Handmade Greek Presidential Guard Tsarouchi

Description

Tsarouchia of the Presidential Guards, are also known as “gianniotika” or stitched and are used by the Greek Presidential Guard. They are handmade from genuine, high quality & waterproof, calf leather.

Manufacturing: They are made entirely of leather. The sole is curved and hand sewn.
Optional nails on the bottom of the sole, may be included.

Sizes: from 30 up to 48.

Handmade
Color: Brown, Black, Red.
Materials
Upper: Genuine leather.
Sole: Genuine leather.
Lining: Genuine leather.

Pair Price
250€ No Taxes Including.

Their origin is obscure and goes back to the Byzantine times, with influences from styles imported by neighbouring tribes, including the Turks. Originally, various types of similar shoes were worn all over the Balkans, but tsarouchia are mainly associated with the Greeks. They were the most common footwear worn by both urban and rural Greeks, mainly men, but also many women.
After the Greek independence in early 19th century, their use was limited to isolated rural areas and nomadic populations, seen by westernised urbanites as a sign of uncouthness and backwardness.
In a version with reinforced sole, they remained the issue boot for the Evzone units well into the 20th century, though after the First World War were gradually replaced in active service by the standard laced boot. Tsarouciia provide a clear link with the origin of the Evzone uniform in the traditional Greek costume, and with the fact that Evzones were largely enlisted from rural mountainous regions of Greece. Nowadays they are almost exclusively used by the presidential guard and in various traditional festivals and dances along with other traditional Greek garments.

Tsarouchia are typically made of a number of pieces of stiff leather hand-sewn together, in the moccasin fashion. They have a characteristic pointy nose, usually covered by a large woolen pompon, which often occurs in Turkey as well.
The latter was a relatively late addition, originally a way of making the shoe nose waterproof, but increasingly becoming an essential feature for their decoration. Simpler versions also exist, made from one piece of leather held in shape with thongs (a very common type found everywhere in the Balkans and Anatolia, e.g., Opanak or Charvuli) and without any decoration.