Mendoni: Autopsy on projects of the Ministry of Culture in Evros and Drama

Autopsies in the projects carried out by the Ministry of Culture in the Regional Units of Evros and Drama was carried out by the Minister of Culture, starting from Bayazit Mosquein Didymoteicho, an emblematic monument and one of the most important monuments of the Ottoman Empire, which was inaugurated, according to the inscription at its entrance, in March 1420.

It covers an area of ​​almost one hectare and consists of a square prayer hall and a minaret in the western corner. The fire that occurred on March 22, 2017 destroyed the roof of the Mosque, making its complete restoration imperative.

The previous covering of the oak roof with lead sheets added to its exceptional monumentality, while the complex structure of its frame makes the monument one of the most important historical wooden monuments in Europe. A series of erosive phenomena, misguided past interventions, mainly in the surrounding area, the decay and falling inside of the insulating clay roof necessitated a series of preliminary interventions.

The Mosque is to be restored to the standards of its last phase, of the beginning of the 20th century, while highlighting elements of previous phases, so that the structural history of the monument can be read, as well as the interventions made in various time periods.

After the visit to the Monument, a broad meeting was held under the Minister of Culture, in the presence of the Regional Governor of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace Christodoulos Topsides, the General Secretary of Culture Giorgos Didaskalos, the Deputy Regional Governor of Evros Evangelos Poulilios, the Mayor of Didymoteicho Romylos Hatzigiannoglou and the competent officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in order to consider the timetable for the completion of the restoration works of the monument.
In her statements, immediately after the conclusion of the meeting, Lina Mendoni emphasized the need to adhere to the timetables, so that the restoration works of the Mosque will be completed by December 31, 2025. “As you know”, pointed out the Minister, “the Bayazit Mosque and its restoration is one of the priorities of the Ministry of Culture and one of the flagship projects, financed by the Recovery Fund, with a budget of approximately 13,500,000 million euros. It is a monument that faced delays and very big difficulties from 2017 onwards. But those are things of the past. Today, with the participation of the Regional Governor,
Vice-Regional Governor, the Mayor, and all the competent Directorates of the Ministry of Culture and the contractors of the works, which have already been installed, we checked the timetable, which must be strictly adhered to, so that the work on the monument will be completed on 31.12.2025 which it is also the limit set by the Recovery Fund. It is a complex project, in which many people are involved and its restoration is of special requirements. It is a project that requires a lot of attention, it requires central coordination, and for that on August 7 I will be here again.”

Restoration of three post-Byzantine churches in Evros

The Minister then performed an autopsy on the post-Byzantine Churches of Agios Athanasios in Metaxades (17th century), Agios Athanasios in Alepochori (18th century), Agios Panteleimon in Paliouri (18th century). The restoration works of the temples, which have extremely interesting mural decoration, and the shaping of their surroundings are carried out by the Directorate for the Maintenance of Ancient and Modern Monuments and the Ephorate
of Antiquities of Evros, with a budget of 1,000,000 euros and resources of the Recovery Fund.

Burial Monument of Mikri Doxipara-Zoni

In the autopsy on the Tomb of Mikri Doxipara-Zoni, Lina Mendoni was informed about the restoration work of the “mound”, which restores the area to its original image, by restoring the geometry of the mound, protects the finds and creates a unique museum space , who will render the image at the time of completion of the excavation survey.

In the excavation, four pits with the cremated remains of three men and one woman were investigated, along with numerous objects, clay, glass and copper vessels, copper lampstands and lamps, copper lanterns, weapons, jewelry, wooden boxes, etc.

The five burial carts were buried in the same area together with their underweights. Five other horses were buried next to them. In all the carriages, the metal functional and decorative elements are preserved, while in two of them, imprints of their wooden parts are also preserved.

“The Ministry of Culture”, said Lina Mendoni, after the autopsy, “in collaboration with the Region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, in terms of NSRF resources, and independently in terms of Recovery Fund resources, implements in P.E. Evros, projects with a budget of almost 40 million euros. It’s the first time it’s done on
infrastructures of Culture, overall, coordinated and methodical, such a very big project, especially in Evros. The Tomb of Doxipara is an emblematic work. The archaeological dig revealed this unique find for Greek data, about 20 years ago. Today, we are closer than ever to the implementation of the restoration project and
highlighting. There is the contractor, who is in the process of issuing a building permit, to begin the work of constructing the Tomb, as it was before the excavation. An archaeological site is being restored, a very important cultural pole for the region of Northern Evros, and at the same time, a development resource for the region, having all the conditions to become a place of high traffic. Today, we have come to have a visible future. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, all works will continue according to schedule, so that the specific archaeological site can now be returned to the local community.”

Andrikakis Camp – Arab Mosque – I.N. Saint Sofia’s

In Drama, the Minister of Culture, head of an echelon of the Ministry of Culture, conducted autopsies on the cultural projects carried out by the services of the Ministry of Culture. Lina Mendoni visited the Andrikakis camp, in whose buildings the facilities of the International Short Drama Film Festival are planned to be hosted, as part of a wider Center for Audiovisual Arts.

At the working meeting, at the Town Hall of Drama, the Minister was presented with the project studies, which were drawn up with the sponsorship of the Raycap company of the late Kostas Apostolidis.
As the Minister emphasized, “the creation of the Audiovisual Industry Center at the Andrikakis Camp is not only an innovative and pioneering project, but a huge development driver for Drama, the Region of Eastern Macedonia Thrace, the whole of Northern Greece. When completed, unique conditions will have been created for the development of the cultural and creative industry in Greece. Today, the necessary coordinating intervention was made, so that we can launch the next steps, create the road map for the next actions, with a specific timetable, so that the implementation studies can be completed as soon as possible, so that the integration of the spaces can begin gradually, as they are indicated by scholars in a specific funding program”. The
project will be built gradually with the first phase including the 4 buildings in the camp, which are going to cover the needs of the Drama Short Film Festival, and the shaping of the surrounding area. The first phase of the project is financed by the Region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace with the amount of 6,000,000 euros.

The meeting was attended by MP N.D. Drama Prefecture D. Kyriazidis, the Regional Governor of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace Christodoulos Topsidis, the Deputy Regional Governor of Drama Michalis Mourbetidis, the Mayor of Drama Giorgos Papadopoulos, representatives of the Superfund and ETAD, the Raycap company, the Film Department of the University of Athens, the of the Hellenic Film Center, the Thessaloniki Film Festival, the Short Drama Film Festival, and officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

During her tour in Drama, the Minister of Culture performed an autopsy at the Arab Mosque, where the restoration works of the monument are being carried out by the Directorate of Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Restoration with a total budget of 1,500,000 euros and funding from the NSRF of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace. The Minister gave instructions for the coordination of actions related to the shaping of the surrounding area and will contribute to highlighting the facade of the Monument.

Lina Mendoni also visited the Holy Church of Agia Sophia in Drama, where the Ephorate of Antiquities of Drama is implementing a restoration of the Church, with a budget of 600.00 euros. During the works, an early Christian Basilica and a chapel were discovered, in the foundations of the existing Church.

The project, with a total budget of approximately 1,500,000 euros, continues in the next programming period – based on the new data. Instructions were given by the Minister to the Ephorate of Antiquities of Drama and the Directorate of Restoration of Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Monuments, to proceed rapidly in updating the studies for the uninterrupted continuation of the project.