There are 6 peristeriones (dove houses) in Chora. The biggest, which gave its name to the district, is in the heart of Chora, on the douseme (paved surface) lane leading to Tsigoures district.
This peristeriona must be at least 100 years old – we do not know the exact year of its construction. Next to it there is a building known as razikio, where Barba (uncle) Michalis Bofilios distilled souma, which is what tsipouro is called on Kythnos. Next to it was the stomping facility for making must for wine and all around there were vineyards, lemon trees and pear trees.
It is believed that the first dove houses were built during the Venetian occupation (1207-1715). They were a symbol of noble origins. Only very rich landowners could have peristeriones constructed and maintained. These elaborate constructs were used to house and breed doves. The birds’ meat and their droppings were very useful, and their feathers were a product to be sold. One peristeriona could house 50 pairs of doves and produce around 200 kilos of meat a year, as well as 500 kilos of fertilizer.
This specific one was built at a spot protected from the wind, to facilitate the doves’ flight, and close to a plentiful water source. It is a rectangular two-storey construction with one entry point. The roof is flat and made of packed loamy soil that covers its slates, which are placed on the traves. The ground floor was used for storing tools. Every year, before the first autumn rains, Uncle Bofilios waterproofed the roof with a cylinder. The doves lived on the upper floor, where there were openings facing East and West – never North or South.
Schist was used to create geometrically shaped openings, i.e., square, triangular, circular, and diamond-shaped, where the doves could perch protected from the wind, the sun and the rain.
