If you could look up at Chios, you’d notice some cylindrical towers at a distance from each other on much of its coastline. They’d definitely mention you in another era, but you might not exactly recognize their usefulness. These are the so-called ones that played a strategic role in the past few years. I don’t know. Because these viglies that Chios has, as they are called, are medieval structures placed on coasts and capes with a basic purpose. Observation of the sea and early notification of residents in the event of a hostile raid.
Viglas: The cylindrical towers on the coastline of Chios
Each Vigla of Chios was constructed to have a cylindrical trunk, with a coil base and a specific one. The aim was to ricochet the projectiles. In addition, this increases the base of the seat, for reasons of stability. The height of each cylinder reaches twelve meters and the average diameter is 7.5 meters. At 8 meters high they constructed a room for the viglator while from one end of a dome, communication was allowed between the interior and the room of the vigla. The walls of the towers were made of stones in the area which were connected with very strong materials.
Regarding the way of operation of the vigle foreign travelers have written: “In order to guard the trees and villages they built the towers in the surrounding area of the island, at a distance of 3 or 4 miles from others. Each neighboring village sent two men there to guard, and when they were seeing boats, or ships, they were sending a notification, and either they retreated or were defended
A Vigla from above…
These imposing cylindrical towers were built at short distances from each other, in visual contact with each other. In fact, they were more densely built on the south and west coasts of the island as they offered pirate landings. In fact, they constituted a strong coastal network of observation and transmission of messages and were built within the framework of the defensive fortification of Chios by the Genoese. They operated until the middle of the 18th century when piracy began to disappear.
One of the well-preserved viglas is located on the western side of Chios about 20 km away from the city.
With information from Konstantinos Mil. Anagnostou – www.chiosphotos.gr
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Frequently Asked Questions
The cylindrical towers on the coastline of Chios are called 'Viglas' (plural: Viglies). These are medieval defensive structures that were strategically placed on coasts and capes to observe the sea and provide early warning to residents of hostile raids and pirate attacks.
The Viglas towers served two main purposes: observation of the sea and early notification of residents in case of hostile raids or pirate attacks. They formed a strong coastal network of observation and message transmission, operating as part of Chios's defensive fortification system built by the Genoese.
Each Vigla tower has a cylindrical structure approximately 12 meters in height with an average diameter of 7.5 meters. They feature a coil base designed to ricochet projectiles and increase stability. A room for the vigil guard was constructed at 8 meters high, with a dome allowing communication between the interior and the tower room. Walls were built from local stones connected with strong materials.
The Viglas towers were built at short distances from each other, typically 3 to 4 miles apart, maintaining visual contact with neighboring towers. They were more densely constructed on the south and west coasts of Chios, as these areas were more vulnerable to pirate landings.
The Viglas towers operated until the middle of the 18th century, when piracy began to disappear from the Mediterranean. Each tower was staffed by two men sent from neighboring villages to guard the surrounding trees and villages.
