A large Genoese tower in the center of the village of Fyta, Chios. It is in good condition but only one of the three floors is preserved.

History

The tower was built during the Genoese rule, at the beginning of the 16th century. It is one of the few cases where the construction history is written on a plaque on the outer wall of the tower (photo 4).

What we know about the tower from documents of the time is that on April 26, 1516, Isidoros Politis in collaboration with two other builders, Sergios Frangopoulos and Michael Glavas, undertook the construction of the tower. The Podesta (i.e. the Genoese governor of Chios) and the directors of Maona were represented at the signing of the contracts by Cristiano and Giovanni Battista Iustiniani de Stefano.
The craftsmen undertook to build the tower in the village market area, with the obligation to complete the construction within 3 years of signing. (Arnold C. Smith, 1962)

It is worth noting that during the same period, a similar tower was built in the village of Pirama, which was also originally three-storey (although it is slightly smalle).
The two towers were built by the same team, headed by Isidoros Politis.

In addition to Fyta and Pirama, this team also built other towers in the early 16th century – after 1515 – in northern Chios, which, however, have not survived: In Ververato, in Chalkios and in the (now unknown) village of Varnaritis, near Volissos.

The tower of Fyta was declared a protected monument – ​​under the name “Mich. Gatanas Tower” – by the Ministry of Culture in 1992. Mich. Gatanas was probably the last owner of the tower, but we do not know more about him.

Structure, Fortification & Buildings

According to the construction contract, the tower consisted of a ground floor and two floors. The ground floor was roofed with semi-cylindrical domes and the floors with cross vaults, while the first floor housed the kitchen and possibly storerooms.

Today, only the ground floor survives. It has apparently been recently renovated. The floor plan is a rectangle measuring approximately 9m✖14m. This means that it was a large tower for the time.
Its main role must have been defensive, while it must also have served as an administrative center for the area (judging by the contracts, which were not made between private individuals – so it was not a simple tower house).

No fortification elements survive in the current form of the tower.

Sources