Tinos – A Brief History
Legend has it that way back in the days of Poseidon, the Greek mythological God of seas and rivers, Tinos was known as Ophiousa, because of the large number of snakes that inhabited it. Poseidon was its patron and wanting the beautiful island to be inhabited by humans and not snakes, sent a flock of storks to clear out the snakes. It much later came to be known as Tinos, named after the first person to settle there whose name was Tino.
Tinos has been historically a place of conflict. The Tinians are known to be a spirited lot, and anyone who tried to use their island for battle had to fight for it. It was preferred as a vantage point because from it, one could see all sides of the sea and thus any approaching enemy.
In the 5th century, it was caught between the Persians and the Greeks during the Persian wars. Tinos unique location played a major part in Greece’s victory. Not long after, pirates started to use it as a hide-out; from it, they could see afar into the sea and attack merchant goods ships. Tinos still managed to hold its own and flushed them out. Its luck was not to hold though, because not too long after, the Romans, Spartans and Athenians were all after it – still for the same reason. Greece intervened and Tinos was saved.
Again, from 1207 to 1715, Tinos was occupied by Venetians. This explains the Catholic influence that rules on the island to this day.
Then came the savage Turks. After they conquered Constantinople, they extended their rule to include Tinos and were stationed there for quite some time. The original inhabitants of Tinos put up such a spirited resistance against the Turks that the Turks actually felt the heat – they started to grant special favors to the Tinians until they were eventually defeated and had to leave.
Still Tinos did not enjoy peace for lasting periods of time – its position was its main disadvantage. Russia was next to claim it; they came in and annexed it and until 1821, when Tinos finally achieved independence. During their occupation however, something very special had happen that was considered by the Tinians as a sign from God that He was with them through-out their bitter wars: on 30th of January 1823, the statue of the Virgin Mary was unearthed as had been seen in a vision by St. Pelagia. The Church of the Annunciation was constructed on the very spot and soon after water began to flow from what had been before always a dry well right next to the church. It has continued to be an attraction for heroes and pilgrims.
Tinos was the real reason why Greece got involved in the 2nd world war: In August 1940, during a religious festival for the Virgin Mary, a light Greek cruiser was stationed off the shores of Tinos. The Italian submarine, Delfino, torpedoed it and 9 people were killed. From then to the end of the war, there was much suffering at Tinos. There was no food, the populace lacked major supplies and were a sitting target. The Tinians, despite all this, continued to be tough spirited; they were a passageway for Greek soldiers in and out of Greece and played a major role in giving information on movements of enemy ships.
Today, Tinos has quieted down – maybe enjoying the peace that they were denied by occupiers for centuries. It is now a great get-away (actually hide-away) because to date, it is still not a very well known place. If you want to take a break and steep yourself in the rich history and architecture that was left behind by all the different occupiers, all you have to do is catch a flight to Mykonos or Athens and then take a ferry or a speed boat to Tinos. The architecture is still untouched. The food is organic. You will have magnificent views of great expanses of the mediterranean sea. Best of all, you’ll get away from everything and maybe for the first time in a long time, enjoy natural, fresh air.
If you want a place to stay, beautiful, spacious and built to suit the Tinos quiet style, you have found it. A villa that will take you and your family or friends and that has all the facilities you would want on a holiday like this. To see it, click here: http://www.Tinosvilla.com Who knows, you may fall so hard in love with Tinos that you will need to buy this beautiful villa so that you can go there any time you wish!
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