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BAZEOS TOWER

NAXOS (SAGKRI)

info@bazeostower.gr
Phone: +30 2285031402 , +30 2107258741

THE BAZEOS TOWER

On the 12th Km of the main road linking the capital city of Naxos (Chora), with the inland (Halki, Filoti), the Bazeos Castle dominates the land leading to the seacoast of Agiassos.

The tower dates back to the 17th century and belongs to the most typical group of monuments in Naxos, dating from 13th to the 18th century. The reason for the common presence of such buildings has its sources in the social and historic conditions prevailing in post-Byzantine years. Great uncertainty prevailed at the time in the Aegean, because of the frequent pirate raids that had not stopped since the Byzantine era and also because of the feudal system on the island, which after having being introduced and systematically applied during Venetian rule, survived during the years of Turkish rule.

At first, this castle functioned as a monastery and was called monastery of the True Cross (“Timios Stavros”). In the first decades of the 19th century however, the last remaining monks abandoned it and in 1834 it became the property of the newly founded Greek state.

For many years the castle offered hospitality to families of potters who lived there and practiced their tradecraft. Later on, by the end of the 19th century, the castle was sold by the Greek government and was bought by the Bazeos (Bassegio - http://www.baseggio.net) family, whose descendants are the current owners. In the Venetian tradition of the island, the family maintained its primary residence in Chora, while also using the tower as a summer residence and agricultural provisions storage area. Its last descendent, appreciating the importance and historical value of the building, continues its upkeep with particular care and aesthetic awareness.

In 2000, the first phase of restoration was completed, through the exclusive use of private funds, under the supervision of the National Technical University (NTU) architects, Themistocles Bilis and Maria Magnisali. Since then it has functioned as a cultural activities space.

NAXOS FESTIVAL

PHILOSOPHY
The Naxos Festival at Bazeos Tower, which began in the summer of 2001, was a bold and imaginative move to transform an exceptional 17th century landmark monument into a temple of learning and culture, fulfilling its original purpose in the present-day.

After extensive restoration work, accomplished through the exclusive use of private funds, the task of displaying the monument was assumed by the Cultural Not-for-Profit Organization AEON, in association with the Benaki Museum, as well as various institutes, universities and museums, both in Greece and abroad.

The ensuing years justified our ideas, which are finding fertile ground not only in the entire country, but primarily on Naxos, where we have been warmly received, and experience the community’s interest and expectations. And this constitutes our truest reward. Our proposals have been accepted.

Our philosophy may be summarised in three parts:

Culture requires free expression, time, education and organization.
Culture unavoidably encompasses tradition, yet it should always face forward with contemporary and bold proposals.
Culture must be linked to all aspects of contemporary life, so long as it is high art, incorporates metaphor, and seeks to change, redirect and transform everything we find unbearable around us.

Our watchword: Contemporary, innovative and exemplary creations for contemporary, discerning and active citizens.

PURPOSE-AIM

To display and maintain a landmark monument. The tower remains open due to the cultural activities, welcoming both the local community and the visitors to the island, in contrast to the other (around 40) towers of Naxos.
To upgrade the social and cultural life of the island. The Festival programme gives the residents of Naxos the opportunity to become acquainted with notable representatives of the intellectual and art world and their creative output.
To support cultural tourism. The institution of the Festival created a steady demanding audience, while strengthening cultural tourism in the island interior, with positive consequences on the local economy.
To protect the broader natural environment. Many important Naxian monuments—the archaic temple of the goddess Demeter, the cave monastery of the Kaloritsa Virgin, and others—may be found within a range of a few kilometres from the tower. While continuing the effort to link the monuments with pathways, we also seek to protect the region and create a model of benign cultural and environmental development.

Our purpose is not to create yet another Festival but to organise a restless, flexible institution, open to the cultural issues and demands of our time. An institution whose identity is located in the creative interaction of the arts and their representatives, within the specific thematic axis selected for each occasion. Within this framework we are developing partnerships with various Greek and foreign cultural vehicles, forging solid ties of communication, all of which are necessary to inscribe Naxos onto the contemporary cultural map.