The topography of the town and the island of Chios under the Genoese.

The town of Chios.

The primary sources of information regarding the topography of the town and the island originate from descriptions provided by travelers and manuscripts of notary deeds of the time. The most prominent construction of the town was the castle, within whose walls shops, administration buildings and houses were encompassed. The area surrounded by the fortifications of the castle was called civitas Chii and the districts outside the walls burghi.

The castle of Chios (civitas Chii quarter ).

The castle was originally built by the Byzantines and during the Genoese occupation the first ‘edifice’ was still in existence called Palaiocastro (that is old castle in Greek) and gave its name to an area at the immediate proximity of the town walls of the new fort close to the old castro. The castle of Chios as we know it nowadays was constructed by Martino Zaccaria in 1329 and was called the new fort or castle. Immediately after the conquest by Vignoso in 1346, the Commune of Chios displaced many of the Greeks residing inside the castle (about 200 houses changed possession) so as to facilitate the establishment of Genoese officials inside the citadel. The Greeks were offered some properties in the area of Engremos instead, at a fixed price. According to the narratives of a traveller in 1459 called Andre’ The’vet which is also verified by the descriptions of Hieronimo Giustiniani, the castle of Chios had three gates. Two out of the three gates opened with drawbridges towards the Piazza -that is the main square of the town- and the market. The third gate overlooked the port and had a long bridge built with stone and marble and was used for merchandise where ships discharged near the Customs. Only the first two gates mentioned above survive till present day (see photo 15). At intervals along the castle walls there were towers three of which were built over the three gates mentioned above. Among the towers, the most well known and mentioned in the fifteenth century scripts was the one facing the port (see photo 16).

In the late period of Genoese occupation the Chancery, the headquarters of the Mahona were situated within the boundaries of the fort, but in earlier periods the Chancery was located outside the castle based on evidence that it was positioned in a small piazza called piazza Giustiniani near the Piazza where the Podesta’s palace was  as described by Giustiniani. Within the castle there was also a prison that contained a tower and a courtyard and the Bishop’s palace. Moreover, one of the most important philanthropic institutions on the island for poor people, the hospital of San Antonio positioned in the castle area. Furthermore, there were at least four churches inside the fort. The principal of all was that of Santa Maria that constituted one of the nine parish churches of the island where many eminent Mahonesi had their family vaults. The homonymous church gave also its name to the quarter of Santa Maria inside the citadel. Within the premises of the Santa Maria church the chapel of the fraternity of Disciplinati was also located. In addition, in the precincts of the castle area, there was the Church of San Giorgio (another parish church) that gave its name to a whole district in the castle that has survived till present time. Also, in the castle confines there were the churches of San Domenico, the church of San Nicolas and the one of Santa Atanasia.

Within the borders of the Civitas Chii was also located the district of Contrata mastica where the mastic trade used to take place and the mastic offices were situated. The area of Pasqualis Jesupi was also mentioned as one of the castle districts in a notary deed.

The town districts outside the castle walls (Burghi).

The centre of town’s life during the years of the Genoese presence on the island was the main square known as Platea Palatii or Platea Banchorum, because it was in the immediate vicinity of the main court of law where also the Podesta’s palace was found. The same square is mentioned with different names such as ‘Platea Curia de Bancho’, ‘Platea de Palazzo della Curia’, ‘Platea della Loggia’ etc. The loggia located in the main square was separated from Podesta’s palace but attached to it (probably in its ground floor) and had the form of a portico where shops were situated. On the opposite side of the main square the Sottoriva was located which constituted a long, roofed street that comprised merchandise and shops. It was also mentioned in some deeds the name of a straight street (carrubeus tectus, rectus or clausus). Beside the harbour another building of vital importance for the administration of the island’s revenues was the Customs Office located near or on the north mole at the narrow entrance of the port to which access could be blocked with the aid of a chain placed between the two moles (north and south). At the end of the north mole, there was a tower called akrostikon. On the other mole (south), most likely as shown in a Venetian topographic map of the town from 1687 (see map 8), the hospital of San Lazaro or Lazaretto that hosted lepers was situated.  

Near also the main square, the food market was standing known as the Forum and nearby was the column of justice where the execution of punishments were held. The Forum was positioned parallel to the aqueduct surrounding the Western part of the Castle and the small western gate. On the other side of the street as moving north down the Forum away from the main square, on the left hand side one could enjoy the presence of gardens and buildings. Following that direction someone would pass by the Church of Panagia Madonna and the one of Madonna la Pichola. Other districts of the town moving South towards the area of Campos which took their names from the trade that occurred in their surrounding area were the Aplotaria’, Merceria, Saponaria, Contrata Furnorum and others. The area of Aplotaria most likely took its name from the silk trade and industry that used to take place in the district. The Greek verb απλωνωwhich means to spread is possibly related to the processes of manufacturing, treating, dying, drying and finally exhibiting the silk garments. In Merceria, the shops of drapers and haberdashers were located selling cloth, curtains, pins thread and all kinds of material suitable for sewing. The Saponaria placed behind the Piazza was named after the soap factory in the area as described by Giustiniani and the Contrata Furnorum where all the bakeries were found.

Other popular areas in the burghi of Chios were Chrionia’, Engremo’ the so called Burgus Graecorum heavily populated by Greeks that moved there after their displacement from the castle area in 1346. The Engremo’ area was most likely located west to the Main Piazza where the homonymous area of the modern city is sited. The area of Parrichia (Παροικια in Greek) was most likely placed at the west end of the town where the Catholic Church of Saint Nicholas stands nowadays, in the immediate proximity of today’s Public Gardens. Finally, in some notary deeds many times the names of the regions of Tripoli Campana and Vlattaria’ (close or including Parrichia), Suburicana are mentioned.

Many town quarters and streets were also named after certain saints and their homonymous churches found in areas inside and outside the castle walls. The district of Soteria named after and dedicated to the nearby church of Christ Saviour belonged to the burghi outside the castle walls near the sea. The same applies for the district of Sant’ Antonio around the area in the proximity of the Sant’Antonio Abbate church, the area of Sant’ Elena, San Remo  that followed the pattern of naming streets after the names of churches and patron saints also encountered in Genoa and elsewhere.  

Places outside the town and refuge towers on the island.

The borough of Campos located south to town where many prominent Greek and Genoese families held properties and owned mansions was divided into the districts of Varvassi, Tallaros, Astriudera, Sibule and Macers. Other places mentioned in the manuscripts of the Genoese period -that survive till present day- include the villages of Calamasia, Merminghi, Chalkios (Carchio), Pyrghi, Volisso (Volithi), Mesta’, Neocorio, Lithi’, Amadhes. The Genoese of Chios for defending themselves from the gradually increasing Turkish threat constructed a series of defensive works mounting the nearby areas that provided shelter for the inhabitants in case of emergency and assault. These constructions had solely protective character and were not part of the islands defensive framework. They were built in the middle of the village providing convenient access and refuge to the villagers (see photo group 17). Because of the fear of the Turkish menace, the Mahonesi raised defensive towers that constituted miniature forts in the villages of Chalkios (Carchios), in Ververaton, Varnariti near Volissos, Phyta’ and Pirama’. In Harmo’lia in the province of Notiochora though, a fort was built on the Apolenio hill with the expenses of the Campi-Giustiniani family.