Threshing floors #1315

Description

This was one of over 70 towers built to protect the dependencies of the Mount Athos monasteries in Chalkidiki. The Koutsaki Tower was part of the metochi (dependency) of Koutsaki, which belonged to the Iviron Monastery. According to monastery records, the tower was constructed between 1259 and 1283. It was destroyed by the Turks in 1821 during the Greek War of Independence.

After its destruction, the tower was never repaired or reused. It remained standing until the 1920s, when it was demolished with dynamite, and its materials were repurposed to build the nearby school.

What remains of the tower today is a pile of rubble that was recently cleared, revealing a small part of its foundation. Interestingly, the tower appears to have been built using spolia (reused stones) and materials from the ancient city of Akanthos.