Μία άδεια οικοδομής από τη Ζάκυνθο του 1848

Περίληψη

The Benaki Museum’s Archives of Neo-hellenic Architecture contains a mid-19th century architectural plan from Zakynthos which is of considerable historical interest. It takes the form of a sheet of paper (31.5 x 43.2 cm) showing the ground plan, the main elevation and the two side elevations of an existing two-storeyed building and its proposed extension. It represents an application for planning permission, an extremely rare item in view of the devastation in Zakynthos caused by the August 1953 earthquake and the ensuing fire. The two buildings were located in the Strada Larga, the main thoroughfare of the town, and they belonged to Count Nikolaos Lunzi. The ground plan merely shows the outline of the two buildings without any indication of the internal arrangements, but there is a detailed plan of the covered passage which runs the length of the faηade of the building, and consists of seven arched apertures. The plan of the main elevation of the two buildings is fairly detailed, while that of the two side elevations also included in the plans is roughly sketched. The first floor of the building, the piano nobile, which contains the reception rooms, has five balcony doors of impressive height and elaborate design, corresponding to five shallow projections, while the second floor has five much simpler windows, serving the living rooms and service areas.
The plan shows the orientations of the three other sides –east, west, north and south– and the adjoining properties. To the west it borders on the property of Rabbi Levi, as in this area of the town the ghetto, the Jewish quarter, was located.
The plan fully conforms with the regulations of 1819 concerning the issue of building permits in the towns of the Ionian islands, which were then a British protectorate. These include the requirement to post such plans on the door of the local parish church to allow for objections from the public.
The plans of Count Lunzi’s building were hung on the door of the church of the Virgin Hodegetria for three successive Sundays without any objection being received. They were afterwards returned to the relevant authorities and planning permission was granted in the normal manner. All the writing on the plan is in Italian, but the writing on the reverse of the document which refers to it being hung on the church door and returned to the authorities is in Greek.
The building was erected, and both the plans and personal testimony indicate that it was situated in the Strada Larga, the present-day Plateia Ruga, roughly halfway between the Church of the Assumption to the south and that of Agios Stephanos to the north. It remained standing for more than 100 years, first as the Lunzi family home and then between 1925 and 1928 as temporary accommodation for the children of a primary school. It was destroyed in the August 1953 earthquake together with the entire town of Zakynthos. No recent illustration of the house exists.
If no trace of Count Nikolaos’ house remains, one feature of it, a statue, has survived. It represents a bearded old man with a long garment reaching to his feet, turning his head to the right and extending his left leg slightly to the side, while he holds an oil barrel in both hands. Because of the barrel, the statue is known as the Diogenes.