The houses in Santorini, white like sugar cubes and with blue shutters, are the image that comes to mind when we think of Greece. However, these houses are not only found in Santorini but almost throughout the Cycladic archipelago. There is even talk of a "Cycladic architecture," in which bright white and blue are the dominant and defining colors. But why is that?
Why are the houses in Santorini painted blue and white
Since the Greek flag features the white cross and the blue waves of the sea, we might think that this is the reason. However, the buildings in the Cyclades are painted this way for reasons other than aesthetics.
In 1938, outbreaks of cholera appeared in Greece, including in the Cycladic islands. The then-Prime Minister, Ioannis Metaxas, passed a law requiring residents to disinfect buildings with lime. At that time, it was the most popular and accessible disinfectant. At the same time, the decision to make all the houses in Santorini and the rest of the Cyclades white was in perfect alignment with his military spirit: everything uniform, orderly, and impersonal.
The law was maintained for several decades and reinforced during the dictatorial regime of the 1960s and 1970s.
Long after that, the islanders continued to cover the houses with white lime. The bright color reflected the sun's rays and kept the interior cool. Moreover, the immaculate white provided psychological comfort after the years of war and misery the country had endured.
The blue seems to be attributed to Metaxas as well, who wanted to completely eliminate the color red, a symbol of the communist movement.
How did the houses in the Cyclades become a symbol of Greece
If the white and blue of the houses in the Cyclades is owed to Prime Minister Metaxas, it was Queen Frederica of Hanover who made them known worldwide. The wife of King Paul I, who ruled Greece starting in 1947, was a highly controversial figure due to her German origins.
It is said that in 1954, the queen invited several members of royal families and influential figures of the time on a cruise in the Aegean, who were fascinated by the wild beauty of the Cyclades.
A year later, she showed the newly appointed Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis some photographs of white houses in Mykonos and suggested that they would be the best marketing agent for Greece.
That she was perfectly right is demonstrated by the fact that in the 1960s and 1970s, Mykonos became the preferred island of Grace Kelly, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, and other celebrities.
Over time, the houses in Santorini, whitewashed and with blue shutters, have become the undeniable symbol of Greece.
Just as the houses were not always white, neither were the shutters always blue. Usually, residents painted them with whatever was left over from refurbishing fishing boats.
Currently, some believe that the blue and white style should be abandoned and the houses in Santorini and the Cyclades should become multicolored again.
How do you see the future of the houses in the Cyclades?
Tell me in a comment.
