Tinos Greece - Greek islands
History
What to See
Beaches Food
Getting around
Facts
What to Do
Nightlife
Shopping
Getting there
Phone numbers
Introduction
Tinos is something like a Lourdes of the
Orthodox. Every year, thousands of pilgrims from all over Greece
visit the island and the
church of the Virgin Mary, hoping that she will do miracles for them. The
island also has many Catholics.
With its relatively green, mountainous landscape, where tiny chapels and
dovecotes are scattered everywhere, Tinos is a very beautiful island.
There are many villages, and exploring the surroundings with a car is
definitely worth it. It is quite a windy island, so the sea can get rough
around Tinos. Perhaps that's why the ancient Greeks believed the God
of Winds lived here.
The people traditionally live off agriculture, stock breeding and the
green marble that has been important for the economy since antiquity. This
marble was used when building the Louvre in Paris and Buckingham Palace in
London, as well as Athens in the 19th century.
Tinos History :There is not much archaeological proof, but it is believed Tinos was
inhabited in the 2nd Millennium BC, perhaps with a people from Asia Minor. The
Ionians settled here in the 10th century BC.
According to mythology the island was originally called "Snakeisland",
Ofioussa, because of the many snakes. Poseidon
chased them all away and was therefore a special god to the locals.
In the 5th century BC, Tinos fought with the Athenians against the Persians, and
was to become a member of the Delian League. After this, the Macedonians
invaded, only to be succeeded by the Romans in the 2nd century BC. Together with
Delos, this was considered on of the holiest of islands, and the ancient Greek
would come here to worship Poseidon,
Amphitrite
and Demeter,
and drink from its holy, healing water.
Just like most of the islands in the Aegean sea, Tinos was constantly attacked
by pirates, and as a consequence, the people moved up in the mountains for
protection.
The island became part of the Venetian Duchy in the 13th century, with Naxos as
the centre. The Turks conquered the island late, in 1715. People from the
surrounding islands sought refuge here since it stayed Venetian for so long, and
even after the Turkish invasion, since few Turks actually settled here.
Since Tinos was relatively autonomous, the economy flourished in the 18th
century, and was sometimes called "Little Paris" since it was a
cosmo-politan place with people living here from all over Europe. Nevertheless, Tinos
fought hard against the Turks when the war of Independence broke out in
1821. Many were killed and the island was flooded with refuges,
The worst time ever for Tinos was during the second World War, when the island
was isolated and many starved to death. In 1940 the Greek warship Elli was
torpedoed by an Italian submarine.
What to See in Tinos: The most dominating feature of
Tinos is its basilica Panagia Evaggelistria
(Virgin Mary Evangelist). It was built after a nun had dreamt of an icon in
1823, and after searching and digging in the area, it was found, as well as a
well of fresh water. The church is situated on a hill in Chora, with steps
leading up to it. In antiquity, there used to be a Dionysus
temple here.
One of the most common reasons for pilgrimages here is childlessness. When a
woman visits the island for this reason, she promises the Virgin that she will
name the child after her if she becomes pregnant. When the child is old enough,
it is taken to Tinos in order to be shown to the Virgin. Therefore, there are
hundreds of Marias and Despinas and Panagiotas all over the country, not because
their grandparent was named so, but because they have been promised to the
Virgin Mary of Tinos.
In Chora there is also an archaeological museum.
Pilgrimage is of course not the only reason for going to Tinos. It is a
beautiful island, with many little villages well worth visiting. For example
Moundatos, Ktikados, Hadzirados, Kardiani, Volaka, with its huge rocks, Isternia,
Kambo, Steni and Pyrgo, which is the largest and perhaps prettiest village.In
Pyrgo you can visit the workshop of the sculptor Giannouli Halepa as well as the
museum of artists from Tinos.
The cave of Gastrion outside Kionia is quite fascinating with inscriptions
dating back to antiquity. Here, there are also ancient remains of a temple to
Dionysus and Roman baths.
On Mt. Exobourgo the Venetian citadel used to lie, until it was blow up by the
Turks in 1715. The Jesuits used to live here, and there is a Catholic, as well
as an Orthodox church here.
The nunnery Kechrovouni is definitely worth a visit. It dates back to the 11th
century, and allegedly it was built after three sisters had dreamt about it.
This is where sister Pelagia, the one that dreamt of the Evaggelistria icon
lived. There is also a small museum here.
What to Do :Tinos is the perfect island to explore on your own. The many villages, 750 churches and dramatic nature makes Tenos one of Greece's most interesting islands.
Tinos Beaches :The most popular beaches of Tinos are probably Agios Fokas and around Porto. Around Kionia you'll also find some beaches, and there are many bays on the East coast.
Tinos Nightlife:Just like anywhere else in Greece, the nightlife on Tinos has quite a few things to offer. The most places are in Chora, but don't expect any wild partying. Tinos is first and foremost an island for Greek holidaymakers, and they have a much more relaxed attitude towards alcohol.
Food in Tinos :The local specialty on Tinos island is a kind of omelet, sausages and cheeses. There are also many kinds of sweets. There are a lot of taverns on the island. You'll find most of them in Chora, but there are also many places by the beaches and in the villages.
Shopping :You can buy various religious objects such as icons, crucifixes, komboskinia (something like a rosary) and candles. For more secular shopping, in the village Volaka you can get handmade baskets and in Pyrgo you can get various souvenirs made from the local marble
Getting Around in Tinos: There is a quite extensive local network of buses, but you can also rent cars and bikes, which is highly recommended if you really want to explore the island. There are also quite a few taxis.
Getting There :The best way is to fly to Athens or maybe Mykonos, and take the ferry boat from there. From the port of Piraeus you can get ferries to Tinos as well from Rafina.
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