Villa Ioulia was built in 1880 by captain Michail Zannos, a significant landowner and ship-owner with commercial ties to Odessa, offering the house as dowry to his second daughter Evangelia that married captain Mihalis Mavromatis. The house in its original form was a neoclassical mansion comprised of 13 rooms adorned with ceiling murals and furniture from St. Petersburg.

Evangelia and Mihalis had four children and as tradition calls bequeathed the house to their eldest daughter Ioulia. Ioulia married Mihalis Laggadas, a young doctor, and together they departed for Egypt where they lived for seven years.

They returned to Pyrgos with their first two children and had two more in their house. Mihalis was a kind hearted and gentle person and father and soon became ”the Doctor” not only for Pyrgos, but for the whole island. Mihalis unfortunately died young, leaving Ioulia with their four children aged 4 to 11.

Ioulia raised and educated her children producing and selling wine from the canava of her house. She was a happy and strong woman that was well remembered by the elders of the island who in turn passed those fond memories to their children. One of Ioulia's main concerns was to always keep the house open to everyone. Many people still remember the social events at her home and the wine cellar during the harvest.

On July 9th, 1956, the house suffered major damage from the 7.5 Richter scale earthquake that struck the island. The northern corner of the house fully collapsed while the rest of the building and the cellars remained intact.

As part of the government programme for earthquake restoration, the house level was completely demolished and replaced with a smaller and architecturally modest building.