Museums
The Archaeological Museum
at Chios Town.
Open daily
8.00 – 19.00 except Mondays in the winter. It was
constructed between
1966 and 1971 in an area of 2000 sq.m. The building is comprised of
exhibition rooms, storerooms, workshops and offices that cover an area
of 1200 sq.m.
The Museum contains
collections of prehistoric and archaic findings from excavations of
the British School in Emboria, Neolithic findings of the British
excavations in Agio Galas, Archaic and Classical findings from the
British excavations in Fana and various findings from the salvage
excavations conducted by the 20th Ephorate of Byzantine
Antiquities.
Renovation of the buildings
was completed in 1998 and the Museum was open to the public in
November 1992. Amongst the many exhibits, you can see the bodies of
two archaic statues of exceptional beauty copy of ”the famous daughter
of Chios”. The original statues are exhibited in Boston, USA. Another
exhibit is a letter from Alexander the Great (332 BC), to the
inhabitants of Chios.
The Archaeological Museum
of Chios was nominated for the 2001 European Museum of the Year Award,
amongst 120 other Museums. There were 39 awards given, one of them was
to the Archaeological Museum of Chios.
The Byzantine Museum at
Chios Town.
Located in the central town square, outside the Castle it is contained
within a 19th Century Mosque. It is open Tuesday – Saturday
10.00 – 13.00, Sunday 10.00 – 15.00.
This Museum has been
operating since 1980. It contains items donated from private
collections as well as findings discovered in local excavations. Some
of the items on display are dating from the Early Christian Period to
the Post-Byzantine Period – 18th Century.
The Museum is comprised of
a timber-roofed porch, large basement and a main room. Currently only
the mosque porch and the courtyard are open to the public; the rest of
the building is under renovation. In the courtyard there are displays
of stone objects, discovered during excavations as well as tombstones
from Muslim and Jewish graves. There is a significant collection of
sculptures dating from the Genoese occupation of Chios between 1345
and 1566, which serve as evidence of that period.
Worthwhile items included in this
collection are the sarcophagus of Ottuboni Ioustiniani located in the
courtyard next to the stairway as well as two large slabs from lintels
with carvings of Agios Georgios slaying the dragon, displayed in the
porch. It is thought that at least one item has been brought from
Genoa.
The Maritime Museum at
Chios Town Open
daily 10.00 – 14.00 except Sundays. This Museum is the realisation
of
a lifetime dream by its founders – all being amongst those who make up
the Maritime Miracle of Chios. It was their wish to create a residence
– museum at the centre of Chios, which will represent the contemporary
Greek maritime spirit therefore the exhibits include objects and
paintings relating to the rich nautical tradition of the island.
It is housed in a mansion
belonging to the late Anastasios and Marika Pateras. The house was
donated in 1991 by the inheritors of the estate to a public benefit
foundation, which bears their name. The building has two storeys and
was built in the early 20th Century in the neoclassical
style with beautifully painted ceilings.
The Argentis Museum at
Chios Town Housed
in the building of the public library it exhibits ethnological and
folk art. That is, a representative collection of local costumes,
embroidery, woven fabrics, tools, utensils, wood carved objects,
copper engravings, and topographical and historical maps.
The Cultural Society “Korais”
established Folk Art Museum at Pirgi It.
It has a rich collection of rural and agricultural tools, handicraft
objects as well as photographic and local press files.
Philoproodos Omilos Museum at Vrondados This significant
collection contains folk art objects, portable icons, ecclesiastical
liturgical objects, local costumes, old printed texts and books, as
well as objects from the Museum of Natural History.
