Νέα στοιχεία για την αστική αρχιτεκτονική στη Βενετσιάνικη Χαλκίδα. Το παράδειγμα του κτηρίου Βαΐλου.

Abstract

The so-called ‘House of the Bailo’ at Chalkis is situated in the centre of the once-walled city, opposite the basilica of Agia Paraskevi, and is the only other extant building from medieval Negroponte. It remains to be seen whether this building was in any way connected to the presence of the Venetian bailo, the appointed head of the Venetian colony. The southern part of the building, as it stands today, corresponds to the original Venetian wing, whereas the remainder is an Ottoman extension. The Venetian part features an arched loggia on the ground floor, some remnants of a first-floor wooden construction and a complete set of wooden beams and corbels, which once supported either a second floor or a roof terrace. Ongoing restoration work has greatly increased our knowledge of the structure. It appears to be an amalgamation of local construction techniques, such as the wooden lacings reinforcing the masonry at five distinct levels, and imported Venetian design and craftsmanship, as evidenced by the pointed arches of the loggia and the form of the floors. These have been identified as ‘Venetian Gothic floor’ constructions, which feature prominently in 14th- and 15th-century Venetian examples, such as the Palazzo Ducale. Each of the Gothic floors was coffered underneath. The corbels that support the beams bear a resemblance to those employed in the roof of Agia Paraskevi, albeit smaller. The evaluation of further information stemming from archaeological research carried out within the framework of the restoration works, as well as dendrochronological data, is set to further enhance our fragmentary knowledge of the building.