Santorini, Greece Architecture - Research Paper Example

Contents Contents Santorini Geography Climate History 2 Landmarks 2 Architecture 3 Santorini Santorini is a small Greek Island in the south Aegean Sea. It is probably one of the most famous Islands of Europe due to its Beauty, history, Geography and the architecture. It is a volcanic island located about 200 km southeast from the Greek main land and approximately 120 km north of Crete. Santorini is a largest Island of the small group of islands all of which have the same name. Santorini has the area of nearly 28 sq miles and a population of nearly 13000 inhabitants. Geography The Island is the remains of a volcanic cone whose top was blown off by a volcanic explosion. This volcanic eruption destroyed the centre of the island, causing it to sink and to create today’s caldera. The caldera is circular in shape and it is entirely filled with water. In fact, it is the only sunken caldera in the world. The inner coast around the caldera is a precipice of nearly 300 meter drop; it has many layers of solidified layers of lava on top of each other. The outer beaches are very smooth and shallow. Sand color of beaches is different depending upon which geographic layer is exposed; it could be white, red, grey or black sand. Climate The climate of Santorini is affected by its volcanic location. It is generally fair with pleasant temperature through out the year. The summers are marked by drought. Temperature in the summer months e.g. July and August ranges from 30 -32 degree centigrade during the day to 20- 23 degrees at night. Spring and autumn are perfect. The winters are generally humid with mild temperatures. Rain is almost nonexistent, but some showers are expected at the end of April and September. Snow is also very rare. The climate in the Santorini is also affected by the winds rushing in the region. The ‘meltimi’ wind is present in July-August while ‘sirocco’ wind blows here in the spring. History The history of Santorini is closely linked with the geophysical characteristics of the region. Santorini and its caldera have been formed due to volcanic activity in the area. Santorini volcano has played an important role in the existence of island from the prehistoric times to the present date. The island was named Callisto, strongly and Thera before it became Santorini. The name "Santorini" derives from the Crusaders who in their way stood for rest near the Church of St. Irene, so they called the island Santa Irene (Santorini). According to the known Santorini history its first inhabitants were the pre Hellenistic in the Bronze Age. After them Phoenicians, Dorians and the Minoans followed. In Monoan era Santorini become the great center of Minoan civilization. During this era, the Minoan settlement of Akrotiri was built which is also known as the lost continent of Atlantis. At around 1500 BC a massive volcanic eruption took place which changed the history. The effects of this volcanic eruption reached as far as the cost of Crete. This volcanic eruption resulted in the depopulation of the island. The name Thera is given to the island by the Spartan king. The Spartans lost its control at one point but then regain it at the time of Persian war. After Spartan rule Santorino become the part of the Roman Empire. The spread of Christianity had a deep effect on the history of Santorini and gave the island the Christian flavor of culture. During 1537 Santorini was raided by pirate Barbarossa Hairentin. Barbarossa conquers Santorini from Latin rule and forces the rulers of island to recognize the suzerainty of the sultan. Turks conquer the Santorini in 1566 and thus Ottoman occupation of Santorini begun. Turkish rule and the monastery of Prophet Elias on the island was one of the most important monasteries of the Cyclades. Santorini become independent of Turkish rule in 1821 during the Greek war of independence and was united with Greece in 1830 under the treaty of London, and it has the same status until now. In 1956 another major volcanic eruption along with an earth quake destroyed most of the island and with it many villages and building turned into rubble. In recent days with the expansion of tourism the island had gained wealth and population. Now it is a very famous tourist spot. Tourists from all over the world come here and enjoy its beauty and heritage. Landmarks Although volcanic eruption have damaged the cultural heritage of Santorini quite a lot, but still there are number of important 18th century landmarks escaped from this seismic activity, and those which are damaged are repaired thoroughly so there is plenty here for people to enjoy. Ancient Thera comprises an electric mixture of ruins, with architectural elements from Hellenistic and Roman eras. Historical landmarks within Ancient Thira include a number of temples, mosaic floors, a theatre and a historic gym. Ancient Akrotiri is located on the southern side of the Santorini was a thriving Minoan outpost of the Bronze Age settlement about some 3000 years ago. Catholic cathedral is located in the capital town of Fira. It is very beautiful and much decorated building. This roman Cathedral features a distinctive peace-color facade and is topped by a big bell tower and a dome. Santorini Orthodox Metropolitan Cathedral sits prominently towards the bottom of the town and can be seen from quite a distance. Caldera is perhaps one of the most famous aspects of Santorini, is a very huge carldon-like depression which is the result of volcanic activities within the sea. Faros Light house is situated on the southern side of Santorini. Santorini profitis llias: The monastery is right at the peak of the hill and its many windowed walls are visible from the beneath. There are also many ancient history villages in the Island. Architecture Santorino is characterized by a beautiful view of white, sky blue and light pink colored villages which are built over the top of the high cliffs. The basic building features are solid volumes, thick masonry walls with small openings, creation of the composition through the continuous repetition and the use of unified plaster skin which is fused into neighborhoods via flexible repetition. The unique characteristics are excavated buildings in a stepped-back layout and cylindrical vaults and a common utilization of the Yposkafa: extensions of houses dug sideways or downwards into the surrounding volcanic rocks, these are the famous cave houses of Santorini. The architectural style of Santorini is a Cycladic style of architecture but still it is very unique due to some factors like: the threat of volcanic activity, threats of pirates, small number of secure and easy to build on places, topography, deficiency of construction material and climate. Buildings are built with anti-seismic construction due to volcanic activity in the region. During the time of Venetian and Turkish Rule there is a constant threat of pirates. This is the reason that leads to Castles or ‘Goulades’. Also this is the reason why villages are built on the steep cliffs and in hidden valleys and none on the sea level so that they are harder to spot or to reach from the sea. The roofs of many villages are connected so that in case of pirate attack one can find a way from roof to roof and into the castle. The strong summer winds and high summer temperatures forced the people to build the houses on the places where they are protected from strong winds and high temperatures. Highly communal spirit of the societies was also one of the reasons of the congested buildings. The main building material is red and black lava stones. ‘Theran soil’ is used to make the mortar as a replacement of cement and then it is used with plaster to build the building with these lava stones, which makes this material locally available, cheap and exceptionally strong. The hardness of the ground and the slope of area, coupled with the scarcity of building material led to the building of vaulted caves which are dug into the layer of volcanic ash for use as stables, wineries and dwellings etc. In these vaulted caves the front openings are only source of light and air to come inside therefore ventilation and lightening is bad in these vaulted caves, which results in increased humidity inside them. Lack of heating plus limited ventilation triggers the condensation and mold growth, assisted by soil moisture. This poor ventilation system results in smelly and unhygienic atmosphere. Advantage of these vaulted caves are their thermal abilities, they have much less annual indoor temperature variations than masonry walls which is very help full in summer and winters. Secondly these caves are earthquake proof which is a huge benefit in the seismically active area. Materials, time, topography and building techniques have an undeniable contribution to creating a vigorous symmetry in the buildings. The typology is geometric and is exquisitely simple. It has very simple prisms, cylinders and dome designs. The complex yet simple mix of these various geometric designs creates and contributes towards an exquisite whole. Today many modern settlements have been evolved in the area but they don’t have any element of traditional architecture. Read More