7. The Tzavellas mansion

The Tzavellas mansion is a fine example of elite dwellings in the late Ottoman period and may have belonged to a Muslim owner before the Greek War of Independence (1821-1829). It occupies a central location near the walls and was once part of a much larger property with wells and smaller structures. It is a two-storey stone building with storerooms on the ground floor and residential areas on the first floor (three bedrooms, a summer and a winter living room, as well as a reception area). The plot is surrounded by tall walls for additional security. When Greece gained its independence, the mansion was given to the Tzavellas family in recognition of their role in the liberation struggle. Today it houses the Ephorate of Antiquities of Aetoloacarnania and Lefkada.

The Tzavellas family belonged to the Souliotes, an Orthodox Christian community of the area of Souli, in Epirus. They were known for their military prowess and their firm opposition to Ali Pasha, the Ottoman ruler of western Greece and Albania. Lambros Tzavellas was betrayed by Ali Pasha during an expedition to Albania and his son, Fotos, was held as a hostage while Lambros was sent back to Souli to achieve its surrender to Ali Pasha. But Lambros was fiercely opposed to the bloodthirsty Ottoman ruler and informed him (by letter) that he was ready to protect his homeland against a deceitful thief. And should his son lose his life, Lambros would still be alive and eager to avenge his death.

Ali Pasha exchanged Fotos Tzavellas with prominent Albanian leaders who had been captured by the Souliotes. Ali was keen to subjugate the latter, so he built defensive towers around their mountainous homeland and waited for famine to force them to surrender. A semblance of peace was restored when Fotos agreed to leave Souli, but first he burned his own house to ensure that no Turk would ever use it. He was imprisoned in Ioannina but was released to negotiate the permanent surrender of the Souliotes, while his wife and children were kept as hostages. Fotos refused to serve as Ali’s pawn, despite the obvious danger to his family. Eventually, the Souliotes were exiled to Corfu, where Fotos died in 1811, possibly poisoned by Ali Pasha. He left behind his wife and many children.

Kitsos Tzavellas was the son of Fotos and served as one of the leaders of the Greek forces during the siege of Missolonghi (1825-1826). In April 1826, with all food supplies exhausted and no relief in sight, the desperate defenders decided to attempt a sortie through the besieging Ottoman army. Kitsos commanded a column consisting of women and children, as well as some soldiers. He was recently married, so he dressed his wife as a man and gave their newborn son Dimitrios to a soldier. The sortie was betrayed and a fierce battle ensued, as the Greeks tried to open a path to safety. Kitsos killed an Ottoman officer and his wife got on the dead man’s horse, using the animal’s body to protect her husband from enemy bullets.

Dimitrios was captured by the Turks during the sortie. His parents thought him dead but eventually learned that he was in Ioannina. Kitsos wanted to exchange him with a Turk, so during a battle in 1828 he challenged an Ottoman officer to a duel. The Turk promised to shoe Tzavellas like a horse should he win, while Kitsos vowed to mark the Turk with a hot iron on his forehead and then exchange him for his son. Kitsos prevailed and did as he promised. He handed the Turk to Ioannis Kapodistrias, the governor of Greece, and asked him to arrange for the exchange. When Kapodistrias reprimanded him for his cruel behavior, Kitsos argued that he had to brand the Turk because as an officer he had promised to do so. Dimitrios was finally released and his descendants lived in this mansion.