Women’s Social Status and Life in the Mansions of Kastoria During the Ottoman Rule

Nineteenth-century Greek society framed women as good mothers and spouses, kind hostesses as well as guardians of Greek culture and traditions. In this context, the elite ladies living in the mansions of Kastoria, a city of western Macedonia in northern Greece, provide the researchers of feminist studies with much insight as to ladies’ material lifestyle as well as to the existing social tenets. The above opulent houses reflected women’s taste and personal preferences as they were considered to be the female private dominion because—according to the prevailing gendered stereotypes—women were thought of as the absolute protagonists in the private sphere. The mansions in Kastoria had a touch of femininity. The rooms of the mansions of the above city and the designated use of them indicated the specific roles ascribed to women. Moreover, the ladies of wealthy homes played the leading roles as hostesses and mothers. Judging from the cooking utensils and the two different kitchens that were destined for preparing food in the mansions, it can be deduced that the above elite women were in charge of food preparation and supplies for parties, feasts, anniversaries and weddings because the observation of religious feasts and local customs constituted an inseparable element of their culture. The women in Kastoria maintained the Greek traditions in religious observances. Additionally, they received their guests in the big reception rooms of their mansions where guests were offered a lavish treatment and a warm welcome. Class discrimination was apparent in their cloths. They wore luxurious dresses in order to attend religious ceremonies and social events because their rich husbands brought them jewels and cloths of fine quality from abroad. Women were also donors to churches showing, in this way, piety and respect. The ladies of this city were also committed and brave fighters in the effort of freeing their region from the Ottomans. In this battle, courage, pride and defiance were their main characteristics. Sworn in the Bible and together with the male members of the fighting teams, they heroically struggled for the freedom of their region.