Tinos Architecture

Tinos Architecture: Information about the architecture of Tinos Greece, Cyclades

The architecture of Tinos, the island of art, is a hymn to folk art, tradition, and to the quest for extreme beauty, functionality, and perfection.

The abundance of suitable materials (white and green marble, slate, granite, etc…) and the amazing beauty of the sunsets and sunrises combined with fine architecture give to Tinos a particular atmosphere and the feeling of being in a painting, surrounded by extreme purity and beauty.

The roofs on the houses are flat and decorated by wonderful chimneys, sometimes consisting simply in an overturned, perforated clay pot.

Tinos Architecture: Entrance to Panagia Church

Fine examples of marble-carvings can be found on the churches, the cemeteries, the coats of arms adorning some buildings, the fountains, the washing areas and the fanlights and lintels which adorn some houses and churches.

The dovecotes along with the many windmills were a source of food and income for the island especially during times of need.

Even if some other Cycladic islands also have dovecotes, the ones on Tinos are much larger,

Visitors can see the influence of the Venetians, the island’s Catholic and Orthodox past and present and understand the artistic value of the artists of Tinos, while admiring the island’s architecture.

The architectural and artistic treasures of Tinos make it similar to a huge enormous museum of folk art, which keeps the traditions, the culture and art alive.

The traditional house of Tinos constitutes a great example of folk art.

It is simple and practical at the same time, with very simple lines, having for main decoration a semi-circular arch, called “volto” which is placed midway between first and ground floor.

The windows and doors are painted in colours such as marine blue or green and the outside door is decorated with marble fanlights.

The whole house is whitewashed or painted in white ( it is the case of newer buildings) and some decorations made of slate usually adorn the upper part of the exterior walls as well as the little arcades above the windows.

The ecclesiastical architecture in Tinos is a mixture of Eastern and Western techniques that creates unique pieces of art.

The bell-towers of the churches of the island are particularly impressive: some are incredibly simple with spare lines whereas some other have complex ornaments.

All those white churches embellish the island like little jewels glimmering under the sun.

Marble-carving is another characteristic of Tinos, where many artists have learned this amazing art.

Most of those marvellous buildings can be found in the central and eastern part of Tinos, dating from the 18th and 19th century and are more than six hundred decorating the island’s landscape.

They are massive buildings built of stone, with many floors from which the lower one is used to store various products and utensils and the upper ones provide shelter for pigeons.

The dovecotes are stunning because of their facades decorated with various forms such as triangles, suns, rhomboids, cypress trees, pierced in the white walls like thousands of little windows letting the light fill the whole building.

Those decorative openings are made of local slate and remind of fine embroideries.

The dovecotes of Tinos are pure jewels, incredible items of folk art and constitute the trade mark of the island, being part of its fame and its beauty.

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Traditional entrance to a hosue in Koumaros

Entrance to courtyard in Koumaros village

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