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The Bazeos Tower is a fortified former monastery on the island of Naxos, Greece. It lies in the central part of the island.
History of the Bazeos Tower
The Bazeos Tower originally housed the Monastery of the True Cross (Timios Stavros) and dates back to the 17th century. Between the 13th and 18th centuries, several towers like it were built on Naxos because of frequent pirate raids that plagued the island.
The tower remained a monastery until the first decades of the 19th century, when the last monks abandoned it. In 1834, it became property of the Greek State. For several years after, local potters and their families lived there and practiced their trade.
Near the end of the 19th century, the Greek government sold the tower to the Bazeos (Basegio) family. They realized the historical significance of the structure and their descendants have kept it maintained to this day. The tower started to host cultural events, including the Naxos Festival, after its first major renovation in 2000.
Visiting the Bazeos Tower
Admission to the Bazeos Tower is 5€ (as of July 2023). It’s open daily except Mondays. During our visit, the exhibition The Wings of Icarus by German artist Klaus Pfeiffer (1938-2022) was on display. He bequeathed his work to the Naxos Festival “to be preserved as a cultural asset of the island”.
Ground Floor
First, on the ground floor is the entrance, a storage area, and chapel. Photos are allowed everywhere in the building except in the chapel.
First Floor
The first floor includes a central hall surrounded by the refectory, kitchens, and monk’s cells. This is a good place to look up and see the wooden beams supporting the second floor.
The most interesting room on the first floor is the refectory. If you look closely at the table, you’ll notice a cross carved into it.
Above the door to one of the cells off the central hall, it’s possible to spot an inscription bearing the year 1679.
The other cells are very similar. While they aren’t decorated with period furniture or personal items, they do give you the impression of the simple lifestyle the monks would have experienced.
Second Floor
Finally, on the second floor is a large reception area surrounded by a kitchen, open-air courtyard, and other rooms.
The large room at the back of the reception area contains an inscription of a cross above the door.
From the open-air courtyard, it’s possible to get great views of the island as well as the courtyard on the ground floor of the Bazeos Tower.
Attached to the courtyard is another large room. It has an inscription in Greek and the year 1786 carved above the door.
