Sindos: Historical Traces Between School, Church and Funerary Mask

Sindos’s local history offers several different perspectives for a stay in the area. The old primary school building points to an earlier structure on the same site; its building envelope was later given its own heritage designation. The story of the Epitaphios links the settlement of refugees from Adana with the Church of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary and the wish of its donor. A funerary mask found in the cemetery of Síndos adds archaeological details about craftsmanship to these themes. Together, these traces lead from architectural history to religious remembrance and a specific manufacturing technique.

The Old Primary School Building

The old primary school building in Síndos was built in 1932 on the site of Hamdi Bey’s three-storey konaki. It first began operating in 1934–1935. The dates mark different stages: 1932 refers to the construction of the school building, while 1934–1935 marks the start of its operation. The former building site and the later primary school therefore belong to a sequence over time, not to one and the same building. The konaki was the predecessor on this site; the school building came later. If you are interested in architectural history, this helps you distinguish the earlier building site from the later school building.

Heritage Designation

In 2008, the building envelope of the old primary school building was designated as a heritage monument. The precise scope matters: the designation applies to the building envelope, not generally to the entire building. The year 2008 thus marks a different stage from the construction in 1932 and the start of operations in 1934–1935. The building’s history and its heritage designation answer different questions: one concerns the school building’s construction and operation, the other the scope of its later designation. This makes it possible to place the building’s history in context without equating its construction year with its heritage status.

The Epitaphios in the Church

The story of the Epitaphios reveals another aspect of local history. After many refugees from Adana had settled in Síndos, the Epitaphios was brought to the Church of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary. It is still kept there today. Its transfer fulfilled the wish of its donor, Polyxeni. This sequence links the settlement of people from Adana, the object’s journey to the church and its present-day safekeeping. At the same time, Polyxeni’s wish highlights the donor’s role in this tradition. Unlike the history of the school building, the focus here is not a building site, but an object of religious significance and its connection to people, place and the intention behind its donation.

A Funerary Mask and How It Was Made

A total of five funerary masks were found in the cemetery of Síndos. One of them is made from a thick sheet of gold, hammered over a wooden form; an additional sheet was used to shape the nose. This describes the material and shaping of a single piece: the gold sheet was worked over the wooden form, while extra sheet metal was used for the nose. The findspot and the manufacturing details offer different insights. The cemetery of Síndos places the mask in its find context; the details about the gold, wooden form and sheet-metal nose make the craftsmanship tangible. In this way, the archaeological perspective complements the architectural and religious history with a specific example of how an artefact was worked.

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