The historical landscape

Coastal sites and positions with a view of the horizon became populated during the Bronze Age.
In the Historic years, a city flourished at the foot of Xombourgo. The Classical and Hellenistic city was built further south of today’s village, on its northwestern edge. During the Roman conquest, the coastal belt from Hora to Kionia was developed. An important sanctuary to Poseidon and Amfitriti has been found there. It was a large place of worship for local sailors.
The city was inhabited during the early Byzantine centuries until pirate raids drove the people to the interior.
The Frankish conquest during the 13th century was a landmark in the island’s medieval history. The Venetian Gizi governors became the masters of the island, electing Xombourgo as their administrative centre. Here they built their fortress town. The locals were treated as serfs with their land divided in a feudal system. The Castro (fortress) survived the successive Turkish raids over the centuries, with the result that Tinos only surrendered in 1715 after suffering from a long and arduous siege. Consequently, the island endured the longest period of Venetian domination and the shortest period of Turkish occupation amongst all the Cycladic islands.
In the 19th century, Tinos enjoyed economic growth. The population, which numbered about 25,000 inhabitants, was the highest in the Cyclades. Commerce and light industry, such as silkworm breeding and silk production, grew and flourished under the Venetians. Permanent links were established with the large Adriatic and Efxeinos ports as well as Constantinople, Smyrna and Alexandria.
Heavy losses were sustained by army volunteers during the 1821 fight for freedom.
A landmark in the history of the island was the recovery of the Blessed Virgin icon in the Hora area in 1823.
The years of independence were marked by a mass emigration of the Tiniot marble masons which began a steady decline in the local population. The Tiniot communities in Smyrna and Constantinople flourished, especially during the second half of the 19th century. On Tinos itself “religious tourism” expanded because of the presence of the shrine of the Blessed Virgin. At the same time, all the existing industries continued including both silk production and marble sculpturing at Oxo Meri. In the same period, Tinos became well known for its celebrated sculptors and painters such as Halepas, Vitalis, Litras, Gizis. These artists gave the island a name in the art world throughout Greece and the Mediterranean.
During the German Occupation many lives were lost especially in the Oxo Meri area. Tinos fought vigorously against the Axis invaders. The large mainland cities drew the population away after the war. Locally, the ever-increasing number of pilgrims was the main reason for building most of the civic amenities in the central village of Hora.
Today this phenomenon is changing.

1776 – Choiseul-Gouffier:

“The womenfolk of Tinos would come out of their house in the early afternoon to sit outside their doors and spin silk. Some would crochet or prepare the mulberry leaves. While yiayia (grandmother) would tell stories which would often be interrupted by the girls singing.”

The largest section of the population lives today in Hora (4934 inhabitants). What is impressive in Tinos is that there are more than forty small inland settlements with a total population of 3405. This is not including the larger villages of Pyrgos, Steni, Falatados, Komi, Kalloni, with more than 200 inhabitants each. The rest of the population (about 600) live around the coast in the modern settlements of Kionia, Agios Romanos, Yiannaki, Rochari, Kolimbithra, Agios Ioannis (St.John) Porto, Agios Sostis, Agios Fokas, and Isternia Bay, or in older settlements such as Panormos.
The whole interior of the island and the remote coastal areas remain unspoilt by progress. The changing landscape from domestic to agricultural is interesting. Human improvements over the centuries have not disturbed but rather strengthened the balance of the natural landscape with the ecosystem. Here one sees many terraces that hold the soil to the hillsides making it suitable for cultivation. The unusual structure of the countryside that we see today is the result of the work of the people during the age-long course of history. The small geographical scale of the island was such that it became well known for its many excellent and aesthetic creations: wells, chapels, water and windmills and especially , the famous “honeycomb” dovecotes which are scattered around the countryside in profusion.

The Tinos villages with their houses built cheek by jowl sustain their small communities. They retain their own friendly, extrovert natures as well as their devout Christianity.
Daily routine for the Tiniots is continuous first-hand social contact. The local festivities range from “pig-slaughtering”, “vengeres” (evening gatherings) and from spontaneous parties to cultural events. These are organised by various societies and include the large Orthodox festivals in honour of the Blessed Virgin in Hora, Our Lady of the Angels, and St.Pelagia in Kechrovouni, of Vourniotissa and the Holy Trinity. The Catholic festivals include those of the Sacred Heart at Xombourgo and the Vrissi Panagia (on the first Sunday in May).
In this multitude of celebrations the Tiniots strengthen their bonds. They come together in times of sadness and of joy, continue to use their dialect, judge and comment on their own people and foreigners alike, as well as retaining a deep respect for their own culture.