Tuesday, July 27, 2010
On July 10, the Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism hosted a modest ceremony in honour of the restoration of this site which adorns the island’s most emblematic monument, the monastery of St. John the Theologian, author of the Book of Revelation.
- The Tribute to Aeolus
The person behind the idea of the renovation is the Swiss banker Charles Pictet, managing partner of "Pictet et Cie," a Swiss private bank, managing assets totaling €292 billion.
Pictet comes from a family which had strong tights with Ioannis Kapodistrias, the first Governor of the Modern Greek state and contributor to Switzerland’s constitution. "Personally, I engaged myself in this work, being grateful to Greece for 35 years of sailing bliss" said Pictet and added that the windmills represent a tribute to Aeolus, the God of winds.
- The old masters had it well
The project required much attention since the 422-year-old mills were constructed with a technique that needed to be studied carefully. Special rocks were imported from France and the local carpenter marveled the way craftsmen, centuries before his time, could perform engineering wonders using a chisel and a saw.
Asked what he plans to do with the mills, Pictet answered that "I closed the door and handed the keys to the monastery." One mill will be used as a museum and the remaining two will produce electrical power. The project was mainly financed by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation.
Greek News Agenda: Patmos, a pearl in the Aegean
