HISTORY OF TINOS
Tinos belongs in the cluster of Cyclades, and is the
third in size island. It is located southeast from Andros and northwest of
Mykonos. Its’ prohellenic
name
- probably by the first settler - was continued with the TANNOTH (= snake).
They named also the island "OFIOYSA" for the crowd of snakes that, its protector
Neptune exterminated, "YDROYSA" for its waters, "ISLAND of AEOLUS" for
its strong north winds.
As the excavations have shown, the island was also inhabited during the Season
of Coper and in period of the Cycladic culture. In all the duration of antiquity,
as today, Tinos was famous for its’ marble and in the island existed the tradition
of stone-sculpture.
The island was inhabited by the prehistorical years. As first residents are reported
the Phoenician or the Pelasgi and later the Ions. In the island have been found
Mycenean graves, while a lot of discoveries are placed in the geometrical season.
Today Tinos is the place of expectation, where the faithful experience their
meeting with God and Virgin Mary. It is still a place that hides a lot of beauties
for anyone that wants to know the island better. The dovecotes in Tinos constitute
unique samples of popular architecture. Even if in a lot of islands of Cyclades
we meet dovecotes, the one of Tinos distinguish for their magnificence and their
particular manufacture. In the whole island exist roughly 1000 dovecotes. The
oldest were built by venetian. Most, however are manufactures of the 18th and
19th century.
Tinos is the birthplace of important greek sculptors as Giannoulis Halepas, D.
Gilippotis, G. Vidalis and L. Sohos. The artistic tradition of the island remains
alive and it is inharitated by generation to generation. Up to 1955, the Faculty
of Good Arts of Pirgos, in Tinos, produced a big number of famous artists, mainly
marble sculptors. Important buildings, as the University of Athens and the Archaeological
Museum constitute some of the creations of Tinian artists.
Tinos, the island of art and beauty, maintains architectural and artistic treasures.
Nature dowered Tinos not only with an abundance of ideal materials, as the green
and the white marble, the slates and the granite, but also with an infrequent
environment. The artists were also inspired by a big variety of historical subjects
which reflect the Catholic and Orthodox past and present of the island.
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