“The House With the Caryatids:” an Architectural Gem in Athens
In a quiet street minutes away from the Acropolis Hill, an iconic building with two Caryatids on its balcony has been adorning the heart of downtown Athens for over 100 years. Known as “The House With the Caryatids,” it is a symbol of Greek heritage and an architectural jewel poised between the past and the present.
The simple, two-story building on Asomaton 45 Street was the residence of modern Greek sculptor Ioannis Karakatsanis, who lived and worked at the house until his death in 1906. Karakatsanis was a student of Leonidas Drosis, a leading Greek sculptor whose massive statues of Socrates and Plato stand in front of the Academy of Athens on Panepistimiou Avenue. Karakatsanis’ family sold the building after the sculptor died. It underwent a renovation and since then has been the home of the Greek Olympic Winners Association.
In 1989, the Greek Ministry of Culture listed it as a landmark.
The differences with the Caryatids of the Erechtheion
In contrast with the Caryatids of the Erechtheion on the Acropolis, the two female statues on the balcony of Karakatsanis’ house have their hands crossed in front of them instead of freely falling down. Moreover, their legs are not visible. Instead, they are connected to square stands that are smoothly combined with the balcony.
This deviation from the ancient Greek tradition appears to be far from coincidental. The two Caryatids are said to be representing the image of Karakatsanis’ wife, Xanthi, and his wife’s sister, Eudoxia, thus making the monument deeply personal.
A Caryatid is a sculpted female figure serving as architectural support instead of a column in ancient Greece.
The eerie legend behind “The House with the Caryatids”
“The House with the Caryatids” became widely known through a popular legend, which 19th century Athenians loved to tell. That legend remains alive to this day, adding a veil of mystery to the house.
Panagiotis Kritikakos, a barber who had his shop on the ground floor of the building, told his clients that the two Caryatids represented Karakatsanis’ daughters, who died either of a rare disease or were poisoned by their stepmother. However, his descendants refuted these claims while Karakatsanis’ daughters all lived a long life.
“The House of the Caryatids” in other artists work
In 1952, Henri Cartier-Bresson, a famous French artist and humanist photographer, snapped one of his most legendary pictures in front of “The House of the Caryatids.” It depicts two old Greek women dressed in black passing under the building. The photo beautifully contrasts the two female statues with the two, black-clad Greek women.
Giannis Tsarouxis, a famous Greek painter and set designer, was inspired by the two Caryatids adorning the building and portrayed them in his paintings and set designs.
To this day, “The House of the Caryatids” appears in countless photos posted online and in social media, snapped by local passers-by and tourists.
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