The Ministry of Culture and Sports is proceeding with the strengthening of the marble-technical tradition of Tinos by extending and upgrading the Panormos School of Fine Arts, known as the School of marble-engineering of Tinos, and upgrading the House of Giannoulis Chalepas, including the project in the Recovery Fund, with a budget of 13,512,786 euros and completion time by the end of 2025. The procedures for the upgrading of both the school and the Chalepa House began in July 2021, with the visit of the Minister of Culture and Sports Lina Mendoni to Tinos.

As stated by Lina Mendoni, ” Tinos has a great tradition in the field of Marble Crafts, which is a registered element of Intangible Cultural Heritage in the National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Greece (2013) and in the Representative List of UNESCO (2015). Countless craftsmen have created exceptional works, but at the same time contributed to the formation and preservation of the special character of Tinos. Creators with a distinct artistic vision were raised on the island, the most important being Giannoulis Chalepas, a leading representative of modern Greek and European sculptural art. The creation of the new facilities of the preparatory and Professional School of Fine Arts gives a new, modern, international dynamic to the school and contributes decisively to the education of Young Marble sculptors, whom the Ministry of Culture and Sports wants to utilize-even more than today – in works that it performs on monuments. At the same time, the restoration of the Chalepa House and the museum, which houses personal objects, sculptures and drawings of the Great Tinian sculptor, highlights the authenticity and historicity of the house through the proper display of the exhibits and its mobile equipment, honoring the work and importance of the great sculptor. Our goal is to enhance the visibility of Chalepas ‘work, to create conditions for the proper and upgraded education of the island’s young people-and not only – who have the inclination, the Will and the interest to engage in the art of marble, but also the development potential that such an investment can give to the island”.

The preparatory and Professional School of Fine Arts of Panormos Tinos has been operating since 1955 in the building of Fr. Pyrgos Primary School for Girls, which was erected in 1832 and is one of the first school buildings built during the Regency of Otto. The House of Giannoulis Chalepas, which houses the museum Giannoulis Chalepas, is located in Pyrgos of Tinos and is characterized as a historical monument. The care of the museum is the Panormos Cultural Center “Giannoulis Chalepas”, which operates as a legal entity of the municipality of Tinos. The implementation of both projects is the subject of a programmatic contract for Cultural Development between the Ministry of Culture and Sports, the South Aegean region, the municipality of Tinos and the Panormos Preparatory and Vocational School of Fine Arts of Tinos.