05. Matsinis School – 1st Primary School
Brief documentation:
Today's 1st Primary School of Xanthi was founded from the beginning as a school and even as a mutual instruction school for boys, sponsored by the benefactor tobacco merchant Michael Matsinis. The construction of the building took place in 1863 and the founder in his will in 1874 provided the necessary resources for the maintenance and operation of the school.
The school had 6 classes with 4 teachers and 200 students paying tuition. In 1896 the administration of the School passed to the Metropolitan of Xanthi and the Greek Community Council, amid conflicts with Matsinis' heirs, whom he had appointed as responsible for the School in his will.
This school occasionally operated under various names such as Urban School, Xanthi Schools. The school since 1920 and the liberation operates as the 1st Primary School of Xanthi. For this contribution, the people of Xanthi honored Matsinis as a National Benefactor.
At the main entrance of the school there are two marble dedicatory inscriptions that were destroyed in 1942 by the Bulgarians and were restored in 2005. These inscriptions indicate the years of construction and renovation of the building. The renovation was carried out in 1903 by the Greek Orthodox community of Xanthi.
The building is two-story and symmetrical in its plan, with a central corridor along its long axis, with halls on either side. The classrooms are located on two floors and in the basement, while on the ground floor there is an open plan event space. The building is built in neoclassical style, with large windows on both floors.
The building is made of stonework and consists of one floor, ground floor and basement. The basement was used as storage rooms and the other two floors as classrooms and offices. On the facades of the building there are many openings surrounded by decorative frames.
Category of thematic interest: ARCHITECTURAL / HISTORICAL INTEREST
History:
Today's 1st Primary School of Xanthi was founded from the beginning as a school and even as a mutual instruction school for boys, sponsored by the benefactor tobacco merchant Michael Matsinis, who in his will in 1874 also provided the necessary resources for its maintenance and operation. The construction of the building took place in 1863.
The school had 6 classes with 4 teachers and 200 students paying tuition. In 1896 the administration of the School passed to the Metropolitan of Xanthi and the Greek Community Council, amid conflicts with the heirs of Michael Matsinis, whom he had appointed as responsible for the School in his will.
This school occasionally operated under various names such as Urban School, Xanthi Schools. The school since 1920 and the liberation operates as the 1st Primary School of Xanthi. For this contribution, the people of Xanthi honored him as a National Benefactor.
Elements of architecture:
The building is two-storey and symmetrical in its plan, with a central corridor along its long axis, with halls on either side. The classrooms are located on two floors and in the basement, while on the ground floor there is an open plan event space. The building is built in neoclassical style, with large windows on both floors.
The building is made of stonework and consists of one floor, ground floor and basement. The basement was used as storage rooms and the other two floors as classrooms and offices. On the facades of the building there are many openings surrounded by decorative frames.
Description of other elements:
At the main entrance of the school there are two marble dedicatory inscriptions that were destroyed in 1942 by the Bulgarians and restored in 2005. These inscriptions indicate the years of construction and renovation of the building. The construction was done in 1863 by Michael Matsinis and the renovation was carried out in 1903 by the Greek Orthodox community of Xanthi.
Purpose - Use: School building
Characterization: Preserved, Institution of the Ministry of Culture, Decision DILAP/C/11/63051, Government Gazette 73/86 - Preservable, Institution of the Ministry of Culture, Decision DILAP/C/1592/25502, Government Gazette 455/87
Dating (period): Second half of the 19th century
Year of construction: 1863
Monument location: 41.144345271959736, 24.88758392064405
Bibliographic references:
• Papadopoulou-Houhou, Al. 2023. Education in Xanthi 1856-1912. Xanthi: PAKETHRA.
• Alexopoulos, A. 2012. "The Organization and the Work of the Elders of Xanthi during the Period 1892-1912." Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.
• Mavridis, D., eds. 2008. Xanthi, the city with a thousand colors. Xanthi: PAKETHRA.
• Aivaliotis, V. 2007. Xanthi, sweet stepmother. Xanthi: PAKETHRA.
• Katsari-Vafiadis, J. Ed. 2023. "History and recording of the neoclassical buildings of the traditional settlement". Xanthi: Municipality of Xanthi, p. 38.
Address: Michael Matsini 1
Visitable: No