Maroulis Panagiotis Andreas summarises the available sources on the famous lovers Anoussa Kokkos and Giabatis Barozzi in his book “The Lush Valley of Potamia” (Naxos 1973, translated by Dr. Panagiotis Kapos):
“The Tower of Kokkos
The tower of Kokkos is a three-storey imposing building, in good condition, except for the deterioration of the third floor, with a watermill in operation until 1966, when the serious reduction of the water of the Potamia Spring was noticed, due to the then scarcity of water and the digging of ten manganese wells under the Pano-Potamites at a short distance from the spring, which caused the veins of the spring to turn towards the said manganese wells.
The said water mill has an external room on the eastern side of the ground floor of the tower, for the admission of the water of the canals through the “afuklas” ( = channel / groove) to “the fourgio” where the installation of the machinery.
The tower is located on the banks of the river, at a guaranteed distance south of the village of MesοPotamia. Towering plane trees shade the imposing volume, and the chanting of the river’s waters, together with the gurgles of the nightingales, offer the passerby sweet music in the form of almost melodious notes.
Above the main entrance of the Tower, on a marble wall, a coat of arms is engraved, and below it the inscription:
“The memory of death serves life.”
And on another marble built in above the window beside the door, the following is written: ‘Blessed is the man of a goodly woman, and the number of his days is double’.
The tower of Kokkos, belonged to Constantinos. Kokkos (1686) and passed to the Franks Barozzi, who first settled in Thera (=Santorini), from where they were expelled and came to Crete and from there to Naxos, after the ambush organized by Francisco Barozzi, Chrusi Summaripa and Juanou Gerardi against Constantinou Kokkou. On Tuesday at the hour of “Ave Maria”, in front of the gates of Chora, while he was travelling from his tower of Potamia to Chora.
One of the murderers, Francisco Barozzi, had a son called Jabati Barozzi, a young man of stately appearance, handsome build and seductive eyes, who used to take short walks through the Potamia Valley. The picturesqueness and magic of the landscape always drew him there to admire the green and flowery Potamia Valley.
Crossing the valley for a day, he unwittingly stopped in front of the Tower of kokkos to admire the beautiful composition of the landscape. He brought his searching gaze upon the tower. At the window of the tower, a little graceful lady of exquisite beauty with her seductive eyes and a sweet smile on her lips watched the noble Jabati.
The young man’s gaze meets her sweet eyes, and with a slight smile, she gracefully expands her lovely mouth to reveal the beautiful pearls of her teeth.
The beautiful daughter who appeased Jabatis with her charms was Annousa, the daughter of the widowed archduchess Kyriaki, whose husband Const. Coco, who was murdered by the father of her young admirer’s father Jabatis.
The lover of Jabatis has since served at lightning speed, but even Annunsa has not failed to show spontaneous feelings of sympathy for young Adonis (= exceedingly handsome man).
The tradition that the lips of the people tell of the meetings says that
“Jabatis, the son of Francisco Barozzi, and Annousa, the daughter of KoKkena (=wife of Constantinos Kokkos), eloped, because her mother would not give her daughter for a husband the son of the man who killed her own husband.
So one night, when there was no moon, Jabatis went secretly to the Tower of Kokkos, and they had conspired, and she waited for him in the mill canal, he took her in his arms and carried her and put her crotch on the hump of his horse, which was tied to the root of a plane tree in the river, and he packed her off and took her to Tragea, to his father’s house. It is even said that Lady Kokkena refused forever, by oath, to break her leg rather than ever go to Barozzi’s Tower. And she sent one to her foot, who signed her daughter’s dowry contract on her behalf, with the agreement that the Tower (of Potamia) would be entirely hers, whereby she would ask, when she dies, that her son-in-law should take it.”
And so the Lady widow Kokkena remained in the Tower of Potamia until her death, when it passed to her daughter, as the above-mentioned dowry proclaimed.
The Tower was occupied by the last Frank Markakis Barotzis (Kantevis), who in 1920 sell it to the widow Irene Georgiou Maroulopoulou or Pargianoudaina. She again left him to her daughter Ekaterina, who was married to George Dimitriou Maroulis.”
From: Μαρούλης Παν. Ανδρέας, ” Η κατάφυτη κοιλάδα της Ποταμιάς”, Νάξος, 1973.
The legend about the ghost of Markopolitis tower is described here:
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ЕТО АГАО(17os-20ós aóvas)