Tinos
Encyclopedia
Tinos is a Greek
island situated in the Aegean Sea
. It is located in the Cyclades
archipelago
. In antiquity, Tinos was also known as Ophiussa (from ophis, Greek
for snake) and Hydroessa (from hydor, Greek
for water). The closest islands are Andros
, Delos
, and Mykonos
. It has a land area of approximately 194 square kilometres and a 2001 census population of 8,574 inhabitants.
Between 1207 and 1715, Tinos was in Venetian hands. From 1715 to 1821, Tinos was ruled by the Ottoman Empire
before joining in the Greek War of Independence
. It was known İstendil during Ottoman rule.
Tinos is famous amongst Greeks for: the Church of Panagia Evangelistria
, its 80 or so windmill
s, about 1000 artistic dovecotes, 50 active villages and its Venetian
fortifications at the mountain, Exobourgo. On Tinos, both Greek Orthodox and Roman Catholic populations co-exist, and the island is also well known for its famous sculptors and painters, such as Nicholaos Gysis
, Yannoulis Chalepas
and Nikiforos Lytras.
The island is located near the geographical center of the Cyclades island complex, and because of the Panagia Evangelistria church, with its reputedly miraculous icon of Virgin Mary that it holds, Tinos is also the center of a yearly pilgrimage that takes place on the date of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary (August 15, "Dekapentavgoustos" in Greek). This is perhaps the most notable and still active yearly pilgrimage in the region of the eastern Mediterranean. Many pilgrims make their way the 800 metres from the ferry wharf to the church on their hands and knees as sign of devotion. The day also commemorates the 1940 sinking of the Greek cruiser Elli by an Italian submarine on August 15, 1940 at Tinos's harbor.
The island's mineral resources include marble
, Verde antico, asbestos
and a granite
mine near Volax (also known as Volakas).
winds and valid concerns of local villagers of the towns of Falatados, and Steni have all but halted the project. The area around Volax
is a surreal and very unusual landscape with giant boulders some the size of multistory buildings. The village of Volax lies at the center of this amazing landscape. To the west, the mountains surrounding Pyrgos are full of some of the most beautiful green marble in all of Greece.
All around the island of Tinos, the islanders have made the most incredible things out of stone. The hills are all terraced with stone walls; every little village is connected to its most proximate neighbors by stone walkways set between a parallel set of stone walls.
region, and the only municipality
of the regional unit. As a part of the 2011 Kallikratis government reform, the regional unit Tinos was created out of part of the former Cyclades Prefecture. At the same reform, the current municipality Tinos was created out of the 3 former municipalities:
Tinos experiences a Mediterranean climate and has warm and dry summers and mild and wet winters.
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14°C
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19°C
15°C
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28
(35 min), Piraeus
, Rafina
, Andros
and Syros
.
There is a heliport
close to Aghios Fokas beach, some 2 km. from Tinos town.
There are regular buses linking Tinos town with other villages on the island.
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
island situated in the Aegean Sea
Aegean Sea
The Aegean Sea[p] is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea located between the southern Balkan and Anatolian peninsulas, i.e., between the mainlands of Greece and Turkey. In the north, it is connected to the Marmara Sea and Black Sea by the Dardanelles and Bosporus...
. It is located in the Cyclades
Cyclades
The Cyclades is a Greek island group in the Aegean Sea, south-east of the mainland of Greece; and a former administrative prefecture of Greece. They are one of the island groups which constitute the Aegean archipelago. The name refers to the islands around the sacred island of Delos...
archipelago
Archipelago
An archipelago , sometimes called an island group, is a chain or cluster of islands. The word archipelago is derived from the Greek ἄρχι- – arkhi- and πέλαγος – pélagos through the Italian arcipelago...
. In antiquity, Tinos was also known as Ophiussa (from ophis, Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
for snake) and Hydroessa (from hydor, Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
for water). The closest islands are Andros
Andros
Andros, or Andro is the northernmost island of the Greek Cyclades archipelago, approximately south east of Euboea, and about north of Tinos. It is nearly long, and its greatest breadth is . Its surface is for the most part mountainous, with many fruitful and well-watered valleys. The area is...
, Delos
Delos
The island of Delos , isolated in the centre of the roughly circular ring of islands called the Cyclades, near Mykonos, is one of the most important mythological, historical and archaeological sites in Greece...
, and Mykonos
Mykonos
Mykonos is a Greek island, part of the Cyclades, lying between Tinos, Syros, Paros and Naxos. The island spans an area of and rises to an elevation of at its highest point. There are 9,320 inhabitants most of whom live in the largest town, Mykonos, which lies on the west coast. The town is also...
. It has a land area of approximately 194 square kilometres and a 2001 census population of 8,574 inhabitants.
Between 1207 and 1715, Tinos was in Venetian hands. From 1715 to 1821, Tinos was ruled by the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
before joining in the Greek War of Independence
Greek War of Independence
The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution was a successful war of independence waged by the Greek revolutionaries between...
. It was known İstendil during Ottoman rule.
Tinos is famous amongst Greeks for: the Church of Panagia Evangelistria
Our Lady of Tinos
Our Lady of Tinos is the major Marian shrine in Greece. It is located in the town of Tinos on the island of Tinos.The complex is built around a miraculous icon which according to tradition was found after the Virgin appeared to the nun St. Pelagia and revealed to her the place where the icon was...
, its 80 or so windmill
Windmill
A windmill is a machine which converts the energy of wind into rotational energy by means of vanes called sails or blades. Originally windmills were developed for milling grain for food production. In the course of history the windmill was adapted to many other industrial uses. An important...
s, about 1000 artistic dovecotes, 50 active villages and its Venetian
Republic of Venice
The Republic of Venice or Venetian Republic was a state originating from the city of Venice in Northeastern Italy. It existed for over a millennium, from the late 7th century until 1797. It was formally known as the Most Serene Republic of Venice and is often referred to as La Serenissima, in...
fortifications at the mountain, Exobourgo. On Tinos, both Greek Orthodox and Roman Catholic populations co-exist, and the island is also well known for its famous sculptors and painters, such as Nicholaos Gysis
Nicholaos Gysis
Nikolaos Gyzis was considered one of Greece's most important 19th-century painters. He was most famous for his work Eros and the Painter, his first genre painting. It was auctioned in May 2006 at Bonhams in London, being last exhibited in Greece in 1928...
, Yannoulis Chalepas
Yannoulis Chalepas
Yannoulis Chalepas was a Greek sculptor and significant figure of Modern Greek art.-Life:Chalepas was born in Pyrgos, on the island of Tinos in 1851, from a family of marble hewers. From 1869 to 1872, he studied at the School of Arts in Athens, under Neoclassical sculptor Leonidas Drossis...
and Nikiforos Lytras.
The island is located near the geographical center of the Cyclades island complex, and because of the Panagia Evangelistria church, with its reputedly miraculous icon of Virgin Mary that it holds, Tinos is also the center of a yearly pilgrimage that takes place on the date of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary (August 15, "Dekapentavgoustos" in Greek). This is perhaps the most notable and still active yearly pilgrimage in the region of the eastern Mediterranean. Many pilgrims make their way the 800 metres from the ferry wharf to the church on their hands and knees as sign of devotion. The day also commemorates the 1940 sinking of the Greek cruiser Elli by an Italian submarine on August 15, 1940 at Tinos's harbor.
The island's mineral resources include marble
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
, Verde antico, asbestos
Asbestos
Asbestos is a set of six naturally occurring silicate minerals used commercially for their desirable physical properties. They all have in common their eponymous, asbestiform habit: long, thin fibrous crystals...
and a granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
mine near Volax (also known as Volakas).
Geography
Tinos has a varied landscape. From the shores of Panormos and Kolimbithra on the North Shore to Kionia, Agios Yannis O Portos, and Agios Sostis on the Southern Shore, Tinos has many beaches, just to name a few. Tsiknias is the highest mountain on the island at 750 meters and hides the quaint village of Livada. The mountain of Exobourgo is quite distinct, and unlike its more rounded Cycladic neighbors, has a more jagged appearance that would be more at home in the Alps. Between Tsiknias and Exobourgo lies the fruitful plain of Falatados. This area is unique on the island as its relatively flat (yet with an elevation of ~ 300 metres) terrain is rare on the island. This made it a strong candidate for an as yet unbuilt airport on the island. The MeltemiMeltemi
Meltemi commonly refers to:* Meltemi , for mobile devices* Etesian, for winds...
winds and valid concerns of local villagers of the towns of Falatados, and Steni have all but halted the project. The area around Volax
Volax
Volax or Volakas is a small village on the island of Tinos, in the Cyclades, Greece. The population was 51 at the 2011 census.Its unique surrounding of big round rocks gives the whole landscape a lunar appearance. It was established in the 14th-century or older. It lies on a little plateau in the...
is a surreal and very unusual landscape with giant boulders some the size of multistory buildings. The village of Volax lies at the center of this amazing landscape. To the west, the mountains surrounding Pyrgos are full of some of the most beautiful green marble in all of Greece.
All around the island of Tinos, the islanders have made the most incredible things out of stone. The hills are all terraced with stone walls; every little village is connected to its most proximate neighbors by stone walkways set between a parallel set of stone walls.
Administration
Tinos is a separate regional unit of the South AegeanSouth Aegean
The South Aegean is one of the thirteen regions of Greece. It consists of the Cyclades and Dodecanese island groups in the central and southeastern Aegean Sea.- Administration :...
region, and the only municipality
Communities and Municipalities of Greece
For the new municipalities of Greece see the Kallikratis ProgrammeThe municipalities and communities of Greece are one of several levels of government within the organizational structure of that country. Thirteen regions called peripheries form the largest unit of government beneath the State. ...
of the regional unit. As a part of the 2011 Kallikratis government reform, the regional unit Tinos was created out of part of the former Cyclades Prefecture. At the same reform, the current municipality Tinos was created out of the 3 former municipalities:
- ExomvourgoExomvourgoExomvourgo is a former municipality on the island of Tinos, in the Cyclades, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Tinos, of which it is a municipal unit. The population was 2,692 at the 2001 census. Its land area is 138.213 km². The seat of the municipality...
- PanormosPanormos, TinosPanormos or Pyrgos is a village and a former community on the island of Tinos, in the Cyclades, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Tinos, of which it is a municipal unit. The population was 679 at the 2001 census and the land area is 33.378 km². It is a...
- Tinos (town)Tinos (town)Tinos is a town and a former municipality on the island of Tinos, in the Cyclades, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Tinos, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit. Its population was 5,203 inhabitants at the 2001 census. It shares the island of...
Climate
Transportation
Tinos has three ports, one for passenger speed boats, and two for ferries and highspeed boats which carry passengers and cars to other ports, including MykonosMykonos
Mykonos is a Greek island, part of the Cyclades, lying between Tinos, Syros, Paros and Naxos. The island spans an area of and rises to an elevation of at its highest point. There are 9,320 inhabitants most of whom live in the largest town, Mykonos, which lies on the west coast. The town is also...
(35 min), Piraeus
Piraeus
Piraeus is a city in the region of Attica, Greece. Piraeus is located within the Athens Urban Area, 12 km southwest from its city center , and lies along the east coast of the Saronic Gulf....
, Rafina
Rafina
Rafina is a town located on the eastern coast of Attica in Greece. It has a population of 10,701 inhabitants . Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Rafina-Pikermi, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit.-Geography:Rafina lies east of the Penteli mountains and...
, Andros
Andros
Andros, or Andro is the northernmost island of the Greek Cyclades archipelago, approximately south east of Euboea, and about north of Tinos. It is nearly long, and its greatest breadth is . Its surface is for the most part mountainous, with many fruitful and well-watered valleys. The area is...
and Syros
Syros
Syros , or Siros or Syra is a Greek island in the Cyclades, in the Aegean Sea. It is located south-east of Athens. The area of the island is . The largest towns are Ermoupoli, Ano Syros, and Vari. Ermoupoli is the capital of the island and the Cyclades...
.
There is a heliport
Heliport
A heliport is a small airport suitable only for use by helicopters. Heliports typically contain one or more helipads and may have limited facilities such as fuel, lighting, a windsock, or even hangars...
close to Aghios Fokas beach, some 2 km. from Tinos town.
There are regular buses linking Tinos town with other villages on the island.
Villages
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Panormos, Tinos Panormos or Pyrgos is a village and a former community on the island of Tinos, in the Cyclades, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Tinos, of which it is a municipal unit. The population was 679 at the 2001 census and the land area is 33.378 km². It is a... |
Volax Volax or Volakas is a small village on the island of Tinos, in the Cyclades, Greece. The population was 51 at the 2011 census.Its unique surrounding of big round rocks gives the whole landscape a lunar appearance. It was established in the 14th-century or older. It lies on a little plateau in the... Xinara, Tinos Kampos is a community on the island Tinos, Cyclades, Greece. The community consists of the settlements Xinara, Agios Romanos, Kampos, Loutra, Smardaki, and Tarampados.... |
Notable people
- Kösem Sultan (Anastasia) Valide SultanValide SultanValide Sultan was the title held by the mother of a ruling Sultan in the Ottoman Empire. The Turkish pronunciation of the word Valide is . The title is sometimes translated as Queen Mother, although the position of Valide Sultan was quite different.The position was perhaps the most important...
of the Ottoman EmpireOttoman EmpireThe Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
, mother of Murad IVMurad IVMurad IV Ghazi was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1623 to 1640, known both for restoring the authority of the state and for the brutality of his methods...
, Ibrahim IIbrahim IIbrahim I was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1640 until 1648. He was born in Istanbul the son of Ahmed I by Valide Sultan Kadinefendi Kösem Sultan, an ethnic Greek originally named Anastasia... - Ieronymos I (Kotsonis)Archbishop Ieronymos I of AthensIeronymos I was a Greek monk and theologian, who served as the Archbishop of Athens and All Greece and as such the primate of the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Greece in 1967–1973, during the Greek military junta of 1967–1974.- Life :...
, Archbishop of Athens and All Greece - Nikolaos (Protopappas) Metropolitan of Fthiotida
- Yannoulis ChalepasYannoulis ChalepasYannoulis Chalepas was a Greek sculptor and significant figure of Modern Greek art.-Life:Chalepas was born in Pyrgos, on the island of Tinos in 1851, from a family of marble hewers. From 1869 to 1872, he studied at the School of Arts in Athens, under Neoclassical sculptor Leonidas Drossis...
(1851-1938) sculptor - Nikiphoros LytrasNikiphoros LytrasNikiphoros Lytras was a nineteenth century Greek painter. He was born in Tinos, and trained in Athens at the School of Arts. In 1860 he won a scholarship to Royal Academy of Fine Arts of Munich. After completing these studies, he became a professor at the School of Arts in 1866, a position he held...
(1932-1904) painter - Nicholaos GysisNicholaos GysisNikolaos Gyzis was considered one of Greece's most important 19th-century painters. He was most famous for his work Eros and the Painter, his first genre painting. It was auctioned in May 2006 at Bonhams in London, being last exhibited in Greece in 1928...
(1842-1901) painter - Stelios PerpiniadisStelios PerpiniadisStelios Perpiniadis , better known as Stellakis , was a Greek folk musician who wrote, sang, and played guitar in the rebetiko style. He was the father of another well-known Greek folk musician, Vangelis Perpiniadis....
(1923-1977) musician - Errikos KontarinisErrikos KontarinisErrikos Kontarinis was a Greek actor and a cinematographer. He was born on the island of Tinos in 1906 and died on 11 September 1971. He was the wife of Marika Nezer in which she steal in order to get married....
(1906-1971) actor - Fotios of Alexandria
- Dimitrios Filippotis
- Spyros Patrikios
- Vangelis Protopappas (1917-1995) actor
- Antonios Sohos
- Markos Filippos Zallonis
- Haralambos Marmanis scientist and Author