Axiothea Mansion, Nicosia
Dublin Core
Title
Axiothea Mansion, Nicosia
Description
The Archontiko (Mansion) of Axiothea is located in the old town of Lefkosia (Nicosia, within the walls), close to the Green Line. This listed two-storey building, which hosts the Cultural Center of the University of Cyprus, is a typical example of urban architecture of the 18th century (Ottoman period).
The monument is built with a local calcarenite (or unsorted biosparite), quarried from the Pliocene-age Nicosia Formation. This stone has a large average grain size and it is very loosely cemented, resulting in a coarse, friable texture. Its compressive strength (estimated following in-situ measurements with the DRMS on the drums of the columns supporting the arches of the loggia/iliakos) ranges between 1.5-23.5 MPa, with the vast majority of the measurements lying <10 MPa. Values >10 MPa possibly reflect superficial hardening of the stone and should not be considered representative of this stone.
The aforementioned tests for the characterization of the compressive strength of the monument's stone were carried out in 2022 by staff of the Building Materials and LEDRA Laboratories, following a request by the Technical Services of the University of Cyprus, in agreement with the Civil Engineer (Themos Demetriou) responsible for the structural assessment of the building.
The monument is built with a local calcarenite (or unsorted biosparite), quarried from the Pliocene-age Nicosia Formation. This stone has a large average grain size and it is very loosely cemented, resulting in a coarse, friable texture. Its compressive strength (estimated following in-situ measurements with the DRMS on the drums of the columns supporting the arches of the loggia/iliakos) ranges between 1.5-23.5 MPa, with the vast majority of the measurements lying <10 MPa. Values >10 MPa possibly reflect superficial hardening of the stone and should not be considered representative of this stone.
The aforementioned tests for the characterization of the compressive strength of the monument's stone were carried out in 2022 by staff of the Building Materials and LEDRA Laboratories, following a request by the Technical Services of the University of Cyprus, in agreement with the Civil Engineer (Themos Demetriou) responsible for the structural assessment of the building.
Creator
University of Cyprus - Ledra and Building Materials Labs & The Cyprus Scientific and Technical Chamber (ΕΤΕΚ)
Publisher
University of Cyprus - Ledra and Building Materials Labs & The Cyprus Scientific and Technical Chamber (ΕΤΕΚ)
Contributor
University of Cyprus - Ledra and Building Materials Labs
Rights
University of Cyprus - Ledra and Building Materials Labs
Still Image Item Type Metadata
Original Format
Photos taken by Ioannis Ioannou, University of Cyprus - Ledra and Building Materials Labs
Files
Collection
Citation
University of Cyprus - Ledra and Building Materials Labs & The Cyprus Scientific and Technical Chamber (ΕΤΕΚ)
, “Axiothea Mansion, Nicosia,” MONUMENTS & TRADITIONAL BUILDINGS OF CYPRUS, accessed June 4, 2026, https://monumentmaterials.omeka.ucy.ac.cy/items/show/17.