Efthymiada School – Historic Primary School of Mytilinioi, Samos

🏫 A school with almost two centuries of history

On the main road of Mytilinioi, Samos, stands the Efthymiada School, one of the island’s most important historic school buildings.

The present imposing school building was inaugurated in 1893, although the educational tradition connected with the site began several decades earlier.

Through different periods of Samos’s history, the building served educational purposes, housed different levels of schooling, was requisitioned during the Second World War and later returned to its original educational role, which it continues to fulfil today.

📚 The educational tradition of Mytilinioi

Organised education in Mytilinioi is recorded as early as 1828, when a monitorial school was founded in the village.

During the 1837–1838 school year, both a monitorial school and a Greek School were operating in Mytilinioi.

Education was not limited to standard academic subjects. As early as 1843, the Greek School also taught practical knowledge related to viticulture, winemaking and olive cultivation, activities that were central to the local economy.

The presence of these subjects shows the close connection between education, everyday life and local production at the time.

👤 Efthymios Kalymnios and the major bequest

A key figure in the history of the school was Hierodeacon Efthymios Kalymnios, originally from Mytilinioi, who had emigrated to Moldavia.

In 1848, through his will, he left half of his estate to the Greek School of Mytilinioi with the aim of creating a new and modern school building for the village.

His wish took several decades to be realised. In the late 1880s, construction of the new school finally began on the site of the older school.

The building was financed mainly through the bequest of Efthymios Kalymnios, with additional financial support from the Port Fund and the then Principality of Samos.

🎓 The inauguration of 1893

The new school building was inaugurated on 19 September 1893, at the same time as the start of the new school year.

In honour of the village’s major benefactor, it was named “Efthymiada School”.

For its time, it represented an important educational centre. In the years that followed, it was enriched with books, teaching materials and donations, strengthening its role in the educational life of Mytilinioi.

🏛️ The architecture of the building

Efthymiada School is a characteristic example of the monumental school architecture that developed on Samos during the late 19th century.

The building features Neoclassical architectural elements, with strong symmetry, triangular pediments, tall openings and an imposing central composition.

Its main entrance is particularly distinctive, reached by an external staircase and emphasised by a portico with three large arches.

The elevated mass of the building and its position along the village’s main road make the school one of the most recognisable landmarks of Mytilinioi.

📖 Scholarchio, Semi-Gymnasium and Urban School

The use of the building changed several times, following developments in the education system and the political history of Samos.

Until the union of Samos with Greece, it operated as a Scholarchio, a form of secondary-level school of the period.

After 1912, it housed a Semi-Gymnasium for a time, while from 1934 to 1937 it functioned as an Urban School.

For many decades, it remained one of the most important educational centres in the wider Mytilinioi area.

⚔️ The occupation period

During the Italian occupation of Samos in the Second World War, the school building was requisitioned.

For a period, it ceased to function as a school and was used as a military hospital by the Italian forces.

After the liberation of Samos, the building returned to educational use and housed the First Primary School of Mytilinioi.

🛠️ Renovations and protection of the monument

The historic building has required repeated maintenance and restoration work over the years.

In 1958, an important renovation was carried out with financial support from Ioannis and Vasileios Kalymnios, relatives of the original benefactor.

During the following decades, new signs of deterioration appeared and gradual repair and reinforcement works were undertaken.

In 1996, the Ministry of Culture designated the Primary School of Mytilinioi as a Historic Listed Monument, recognising both its architectural significance and its strong connection with the collective memory of the local community.

Further restoration work was carried out from the late 1990s onwards with the participation of public bodies and donors.

🏫 A historic building that remains a school

Unlike many old school buildings that have been converted into museums or cultural centres, Efthymiada continues to serve its original educational purpose.

The historic building houses the Primary School of Mytilinioi, an active public primary education unit.

More than 130 years after the inauguration of the present school building, its classrooms and courtyard are still used every day by pupils and teachers.

In 2025, the school was also included in a school-building renovation programme, with works aimed at improving its facilities and courtyard.

🪧 The Efthymiada inscription

A marble inscription bearing the name “EFTHYMIADA SCHOOL” survives on the building, recalling its construction through the bequest of Efthymios Kalymnios and the year 1893.

The inscription is a small but important piece of evidence for the history of the school and the tradition of benefaction that contributed to its creation.

🚶 Visiting Efthymiada School

The school stands on the main road of Mytilinioi and its exterior architecture can easily be seen while walking through the village.

Because the building is still in active use as a school, it is not an organised visitor monument and access to the interior should not be considered open to the public.

Visitors can nevertheless appreciate the imposing façade, the external staircase, the pediments, the portico and the other architectural features that make the building stand out within the settlement.

👀 What it represents today

Efthymiada School is not simply an old school building.

It connects almost two centuries of educational history in Mytilinioi, the period of the Principality of Samos, the union with Greece, the years of war and modern school life.

Its greatest distinction is that it remains a living monument: a historic building dating from 1893 that still serves the same fundamental purpose for which it was created — education.