Museum Megaro ISG
   Photo: Museum of Megaro ISG

Megaro Gyzi Museum, also known as the Cultural Centre Megaro Gyzi, located in Fira on the island of Santorini. It was founded in 1980 on the initiative and with the financial support of the Catholic Diocese of Santorini.

The museum is housed in a beautiful old mansion of the 17th century, which formerly belonged to the Venetian family of Gizi and of itself it is of exceptional historical and architectural value. The building is a typical example of Cycladic architecture. The mansion was donated to the Catholic Diocese of Santorini to create a cultural center. This is one of the few old buildings that managed to survive after a powerful earthquake in 1956. The building was renovated to preserve most of its architectural features and original character. Some changes have been made in accordance with the functional requirements that are necessary to accommodate exhibition space and cultural activities.

The exposition of the museum is very interesting and extensive. Here are a collection of original engravings of 16-17 centuries and traditional costumes. Another interesting collection of paintings, perfectly illustrating the life of the inhabitants of Santorini and the picturesque landscapes of the island (like the works of Greek and foreign artists). It exhibited in the museum of rare and thousands of public and private documents and historical manuscripts (16-17 century), acquainting visitors with the culture of the region and the different aspects of social and political life of Santorini. Most of the documents in the Greek language, but there are also documents in Italian, Turkish and Latin. A special place is a chic collection of photographs, among which there are rare instances of the world famous photographer Pintos Vikentios, with the image of Santorini during the 1930-1956 period.

The main purpose of the museum is to promote both the Cycladic culture in general, and particularly the traditions of Santorini. On an ongoing basis which hosts various concerts, theater performances, exhibitions of painting and photo exhibitions, film festivals, lectures and other cultural events. Megaro Gyzi Museum is very popular not only among the inhabitants of the island, it is visited annually by thousands of tourists from all over the world.

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Museum Megaro ISG
Museum of Prehistoric Thira