History of the Matthews Homes

Carolina and Henry Matthews

Carolina Matthews (1937-2020) was a successful writer whose books The Mad Pomegranate Tree and At the Top of the Muletrack chronicled her travels in Greece and her search for a place to rest in the islands during the 1960s. After an extensive search for the perfect island location, suitably traditional, quiet and unspoiled, she fell in love with the village of Langatha and bought her own home there in the early 1970s. Carolina’s brother, Henry Matthews, an Architectural Historian living in Washington State at the time, bought the house across the path from hers to create a place where the whole family could come together. The re-construction of the house is chronicled in Carolina's book Laughter and Anguish in the Cyclades, prefaced by Going Out the In Way which was a frank look at her time, before Amorgos, living in Athens and on Mykonos.

Location:

The houses are on the north-western edge of the village of Langatha with views across a deep gorge and a fertile valley filled with olive trees towards the village of Tholaria and beyond, the mountains of Naxos. Langatha is one of three picturesque mountain villages served by the port, known as Ormos, in the community of Aigiali. At the other end of the island lies the port of Katapola and, on the mountain slope above Katapola, the historic small town of Chora, an administrative center for Amorgos. Only since the early 1980s have all of these places been connected by roads. Before that time the school children from Aigiali would often go to school in Athens to avoid the 4-hour muletrack walk from their villages to the only school which was in Chora. Today, the road continues beyond Chora to several smaller settlements, beautiful beaches, and fascinating historical sights such as the Archaic ruins at Arkesini and the astonishing 9th century Hozoviotisa monastery.

Traditional Architecture:

These homes were bought as ruins in the 1970s and painstakingly restored in the traditional manner by local craftsmen. The walls are 2 foot thick dry-stone walls and the homes are literally carved out of the rock that they sit securely upon. The construction process began with a traditional blessing by the local priest and with a feast for the workers.

Carolina put everything she had, finacially and emotionally, into the building of her house and when the house next door became available she talked Henry into purchasing and renovating that one too. Carolina even kept the telegram that Henry sent her, agreeing to purchase the house. It was a momentous occasion indeed.

Simple Rustic living

When the Matthews first lived in these houses there was no electricity or roads in Aigiali, and the only telephone was down at the port. Kerosene lamps were lit at night and portable flashlights used batteries that were hard to come by. The primary sources of water were rain-fed cisterns where daily water was drawn with buckets, and drinking water was collected by taking a 15-minute hike down into the gorge with water jugs. The hike back up with full jugs was the real challenge. Even though water can now be pumped in from a (limited) municipal supply, it remains a very scarce resource on the island.

Carolina also renovated a home in the (almost) deserted village of Stroumbo. Click here for more information about this remarkable rustic hideaway

Family Tradition:

Following Carolina’s passing in 2020 the houses are being managed by the Matthews sons, Jason, Julian and Zachary, who have been coming to the island since they were babies, along with the help of a trusted local.

The Matthews family above Langatha, c.1973

The Matthews boys with Nikitas and his family, c.1972