Explore the history of the Museum of Marble Crafts in Pirgos. Discover the exhibits and educational programs here!
The Museum of Marble Crafts, in Pirgos, on the island of Tinos, is a unique example presenting the technology of marble, a material that holds a particular place in the architecture and art of Greece, from antiquity through to the present. The permanent exhibition, which describes the intricate meshing of tools and techniques used in working marble in a detailed and live manner, puts an emphasis on the pre- and proto- industrial Tinos, the most important centre of marble crafts in Modern Greece. In parallel, it highlights the social and economic context that the local workshops evolved in.
History
The official inauguration of the Tinos Museum of Marble Crafts was held in 2008. The Museum is the first of its kind in Greece. It functions under the responsibility of the Piraeus Bank Group and will continue to do so for fifty years since its establishment.
The Museum is located in Pirgos, a village where the marble craft tradition remains strong and survives to this day. It is housed in modern, fully equipped installations, which are also accessible to handicapped visitors. Constructed on a plot of land conceded by the former Community of Panormos, its building ties in harmoniously with the characteristic Tinian landscape.
The Museum's creation was included in the 2000-2006 Regional Operational Programme of the Southern Aegean and was financed by the Third Community Support Framework and the Piraeus Bank Group.
An impressive number of authentic artefacts were collected thanks to the sensitization of common people and public entities, who donated or bequeathed them to the Piraeus Bank Group Cultural Foundation. Under PIOP's care, the historical equipment was salvaged, repaired and restored to function.
The Museum was created in the framework of the 2000-2006 South Aegean Regional Operational Programme. The Programme was funded jointly by the European Union (85%) and the Greek State (15%).
What is on display?
The permanent exhibition of the Museum of Marble Crafts of Tinos allows you to see firsthand an impressive number of authentic objects, such as:
-Secular, ecclesiastical, funerary and everyday objects made of marble (door lintels, fountains, family crests, corbels, shrines, mortars, etc).
-Clay models and plaster of Paris copies.
-Quarrying, cutting and carving tools.
-Mechanical equipment.
-Archival material.
-Sketches of old marble carvings by master craftsmen (the richest collection in Greece).
The exhibits are flanked by interconnected representations of a quarry, of a marble-craft workshop and the assembly/positioning of a bishop's throne. The exhibition's audiovisual material brings to life the traditional work methods of the quarryman and the marble craftsman.
After the technological itinerary of marble, the exhibition presents, through abundant audiovisual material and original artefacts, the social and economic side of this craft, the categories of its products, the historical trajectory of marble carving and sculpting in Tinos, as well as the contribution of Tinian marble craftsmen to the construction of Athens and other towns in the 19th century. The intense presence of marble across the width and breadth of Tinos is recorded in the images of a travelogue, which incites you to go on your own discovery missions of the island.
The exhibition extends into the Museum's outdoor areas where, together with completed and semi-wrought marble works, visitors can see historical mechanical equipment that reflects typical images of in-situ working environments. The equipment, which was salvaged, repaired and restored to function under the care of the Piraeus Bank Group Cultural Foundation, comprises:
-A hoisting machine for blocks of marble (crane).
-A trolley for the transportation of marble blocks (from the quarry at Vathi).
-A wagon-truck for rubble and chippings (a sesoula or scoop), a bend-corner and rails (from the quarry at Patela).
Of interest to children
Young visitors have the opportunity to see large marble rocks in their natural state, to feel their texture, and observe their colour and crystals with a magnifying glass.
Watching the Museum's prize-winning educational films featuring old Tinian master craftsmen, they will acquaint themselves in a live manner with the itinerary from the raw material to the finished work:
-the quarrying of the marble.
-its initial processing and transportation.
-the shaping, decorating and positioning of marble constructions.
Particularly popular with children, but of interest for adults, too, are the demonstrations by local craftsmen on how marble is processed, which are organized at the Museum following prior arrangement.
The Museum also organizes educational programmes with games and activities for schools and group visits.
The Museum’s educational pack and educational programmes are available only in Greek language.
Free admission:
You can purchase your ticket for the Museum online here
The Museum has free Wi-Fi.
To arrange a school visit, you can contact the Museum at the phone number 22830 31290.
For group visits you can contact the Museum at the phone number 22830 31290.
The Museum has a cafeteria.
The Museum has a shop where you will find a rich collection of objects designed exclusively for PIOP, inspired by the themes of the Museums.
In the MUSEUMSHOP you will also find the Foundation's publications.
You can shop not only during your visit to the Museum but also throughout the year from our e-shop.
Amateur photography or video filming is permitted. Professional photography or filming and the publication of the material in printed, electronic and digital media is only permitted with special permission from PIOP.
The Museum has a free parking lot.
The Museum is accessible to people with disabilities and has:
Pets are not allowed in the Museum. Only guide dogs are allowed access.
The following categories of visitors pay a reduced entrance fee on presenting valid ID proof:
Free admission for the following categories of visitors, on presenting the relevant valid ID proof:
Disabled parking
WC for disabled persons
Lending wheelchair
Free access to guide dogs
