The old plane tree
The madrasa (Muslim religious school) was founded in 1721 and suffered significant damage during the Greek War of Independence. During the reign of King Otto, it became a prison and home to infamous bandits and dangerous opposition leaders. Those condemned to death were executed by hanging from the great #planetree in the courtyard. As a result, the tree became a hated symbol of oppression and gave rise to a famous couplet: “the plane tree of the madrasa has two branches; one leads to life in prison, the other to the guillotine”.