| Pancyprian Gymnasium | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | |
| Information | |
| Type | Public High-School |
| Established | 1812 |
| School district | Nicosia |
| Principal | Sophia Ioannou |
| Number of students | 500 |
| Color(s) | Blue and White |
| Founder | Archbishop Kyprianos |
| Website | lyk-pagkyprion-lef.schools.ac.cy |
The Pancyprian Gymnasium (Greek: Παγκύπριον Γυμνάσιον) is the oldest still operational high school in Cyprus, founded in 1812.
History
In the same location as the current school there was an older school established in 1753 known as Ellinomouseion (Ελληνομουσείον).[1] The Pancyprian Gymnasium was founded in 1812 by Archbishop Kyprianos at a time when Cyprus was still under Ottoman rule. It was originally called the Hellenic School of Nicosia (Ελληνική Σχολή Λευκωσίας) and is the oldest high school still in operation on the island. The school was expanded in 1893, by the initiative of Archbishop Sophronius III, to incorporate a lyceum when Cyprus was under British rule, therefore making it equal to Greek high schools and its students were eligible to study at the University of Athens. In 1894 aside from the secondary school, a school for primary school teachers was founded, the Didaskaleio (Διδασκαλείο). In 1896 it changed its name to its current one.[2] The first principal of the Gymnasium in 1893 was Delios Ioannis.[3]
Students of the school have fought in the Greco-Turkish War of 1897, the Balkan Wars and participated in the EOKA struggle.[1]
In tribute to the school's contribution to education the Cyprus Post office issued a commemorative stamp in 1993.[4]
Grounds
It is located opposite the archbishopric within the walls of the old city of Nicosia. The original building was destroyed in a fire in 1920 and parts of the school were completely rebuilt in neoclassical style. Of particular historical interest is the crypt of the school located beneath the main entrance. This is where Archbishop Kyprianos was said to have held secret meetings with representatives of the Philiki Etairia in the early 19th century. The school also incorporates a substantial collection of artifacts, art and books. The Severios Library which opened in 1949 holds over 60,000 manuscripts.[5]
Through benevolent donations the school has become very wealthy. On an educational level it is highly regarded and considered a model school. Many influential figures have studied and taught here.
Notable former pupils
- Archbishop Makarios, past president of Cyprus[6]
- Athanasios Papageorgiou, Byzantine archaeologist, director of the Department of Antiquities
- Tassos Papadopoulos, past president of Cyprus[7]
- Costas Clerides, attorney general of Cyprus[8]
- Glafkos Clerides, past president of Cyprus
- Petros Clerides, former attorney general of Cyprus[9]
- Vassos Lyssarides, politician and leader of the Socialist Party
- Christopher A. Pissarides, Nobel Prize-winning economist[10]
- Kypros Chrysanthis, writer and doctor
- Vassos Karageorghis, director of the Department of Antiquities
Notable teachers
- Chrysostomos I 1961 to 1966, theology teacher
- Dimitris Lipertis, poet, French teacher 1910-1912
- Lawrence Durrell English teacher, 1953 to 1956.[11]
- Konstantinos Spyridakis, teacher, writer, minister of Education
- Adamantios Diamantis, painter
- Telemachos Kanthos, painter
- Menelaos, Markides, first curator of the Cyprus Museum
- Kypros Chrysanthis, writer and doctor
References
- 1 2 "Ιστορικό Σχολείου". lyk-pagkyprion-lef.schools.ac.cy. Retrieved 2022-10-19.
- ↑ Heraclidou, Antigone (30 November 2012). "Making a British Atmosphere in Cyprus, 1931-1939: A 'Coup d'etat' on Greek-Cypriot elementary education?". The Cyprus Review.
- ↑ Polignosi. "Δέλλιος Ιωάννης". www.polignosi.com. Retrieved 2021-11-07.
- ↑ "Commemorative Issue Centenary of the Pancyprian Gymnasium". philatelism.com. 15 February 1993. Archived from the original on 2007-10-23. Retrieved 2008-03-28.
- ↑ American Library Association - Report on activities in Cyprus "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-11-30. Retrieved 2006-12-15.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ↑ "Archbishop Makarios of Cyprus". Time Magazine. March 19, 1956. Archived from the original on December 14, 2008. Retrieved 2008-04-24.
- ↑ Comment - Our president cannot distinguish myth from reality. (Cyprus Mail archive article - Sunday, July 10, 2005) "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2007-09-30. Retrieved 2006-12-18.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ↑ "Supreme Court of Cyprus - Supreme Court Judges - Costas Clerides, J. (Retired 10/9/2013 and from 16/9/2013 was appointed as Attorney General of the Republic)". Archived from the original on 2016-04-19. Retrieved 2016-04-05.
- ↑ "C.A.M.C - The Cyprus Arbitration & Mediation Centre - Petros Clerides". Cyprusarbitration.com.cy. 1946-02-20. Archived from the original on 2016-03-27. Retrieved 2016-04-05.
- ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2017-06-14.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ↑ Maurice Cardiff (1997). Friends Abroad: Memories of Lawrence Durrell, Freya Stark, Patrick Leigh-Fermor, Peggy Guggenheim and Others. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 1-86064-221-7.
External links
