Description

Prints of Christeas Tower by artist Gregory Christeas are available FREE of charge to all members of the Christeas family. Request yours at gregory@christeas.com

The Christeas Tower—Monument of Freedom—Agios Dimitrios, Mani

The Tower of Capetan Christodoulos Christeas, officially declared a Historic Monument, stands proudly in Agios Dimitrios, Mani. Built at least three decades before the Greek Revolution of 1821, it is one of the few Maniot towers still in use today.

The Christeas family, descended from the Koutifaris clan, controlled the small port of Agios Dimitrios from their tower—once both a trading hub and a pirate refuge. Captain Panagos Christeas fought in the Orlov Revolt (1770) and was succeeded by his son, Christodoulos, remembered as one of Mani’s fiercest captains.

Travelers described him as scarred from battle yet hospitable and intelligent, a man whose life was marked by piracy at sea and skirmishes on land. His tower housed arms, gunpowder, and even women who fought alongside the men.

During the Revolution of 1821, Nikolakis Christeas, Christodoulos’ son, became a chieftain and officer, fighting with his sons Panagos, Stylianos, Christodoulos, and Stefanos. In 1826, the family’s legendary cannon “Kopsoheila,” manned by Stefanos, struck Ibrahim Pasha’s flagship during his failed invasion of Mani.

The Christeas Tower remains a powerful symbol of Mani’s defiance and the family’s central role in Greece’s struggle for freedom.

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