Lina Mendoni, Minister of Culture, attended an event on Saturday in the community of Pentalofos, Kozani, regarding the establishment of the “School of Stone and Traditional Building Forms”.
The art of Zoupani in the artisan villages of the Municipality of Voios refers to the living collective memory, songs, stories, narratives and cultural events of the inhabitants of an entire region that are centers of traditional stone art. Carving and construction, the Ministry of Culture said in a statement.
Groups of Pentalofos artisans, whose roots date back to the 17th century, were active in Greece, the Balkans, and even the United States.
The same applies to the stones that flourish in Lagadia in Gortynia in the Peloponnese. These artisans are still living carriers of their unique art today. Their craftsmanship has been preserved untouched by time in the rich and preserved building stock of the wider area. It is they who turn the rocky natural landscape of the area they live in into a cultural landscape of unique value,” said the statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
In her speech, Mrs. Mendoni appreciated the importance of the traditional stone art developed in these areas and stated that two Vocational Apprentice Schools were established, classified according to the institutional framework of the Ministry of Education.
Within the framework of the program agreement signed by the Ministry of Culture with the Regions of Western Macedonia and Peloponnese, schools will operate in Pentalofos, Kozani and Lagadia, Arcadia to preserve this form of our intangible cultural heritage, and at the same time cover our serious cultural heritage. shortage of masters.
The establishment of schools ensures the preservation and sustainability of stone art, offers certified education, but offers job prospects to young people who want to stay in their place and keep their traditions alive.
The minister noted the importance of smooth continuation of the procedures that have already started quickly for the schools to function quickly.
Monuments with stone art, churches and monasteries, schools, bridges, old mansions, pre-industrial technology buildings (mills, mills, reservoirs, etc.), dilapidated or dilapidated houses, retaining walls on slopes, retaining roads and farmlands, etc. .
New buildings are built that integrate into traditional settlements without changing their physiognomy.
The event held in Pentalofos was organized by the Region of Western Macedonia in cooperation with Voios Municipality, Pentalofos Cultural Association and “Friends of Traditional Architecture – Stone Flowers” Association.
Scientific articles prepared by students of the Faculty of Architecture and the Faculty of Architecture of the National Technical University of Athens were presented at the event, which is a big step for the establishment of “Schools of Stone and Traditional Building Forms”. UTAH VALLEY, USA, exhibited in October 2023 during their research at Pentalofos.
Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Stathis Konstantinidis, MP of Kozani Michalis Papadopoulos, Regional Governor of Western Macedonia Giorgos Amanatidis, representatives of the academic community and many representatives of local institutions took part in the event.