceiling paintings made in an impressive artistic style, while the building’s facets are decorated with many morphological elements. The visitor may be overwhelmed by the invaluable furniture and utensils well-conserved which adorn the entire upper floor.