ARTWORKS Fellows visiting the house of Patrick Leigh Fermor at Mani

On Monday September 23rd, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) and the Museum Benaki invited some of our Fellows to visit the recently renovated house of the famous British author Patrick Leigh Fermor.

The author Patrick Leigh Fermor and the photographer Joan developed a special relationship with Greece, which led them to build their permanent residence in Kardamyli, Mani, where they lived until the end of their lives. The house was designed by architect Nikos Hatzimichalis, in close collaboration with them, and was completed in the mid-1960s. In 1996, they bequeathed the Leigh Fermor House, which is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful properties in Greece, to the Benaki Museum, expressing the desire for the house to be used for the purposes of the Museum and remain open to the public.

The SNF supported, as lead donor on the project, a study on the use, operation, and sustainability of the house, then the necessary repair and renovation work. The main objective in this process was to preserve the original character of the buildings and the surrounding space. 

The house has opened to the public for tours, and in the near future it will function as a space for conducting educational activities and cultural events open to the public and for hosting researchers. 

Many thanks to Stavros Niarchos Foundation and Museum Benaki for the amazing hospitality!