Mesta, Chios

Mesta is a traditional settlement of the municipality of Chios on the homonymous island of the North Aegean. According to the 2011 census, the population of Mesta is 337 inhabitants. [1]


General elements

The village is located in southwestern [2] Chios and is part of Mastichochoria. [2] [3] It dominates a small valley and was built in the Byzantine years, in a pentagonal and closed four-sided shape with labyrinthine inner streets, while the houses that were built on the outside played the role of a wall, so they had no windows to the outside. The Genoese improved the fortification of the village, which received pirate raids. In the outer corners of the village there were (and still are preserved in Mesta) small circular towers. The defense was made from the roofs, as well as the retreat to the central tower. Covered arches with arches for arches were formed in places where the perimeter limit of the defense was limited to one wall. [4]

In the village there are a number of churches, mainly small, fully integrated in the urban fabric and they are distinguished by their limited (in relation to the houses) height and their gabled roof. [5] The largest and most important today is the church of the Brigadiers, which was built in 1868 on the site of the old circular tower of the castle. [6] Next to it is the main square of the village, the "meadow" as it is called in the local dialect. It is the gathering place of the locals, but also of the tourists, as there are taverns and cafes there.
Architecture

The special element of the village is its architecture, as the houses are built very close to each other, while they communicate with each other with very narrow, covered streets, the "domes". Speakers defended the possibility of moving on the roofs of the houses, that is, their single level throughout the settlement. This, combined with the dense continuous building system, the some independence of the ground floor and first floor floors and the creation of habitable spaces above the roads (at the height of the floor) creates the impression of large construction. [5] The roads that connect the main square of the tower and the gates of the settlement are few and narrow. From them begin others, even narrower ones that end in a dead end or a cul-de sac and from which the houses are accessed. [5]

The village is a tourist attraction, both for its special architecture that refers to the Middle Ages, and for the special natural beauty of the area, since some of the most beautiful beaches of the island are located nearby.
Image gallery

Traditional alley of the village

View of the exterior today

Traditional alley of the village

Port of Mesta

References

"So many of us live in Chios after all." politischios.gr. Citizen Chios web news. December 31, 2012. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
Andreas Pasiardis, Mesta. History - Guided Tour - Information - Maps, Chios 1994, p. 6.
Dimitriou G. Ierapetritis, The contribution of the local organization of Chios mastic villages in the management of the area during the period 1566-1866 of Ottoman rule, University of the Aegean - Doctoral Dissertation, Mytilene 2006, p. 73.
Charalambos Bouras, Chios. Greek traditional architecture, Melissa, Athens 1982, p.38.
Bouras, op. Cit., P. 35.

Bouras, ibid., P.38.

External links

The Festival of Aga in Mesta, Chios: performances, folk events, local dances, songs. (ERT documentary file)

See also: Chios (island)