A multi-day workshop in Pentalofos Voio Kozani highlighted the importance of passing on traditional craftsmanship and brought to the fore the prospect of establishing Stone Masonry Schools.
The multi-day workshop on traditional building and the art of stone was successfully completed in Pentalofos Voio Kozani. An initiative that brought together students, seasoned master craftsmen, speakers, residents and local organizations around a common goal: the preservation and transmission of knowledge that is an integral part of the area's cultural identity.
The knowledge of stone through theory and practice
The program included theoretical training on traditional architecture and construction techniques, the distinctive characteristics and capabilities of stone and traditional mortars, while it highlighted the close relationship of traditional building with the natural and geological environment and its imprint on Pentalofos's identity. Among the speakers was, among others, NTUA Emeritus Professor Vasilis Gkaniatsas, while experiential training formed a significant part of the workshop.
In the hands on part, participants worked alongside experienced master craftsmen and stonemasons and practiced stone dressing, stone masonry and dry stone walling, while through the stone carving workshop they learned the technique of creating stone reliefs and had the opportunity to practice themselves, working on their own stone. The program concluded with tours of the traditional settlement of Pentalofos, through which the connection of traditional building with the architecture and the settlement's character was highlighted. The implementation of the workshop is part of the longstanding collaboration with Anthi tis Petras and the support of the Region of Western Macedonia, the Municipality of Voio, the Local Community of Pentalofos and the Pentalofos Cultural Association.
From passing on knowledge to creating Schools of Stone
The greatest significance of such initiatives lies in the continuity they can create. The art of stone needs systematic apprenticeship, institutional support and meaningful cooperation between organizations, so that it can be passed on to younger generations not only as cultural heritage but also as a living practice with a place in today and tomorrow.
In this direction falls the central goal of creating and operating Schools of Stone in Pentalofos Kozani and in Lagkadia Arcadia. In fact, for this specific purpose, the Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni had visited Pentalofos, who was briefed on the effort to preserve and transmit the traditional art of stone and announced the establishment of a School of Stone and Traditional Forms of Building.
The workshop is over, but the effort continues.
Because the art of stone isn't just a piece of the past. It is living knowledge that deserves a future.
