2019-08-01_Homes_&_Antiques 2

s a student of

ne art in

Athens in the

early 1970s,

Tety Stefanou-

Stymfaliades, was a regular at the

city’s ea markets. One summer

morning, while scouring the stalls for

unusual antiques and objects, she came

across a striking painting that would

change her life forever: a landscape

depicting the Greek town of Chora on

the island of Patmos. The image of the

town’s distinctive cube-like white

houses, tumbling down and around a

hilltop monastery, struck a chord with

the young artist, and she felt compelled

to visit them for herself.

Patmos is famous as the place where

The Book of Revelation was wrien

(some say by the apostle, John), and

over the centuries the island has

survived invasions, crusades and

pirates, and has long been a magnet for

Christian pilgrimage. Despite its

fabled status, the fact Patmos lacks an

aireld means that it’s remained

FEATURE & PHOTOGRAPHS TIM BEDDOW

Achancendin a ea market led to a

lifelongloveaair with the Greek island

Patmosanditsdistinctive architecture

HOLIDAY

LEFT Chora’s

ancient fortified

monastery

dominates the

view from the

terrace. Tety

rescued the

daybed from

a refuse dump.

ABOVE The

entrance from

the street. The

date above

the lintel

reads ‘1801’.

TheOwners

StamatikiStefanou-

Stymfaliades,knownasTety,

is aninteriordesignerand

renovator.Shedividesher

timebetweentheislandof

PatmosandAthens.

TheProperty

Thehousedatesbackto

the17thcenturyandwas

enlargedin thelate18th

century.Builton a slope,

it is arranged over two

floorswithtwo entrances.

Thegranderone leads up

to theterrace(above) and

theupperfloor with the

mainsalon,two bedrooms

anda bathroom. The

otherentrance leads to the

lowerfloor,which has two

bedrooms,two bathrooms, a

diningroomand the kitchen.

romance

HOMES Greek Tradition

98 Homes & Antiques August 2019