His departure architect Argyris Petronotis (1924-2023) from life it has borne fruit. I have an image of him in his old age, with a clear spirit, with a noble form, and with this great curiosity and craving for things, a man, a born artisan and creator. Argyris Petronotis belonged to those generations of Greeks for whom “place” had meaning and weight. “Place” generated emotions, not just emotions, but energy, action, contribution.

If one of the many he has taken on can be singled out, it is his passion for stone, masonry and masons, the traditions of stonemasons and their connection with traditional bridges, fountains, churches, estates and houses. Argyris Petronotis breathed life into stone culture. Like a true child of Arcadia.

His attitude during the dictatorship left a whole era. He was the only intellectual to raise his profile under the regime and the unimaginable (even then) decision of Stylianos Pattakos to demolish the monastery of Sotiros Christos in Heraklion (1970), which occupied a large area in Kornarou Square, built during the years of Venetian rule. class. The monastery was converted into a mosque (Valide Mosque) and housed a girls’ high school in the 20th century. This affair has remained in the annals and since then has accompanied Argyris Petronotis like a laurel wreath. The monastery (Venetian building) was finally demolished, and Argyris Petronotis was dragged to the courts. Such was his devotion to principles, goodness and justice.

Argyris Petronotis has been involved in competition and academia for a long time. It was rich, wasn’t it? written project from. In the structures he designed, there was the necessary wisdom that he himself was looking for. Castles, bridges, fountains, rooftops, craftsmen and stone carvers occupied it, collected it and sent it all over Greece, where traditions survived or where their traces were great. In Western Macedonia, Epirus, Peloponnese. All of his recent books have been devoted to this topic. In 2019 “Stone glazing of Peloponnesian rural houses” (Stamoulis publishing house) and “Memory of water. Fountains of Arcadia (published by Thines). In 2021, his book “New Greek Traditional Bridge Building” (Stamoulis Publishing) was published.

“He taught us a lot, mostly to love our country and be passionate about the joys of life,” wrote Thines editor and historian Zizi Saliba. “He left an indelible mark on the flowers of stone and the Arcadian mountains.” Indeed, his collaboration with Anti tis Petras as President of the Scientific Council, a body that promotes the culture of stone and the tradition of builders concentrated in Lagadia, has been fruitful. Professor of Medicine Yiannis Tsiaousis and President of the Board of Directors issued a statement indicating that Argyris Petronotis “viewed the creation and activities of the Stone Flowers as a source of his own rebirth and reunion with his students, for whom he acted not just as a teacher, but as mentor”.