History

Patmos Villa (Xenos House)​

The house which is the oldest building (1792) in Campos Bay is surrounded by a property of 10 000 sq meters .It was one of the country houses of the Xenos family.

The Xenos family had Patmian roots, but many of its members lived and made their fortune in Egypt, Russia, the Ottoman Empire, the Netherlands and Great Britain. This historic family gave birth to many personalities during the Greek Revolution . Such as Francis Xenos, captain and shipowner. His sons, Emmanuel and Theodoros Xenos, who took part in the war of independence and helped feeding the besieged population of Messolonghi (1825-1826). Later on they served the New Greek state, the former as a minister and the latter as the Consul of Greece in Smyrna. Theodore's son, Stefanos Xenos, was the first Greek ship owner of steam-powered ships. His company “the Greek and Oriental Steam Navigation Company”was composed of 24 steamers. Stefanos lived most of his life in London and was also a well-known writer for his works published in Greek and English, as well as the publisher of the famous Greek illustrated newspaper, the British Star and the author of The Heroine of the Greek Revolution (in Greek) , The Devil in Turkey and Depredations. Francis’ great-granddaughter, who lived in Cairo, Egypt, just after the end of the First World War, transformed the Patmos villa and added two more rooms to the old construction. The wooden balconies were added later and reflect the colonial architecture.

Although the family lived abroad, its members always had the island of the Apocalypse in their heart. They continued to come on holiday and find serenity in the house of Campos Bay. The house today is still the property of its descendants