Pyrgos Tsoukaladelli is one of the oldest surviving mansions on the island and is located in the settlement of Thermi Lesvos at a distance of approximately 15 km from Mytilini. It formed the core of a farm and served as a holiday home for its owners.
These towers with the fortification characteristics belonged to the affluent class of the island and as a typology it was already known from the residences of the Byzantine landowners and especially widespread during the post-Byzantine times, a period in which historical conditions imposed the fortification character of the buildings. The Tsoukaladelli Tower is a representative example of these buildings and one of the last to survive, while in the past there were over 100 tower houses in the area.The tower was classified as a preserved monument in 1980, with a relevant ministerial decision, while in 1989 it was expropriated in favor of the Ministry of Culture. The restoration work addressed the problems the monument presented and it has now been restored inside and out as well as its surroundings. It is a stone-built building that is spread over four floors and ancient building material has been used for its construction.
The stonework of the ground floor and floors is characterized by the defensive nature of the building with few windows and a reinforced door. The top floor was the lighter structure with the slatted structure that gathered the life of the house with the reception rooms, bedrooms and the cooking area. The sakhnisi is a light wooden structure that protrudes from the stone wall with curved wooden struts, the so-called “furousia”. This element was common in the traditional architecture of other settlements on Lesbos (eg Agiasos, Molyvos) as well as in the rest of Greece (eg Pelion, Macedonia, etc.).
The height of the tower is 11.45m without the four-pitched roof. It has a square floor plan on the first 3 floors (5.10 x 5.95m) and rectangular on the fourth due to the rafters (5.10 x 7.10m). Between the floors the hatches could be closed and isolated, while on the ground floor there was also a secret hatch to hide in time of danger. Above the door there was a hole, the so-called “murderer’s hole”, from which they poured hot oil on anyone who attacked the house. The fortified character of the Towers is indicative of the living conditions in order to face pirate invasions.
