Ai-Giannis

The tower of Ai-Giannis stands on a deserted islet within the lagoon of Tholi, part of the wider Missolonghi lagoon system. It belongs to a small monastic complex, now abandoned, which once served as a dependency of the Monastery of Taxiarches, lying some 2.5 kilometres to the north. The tower is notably large and strongly fortified for its setting and period, though its precise history remains unknown. It is reasonable to suppose that its construction mirrors that of the similar tower-abbey at Taxiarches, which was completed in 1742, so the islet tower most likely dates from around the same time. The complex is of 18th-century, post-Byzantine origin, and its condition today is rather poor. What survives is a single tower, unusually robust, rising from a lonely marsh-bound rock, a quiet relic of monastic defence whose story was never recorded.