The tallest surviving medieval tower in Evia, the Koutoumoulas Tower, located near Kriezes in the Municipality of Kymi-Aliveri, has been structurally reinforced following stabilization works carried out by the Ministry of Culture with a total budget of €72,500, ensuring its structural integrity. The tower now once again dominates the Evian landscape, with its battlements restored and its openings stabilized, transporting visitors back to another historical era.
Among the dozens of medieval towers and small fortresses scattered across Evia, the Koutoumoulas Tower is the tallest. It is an impressive Frankish-period tower situated north of the settlement of Koutoumoulas and west of Velos (also known as Velousia or Belousi), in the greater Kriezes area. The tower has a square ground plan measuring 7 by 7 metres, stands approximately 23 metres high, rises over three storeys, and is crowned with battlements.
It forms part of Evia’s broader inland defensive network, as the medieval towers constructed between the 13th and 15th centuries were built to oversee and control the island’s agricultural hinterland. The Koutoumoulas Tower overlooks the settlements of Koutoumoulas and Velos, which are already recorded in 15th-century tax registers under the names Katomula and Abelusia, respectively.
The tower served as the permanent or seasonal residence of the local feudal lord, fulfilling residential, administrative, and defensive functions. This use continued during the Ottoman period (1470–1833). Over time, however, the monument suffered severe deterioration of its masonry and increasingly serious structural problems, mainly due to seismic activity and the natural degradation of its building materials, making immediate stabilization works necessary to prevent further damage.
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