1. Geography

Tinos is the third in size Cycladic island, following Naxos and Andros and is located between Andros and Mykonos. The distance from Piraeus is 86 naval miles and from Rafina 62. The ground is rather rocky and barren and the highest top is on the mountain Tsiknias (727 m.), to the East side. However, there are some verdant lowlands inland. The coastline is dismembered, forming small coves and many capes, especially in the SE coast, where not only the naturally protected from the powerful north and etesian winds bay of Panormos is found, but also much frequented or quiet beaches, accessible either using the central road network or taking the picturesque routes of dirt roads. The island is rocky with granite being the main rock, while slate and marble are frequently encountered.

2. History

2. 1. Prehistory and Antiquity

According to tradition, the first names of the island were Ydroussa, due to the abundant springs, and Ophioussa, due to the existence of many snakes, which were taken away by the god Poseidon. The name Tinos derives from the homonym leader of the first inhabitants of the island, who were Ionians from Caria in Asia Minor.

Tinos was inhabited since the Early Cycladic Period (3rd millennium BC), while the tholos tomb at Aghia Thekla (13th-12th century BC), at the cape of Aghios Ioannis, implies the influence of the Mycenaean civilization on the island.

The Dark Ages and the Geometric Period (11th-8th century BC) are very well represented on the hill of Xobourgo. A thriving society is testified in the transitional phase between Prehistory and Historical years. In the 6th century BC Tinos belongs to Eretria and in 505 BC it came under the domination of the tyrant of Milos, Aristagoras. The Persians forced the island to march along with them against the Greeks, but Panaitios, the leader of the Tinian trireme, defected and informed the Greek fleet at Salamis about the Persian plans. Due to their contribution in the naval battle, the name of Tinos was included in the list of cities on the Delphic tripod which participated in the war against the Persians. Then, the Tinians also helped in the battle of Plataies (479 BC), thus their name was written on the pedestal of the statue of Zeus in Olympia.

During the hegemony of Athens (5th century BC), Tinos participated in the Athenian League. Then, the Successors of Alexander the Great disputed over the island and in 314 BC it was included in the Islands League or Koino. Tinos became the seat of the league in the beginnings of the 2nd century BC, evolving into an important and active cultural centre in the Hellenistic period. After the occupation of Cyclades by the Romans (146 BC), Tinos, as most of the Cyclades, declined and it was used as a place of exile for Roman political exiles.

2. 2. Byzantium – Modern Period

The only information available for the predominance of Christianity and the Byzantine Period is that the island often suffered by piratical raids of Arabs and Saracens (6th-8th century AD), without developing a particular cultural activity and that after the 9th century AD it came under the administration of the Island Theme Alliance, along with the other Cycladic islands. After the Frankish occupation of Constantinople (1204) and the foundation of the Ducat of the Aegean (1207), the Doge of Venice, Henrico Dandolo, inaugurated a long period of prosperity and prominence of the island. Then, he granted the island to the noble brothers Andrea and Hieremias Gyzi up to 1390, when it fell under the administrative jurisdiction of Venetian Democracy. The administration grants privileges to Tinians and it allows the development of communal and government institutions, which resulted in the transformation of the island into one of the cultural centres of the Aegean during Latin occupation. A big part of the population was Latinised during this period, with the subsequent formation and development of the Catholic Christian community, leading to the foundation of the Latin Bishopric of Tinos and Mykonos. It is the only island in Cyclades, which, even after the occupation of Crete (1669) by the Ottomans, remained under the Venetian domination. This delayed occupation by the Ottomans (1715) led to the concentration of the population from the rest of Greece and to the intellectual, cultural and economical rise. During the five centuries of the Venetian occupation, taking advantage of its central position in the Aegean and its proximity to all the neighbouring islands, Tinos became the most densely populated island of the Cyclades. The Ottomans retained the privileges of the Venetians and did not recess the rising course of the residents of Tinos. In the period of the Russian - Ottoman war (1768 -1774), the island was under Russian occupation and the revolutionary crew of Labros Katsonis included many Tinians.

During the Greek Revolution in 1821, the contribution of Tinos in various battles (Styra) and the mission of expeditionary corps were important. In addition, the financial aid to the revolution and the use of the island as a shelter for the neighbouring populations complete the picture of Tinos’ contribution. Tinos, like the rest of the Cyclades, became part of the Greek State in 1830. The most important event in the modern history of the island is the renowned torpedoing by an Italian submarine of the anti-torpedo ‘Elle’, which was anchored in the harbour of Tinos, on 15 August 1940. The incident is commemorated each year on the celebration of Virgin Mary. In 1941 Tinos was initially included in the Italian administration, during the occupation of the Greek territories by Axis Forces. After the capitulation of Italy in 1943, the island passed under the German occupation until its release in 1944.

In the Postwar Years, Tinos is influenced by the demographic explosion of the big urban centres and it is found on the fringe, while today the pilgrimage of Virgin Mary and the natural beauties of the island have transformed it in one of the most popular destinations.

3. Archaeological Sites and Monuments

The most important archaeological sites offer an overview of the long history of Tinos. The imposing and fortified hill at Xobourgo in the centre of island, between the picturesque villages Tripotamos and Xynaras, has yielded traces of use from the prehistoric, geometric, archaic and classical period. The most important remains are the parts of the fortification wall and other public buildings. This used to be the centre of the island during Prehistory and Early Historical Years. The continuity of its occupation from the Mycenaean period until the Dark Ages has contributed to the knowledge of this period. Due to the natural fortification provided by the hill, it was used during the period of Venetian occupation and until 1830 as the capital of the island. Kastro (Bourgo), whose remains are still visible, was built, while a settlement was developed outside the wall (Exobourgo). Here the residents were well protected from the continuous piratical raids.

At Kionia, few kilometres to the north-west of the Kastro, near the homonym and beautiful beach, lies the most organised and extensive archaeological site on the island. This was the Hellenistic and Roman centre of Tinos, surrounding the sanctuary of Poseidon and Amphitrite. During the 2nd century BC this location was the seat of the Island League. The site includes a double stoa which leads to the sanctuary with the Dorian temple, the altar - throne, other premises relevant to the cult and store rooms. Baths testify the Roman use of the area. There is also a propylon, connecting the sanctuary via an archaic road with the ancient port. Finally, we should mention the ruins of an ancient temple, perhaps of Dionysus, and of a settlement close to Chora, near Panaghia Church.

4. Traditional Architecture - Traditional crafts

The long duration of the Venetian occupation influenced considerably the development of traditional architecture in Tinos. The Chora of Tinos, which was developed in the 18th century after the desertion of Xobourgo, follows the architectural pattern of the inland traditional settlements. The basic building material is schist, abundant throughout the island, while marble is used for decoration. The houses shared common walls and were narrow-fronted. They were single-storey or had two storeys, depending on the slope of the ground and the limited space. In two-storey houses, the first floor (‘anoi’) accommodated the kitchen, the bedrooms and the living room, which in many cases included the loom or the implements for producing silk, as this was particular developed in the 18th century. In the basement (‘katoi’) the ancillary areas were incorporated, such as the oven, the wine-press and the store-rooms with large jars. The two floors communicated by means of an internal wooden staircase, while the upper floor was connected directly to the street by an exterior staircase.

An important architectural feature in the countryside is the built spring, called ‘pigadi’, well protected by a portico. Next to the spring another building was constructed for washing clothes. The ‘katoikies’, stone-built huts of rural character, accommodated the everyday needs of the farmers during their work in the fields. Along with ‘voidokelli’ (stable)not only enrich the picture of traditional architecture, but also provide information on the basic occupations of the islanders, such as agriculture, livestock-farming, silkworm breeding, weaving and basketry. Basketry is still performed in the traditional way today in the village Volakas, which is surrounded by round granite blocks of stone, offering a peculiar natural picture.

The important fields among the mountainous volumes (Kambos, Xobourgo) retained by dry stone walls (called aimasies) create terraces suitable for cultivation, resulting to the development of agriculture and livestock-farming. The traditional settlements and the villages of Tinos are crossed by narrow paved streets, which also serve as public spaces and they usually lead to small squares or to church courtyards. Stone arches and vaults connect the streets and provide public space along with stepped terraces.

4. 1. Marble Carving-Decoration

An element that should be particularly mentioned is the intense decorative tendency, evident on the exterior of the houses. The fanlights, the lintels and the doorways are transformed into decorative works of art, testifying the significant tradition of marble sculpture in Tinos. Elaborate decoration is mainly found in mansions and public buildings, such as elaborate insignia, relief lintels, marble iconostasisand church doorways. In Chora, the baroque style along with the Venetian architectural elements, such as the arches (called voltos) and column influenced the architectural picture of the capital of Tinos.

(Konstantinos Tsonos)
(Transl. Georgia Kalogeropoulou - Panagiotis Karioris)

4. 2. Marble carvers of Tinos

Tinos is the heart of marble caving and stone sculpture. There is plenty of marble, and in antiquity Tinos had quarries. Local marble carving began before the 17th century (during the Venetian Rule), when Tinos developed economically and socially.

4. 2. 1. The glory days

Marble caving reached its heyday right after 1715, when the Ottomans took it over. Significant privileges granted to the island led to economic prosperity. During that time, many workshops were created; they were professionally organized and fully equipped.

Villages Pyrgos and Isternia at the northwestern part of Tinos, where the quarries were located, were the major centers of marble extraction. Most residents were marble masons, namely they were both marble carvers and sculptors. They had a decorative ability and practical dexterity. They used mostly stone and slate as building materials, and marble for paving streets, church floors, oculi, faucets, fountains, dovecotes, screens, tombstones, belfries, chancel screens and pulpits.

The dexterity of Tinian marble masons was renowned in Greece, Asia Minor, the Balkans, south Russia and Egypt. Every year, they would form koumbanies (companies), namely gangs touring Greece and foreign countries for a long while, to receive orders and teach their craft to local apprentices. This lasted for almost two centuries (17th-19th). At the same time, many marble masons settled permanently at Constantinople and Smyrna, where their craft became quite popular.

4. 2. 2. Production organization

Artisans’ hierarchy was the same for every workshop. The master builder was boss and owner of the workshop. He was also responsible for the products’ quality and deals with clients. Craftsmen and apprentices also worked with him. Craftsmen were highly qualified artisans working for a day’s wages. Apprentices learned the craft with the help of craftsmen with no pay; food and shelter were provided. Fathers would pass the secrets of the craft on to their sons, along with the tool chest, a significant family heirloom.

4. 2. 3. Folk stone sculptures of Tinos

Stone sculpture on Tinos means marble. Its range varies: white, grey or sometimes black, depending on the quarry it was extracted from. Dovecotes, lintels, oculi and children’s engravings are the most distinctive traditional stone carvings. Lintels of house entrances were adorned with protective symbols keeping the family safe from harm. Oculi above doors and windows functioned the same way. Their peculiar adornment though also made them practical, since their being perforated allowed sun and cool breeze inside the house.

Children’s engravings are unique to folk stone carving. Many of them can still be seen on streets of Pyrgos depicting small churches, windmills or students with their notebooks. They had been engraved on marble slabs on streets by children dreaming of becoming competent craftsmen one day.

4. 2. 4. From Tinian marble masons to Athenian sculptors

In the 19th century, while the newfound Greek state was being reconstructed, Tinian artisans worked on monumental buildings of Athens, such as the Old Palace (Parliament), the University, the Academy, the National Library, plenty of manors and churches (e.g. the Cathedral), and reconstructions of ancient monuments (e.g. the Parthenon, Olympia).

Since marble masons were in demand, many Tinians left their island to open marble workshops in Athens, which gradually became a metropolis of stone sculpture. The urban environment and the clients’ new needs pulled masons of the capital away from tradition. Therefore, their works had an urban character. Many of them actually decided to study, creating a new generation of “educated” sculptors-artists differing from experienced masons-craftsmen. Giannoulis Chalepas was a celebrated academic sculptor.

However, local Tinian workshops preserved tradition. These two cores of marble carving followed a parallel course up to the late 19th century.

4. 2. 5. Decline and modern carving

Traditional workshops of Tinos declined from the early 20th century on. Even more masons left the island for urban areas both of Greece and of foreign countries. That time, orders were no longer related to tradition, and art was standardized.

Quite a few workshops operated on Tinos up to World War II. Soon after liberation though, a lot of masons worked in Athens as builders, while others turned to marble industry. The art of marble sculpture gradually adapted itself to the new age characterized by the use of industrial tools. Nevertheless, the founding of the Preparative and Professional School of Fine Arts of Panormou with the help of the Foundation “Evangelistria of Tinos” significantly contributed to the preservation of this art on Tinos.

Over the past twenty years, folk marble sculpture has been revitalized by young artisans, most of whom are graduates of the School of Fine Arts of Pyrgos. The increase of tourism and the folklore trend have brought folk stone carvings back to cottages and hotels continuing an age-old tradition.

(Eleni Bazini)
(Transl. Onoufrios Dovletis)

4. 3. The dove-cotes of Tinos

An essential element of the Tinian landscape is the famous dove-cotes. The dove-cotes characterise the central and eastern part of the island in particular. The ownership of such a building in the 18th and 19th centuries was not only a way to prove social status and supremacy, but also economic prosperity. The dove-cotes were built near water springs in fertile valleys and hill slopes, so as to be protected from the winds and to attract pigeons. They are two-storied with the first floor providing room for the storage of farming tools and the recovery of the dove excrements to be used as fertilizer, while the second floor is intended for the keeping the pigeons.

The dove-cotes are closed, rectangular buildings with an entry for the owner and small passages for the birds and ventilation. Pillars and small columns reinforce the corners of the construction and create a tower-like impression. There is ample space for the birds to move and eat, while the exterior surfaces provide a place for the birds to bask in the sun. These surfaces are decorated with elaborate patterns (lozenges, triangles, circles), which are real masterpieces of popular art. The compositions differ from building to building and adorn the whitewashed surface of the exterior.

The recent coordinated actions of the "Friends of Green" society with the government authorities led to the restoration of many dove-cotes and to their nomination as protected traditional buildings.

5. The Panhellenic Holy Foundation of Evaggelistria of Tinos

The Church of Virgin Mary is the religious centre of the island with important social and cultural contribution, with prominent activity the organisation of the Panhellenic Holy Foundation of Evaggelistria of Tinos. This particular Foundation (1840) has established scholarships for superior artistic studies and supports the School of Fine Arts at Pyrgos since 1955, a school which preserves the tradition of marble sculpture. The most important achievement of the Foundation is the establishment of six museums, which display the cultural features of the island and the role of the Foundation as the first cultural institution of the island. The museums are: the Exhibition of Ecclesiastical Icons and Relics; the Art gallery with copies of foreign artists and original paintings of Greek painters, such as Nikiforos Lytras and Nikolaos Gyzis who came from Tinos; the Museum of Artists of Tinos with works of sculptors, such as Filippotis and Voulgaris, and paintings of Lytras and Gyzis; the Antonios Sochos Museum; the Museum of Yiannoulis Halepas, which houses the works from the second period of the great Tinian sculptor.

The Museums are found in the complex of Virgin Mary Church. The Museum of Tinian artists of Pyrgos is found in Pyrgos, a traditional village with great tradition in marble sculpture and the birthplace of many Tinian artists. The museum houses sculptures made of plaster by the important sculptors, such as Halepas, Sochos, and Vulgaris. The Museum of Tinian artists at Ysternia completes the picture of the strong cultural tradition in Tinos.

6. Catholic and Orthodox Monasteries in Tinos

A great number of monasteries are found in Tinos. They are built at foothills, in beautiful environment, creating a harmonious picture in the countryside. The Monastery of Kechrovouni (18th century) is the largest on the island. It is a complicated, fortified, independent monastic complex. It resembles with a miniature Cycladic village, with cubic houses, narrow streets and marble decoration.

The Monastery of Agia Triada at Gyrla, east of Chora, is built in a verdant landscape. There is a carved wooden iconostasis, an ossuary of eminent Tinians and a collection of decorated lintels.

The Monastery of Katapoliani, near the villages Pyrgos and Ysternia to the NW of the island, combines the beautiful landscape on the hill with the free architectural pattern in Π layout.

The religious picture of the island is completed with the active Catholic Monasteries. The Monastery of Jesuits, the Monastery of Ursulines and the Monastery of Franciscans in the wider region of Xombourgo, along with the village Xynara, where the seat of the catholic Bishop lies, and the catholic picturesque villages, such as Kardiani, minister to the needs of the catholic population and contribute to the harmonious coexistence with the orthodox element. This atmosphere is proved also by the custom of the Bank of Love, which takes place on Easter Monday in the village Ktikado, to the NW of Chora. According to this custom a big table with traditional dishes is set up in the centre of the village for all the residents, Orthodoxs and Catholics alike.

(Konstantinos Tsonos)
(Transl. Georgia Kalogeropoulou - Panagiotis Karioris)

7. Feast day of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary (15th of August)

Tinos is usually called the “island of the Blessed Virgin”, as it’s strongly connected to the church of Annunciation and the famous pilgrimage that takes place there throughout the year, and especially on the 15th of August, feast of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary.

7. 1. The discovery of the icon and its significance

According to tradition, in July 9th, 1822, Virgin Mary appeared to nun Pelagia, in a dream, at the nunnery of Kechrovounion in Tinos, and indicated the place where her church should be built. In the beginning of September 1822, excavations began in the field where the church of Zoodochoos Pigi was founded.

On the 30th of January 1823, during the excavations, an icon depicting the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary, attributed to evangelist Luke, was found. The icon was cut in two, but archangel Gabriel and the Virgin Mary were left intact. The news of the discovery spread rapidly through the island and its inhabitants rushed to worship the icon.

Soon, it was decided that a new church dedicated to the Annunciation would be erected, at the request of the Virgin Mary, based on the plans of an architect from Smyrna. The church was completed eight years later, with the assistance of all the inhabitants. For the construction they used marble from the marble quarry of Panormos in Tinos, as well as material from the ancient sanctuary of Kionia and Delos. Ever since the icon was first discovered, several miracles have been reported, like the eradication of epidemic cholera, the discovery of miraculous water, the rescue of a British frigate etc

The discovery of the icon soon became a political issue, as well, since it seemed like a God-sent approbation of the Orthodox Greeks’ struggle for independence. Despite the fact that there hadn’t been any battles in Tinos, the impact of the war was nonetheless felt, because of the immigrants that swarmed to the island. It is not clear, however, if the icon was discovered at the time of the announcement of the Greek victory or it was a posterior ideological construction. During the years that followed the establishment of the Greek state, many freedom fighters visited the island, and Makriyannis sent his memoirs there for reasons of safety. Furthermore, the unwillingness of the Catholics to participate in a revolt against the Sublime Porte, which would aim at the creation of an Orthodox state, leaving them in a parlous situation, could probably explain the importance of discovering a miraculous icon in the heart of catholic Aegean.

7. 2. The Virgin Mary and her place in the Orthodox tradition

In orthodox tradition, the Virgin Mary is not just the mother of God, the mediator and the source of life, but also an ardent proponent of the church. She is an active, independent figure, who makes her will known through the icons or in relation to them. She has been associated with the national struggles, offering her protection, and appears as the protectress of certain areas all over Greece and the core of the country’s identity. The Virgin Mary has an extremely complex form: from a theological aspect a mediator, she is strong in the faith of the people.

7. 3. Pilgrimage and religious tourism

One of the main ways to approach the divine is pilgrimage, namely the journey to a sacred place, so that the existence of the faithful is put in the hands of the divinity. Ancient Greeks went to Delphi and to the temple of Asclepius in Epidavros, while, for centuries now, Muslims make their annual pilgrimage to Mecca and Christians to the Holy Land. It’s an external-real, but at the same time internal-symbolic journey, during which a spiritual change is taking place, usually with significant social dimensions. The pilgrimage is based on the belief that a site can be different from the others, that it can have a distinctive power.

Pilgrimages take place where the divinity or one of its envoys was born, lived, died or made a miraculous appearance, the so-called “sacred places”. Some of them have become religious centres of international significance, like Mecca, Jerusalem, the Vatican etc.

The feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary in Tinos, although not of the same league, is the major religious pilgrimage in Greece. Thousands of people swarm every year, the media covers it extensively and many officials are present at the ceremony. In the case of Tinos, the pilgrim’s destination is the church of the Annunciation, and more precisely the miraculous icon of the Virgin Mary; at the same time, by the pilgrimage he wants an inner need or desire to be heard, to thank the Virgin Mary for a request that she accomplished, to be blessed by his contact with the holy icon or merely to see a famous sacred place; in that case the visit can be considered as “religious tourism”.

7. 4. The “sacred” site and everyday life

During the feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary in Tinos, the atmosphere is particularly charged, both emotionally and spiritually; numerous people attend the service that lasts all night on the eve of the feast day. Inside the church as well as in the parvis, the atmosphere is not festive, and it’s forbidden for salesmen to enter the church. Moreover, in the Chora there is neither music nor dances, which normally characterise the feasts that take place in the villages, and the ambience is rather devout.

However, there is no clear distinction between the sacred and the profane, between religious and everyday life. During the pilgrimage in Tinos, everyday life may enter in a “sacred” place. Thus, before and during the feast, a crowd of pilgrims camp in the parvis of the church, often not leaving an inch of available space. People eat, sleep and socialize, wash their dishes, while children run up and down. Very often, the pilgrimage can be combined with holidays; in that case the pilgrim can also be considered a tourist.

After the pilgrimage to the church is completed, the pilgrim returns to the Chora by the main road, where shops with religious items and souvenirs abound; he usually buys some, and in that case we can talk of “desacralisation” of his journey.

7. 5. The economic dimension

It comes as no surprise that a pilgrimage of such importance as that of the Virgin Mary in Tinos is of strong economic interest. Hence, on the one hand the church, as an institution, accumulates large amounts of money, mainly from donations, which it returns to the people in the form of benefaction, on the other hand a large number of the population in Tinos economically depend on the pilgrimage: they rent rooms to pilgrims, sell souvenirs, boat and bus tickets, operate restaurants and tavernas and so on. Some people call it “crass commercialization of religion”, but it wouldn’t be possible to overlook the importance of pilgrimage for the island of Tinos and its inhabitants.

(Vasiliki Spyropoulou - Eleni Bazini)
(Transl. Eirini Papadaki)