Pyrgos Pikoulaki is one of the historical buildings of the settlement of Areopolis, since at this point the Maniates repelled the Egyptians of Ibrahim Pasha when they landed at Diros. The Pikoulaki complex, where the exhibition is housed, is an example of a fortified Maniatian residence with a tower dating back to the pre-revolutionary times and a tower house, from the year 1850 as evidenced by a built-in inscription. The historical monument was donated to the State by a personal will by Ioannis Pikoulakis, a merchant from Areopolis, and then it was given to the Ministry of Culture to be turned into a museum. The exhibition is developed through two thematic sections: "Emergence and consolidation of Christianity" and "The church: place of worship-space of communication" which are structured respectively on the ground floor and the first floor of the tower block. The central exhibit of the museum is the marble iconostasis of the church of Agios Ioannis "in Koraki" (12th century) in Mina. The iconostasis was already disintegrated, with only some parts of it in place, others scattered among the stones that had fallen inside and others incorporated into the masonry of the monument, in later repairs.
The museum spaces are completed by the library, with the printed and electronic publications of the Mani Museum Network and various other publications related to the region, as well as the multi-purpose room, where videos on traditional life in Mani are shown, while in the future they will host and educational activities.
Editor: Niki Kalopaidis