On Tuesday, March 29, 2022, The Cyprus Institute (CyI) renewed its Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Pancyprian Gymnasium, agreeing to reinforce their collaboration on issues of common interest related to the preservation of the archive and historical manuscripts of the Pancyprian Gymnasium.

The signing Ceremony was held at the Museums of the Pancyprian Gymnasium in Nicosia. The Ceremony was attended and signed on behalf of the Ministry of Education by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports and Youth, Mr. Prodromos Prodromos, on behalf of The Cyprus Institute by its President, Prof. Costas N. Papanicolas, and on behalf of the Pancyprian Gymnasium, Mr. Loizos Sepos.

In his address, Mr. Prodromou mentioned that it is necessary to record, preserve, digitize and further develop the rich historical Archive of the Pancyprian Gymnasium, the first secondary school in Cyprus founded in 1812 by Archbishop Kyprianos. “We owe to protect the Gymnasium from the wear of time, and contribute to the enrichment of the research around the educational, cultural, religious and social life of our country. So far, important documents and artefacts that belong to the School Archive and the School Museums, such as antiques, books, manuscripts, paintings, photographs, church icons, and other artefacts, have already been photographed, digitized and posted on the “DIOPTRA” platform, and therefore are accessible to the general public”, he stated.

Within the framework of the renewal of the MoU both sides will ensure that the original archive of the Pancyprian Gymnasium kept in the school premises, the collection of manuscripts and printed publications of Severios Library, the collections of the Museums of Pancyprian Gymnasium (Archaeology, Coins, Weapons, Maps, Exhibits, Art, etc.) and the collections of the Organic Library of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, will be well-preserved.

The Minister of Education, Prof. Papanicolas and Mr. Sepos, agreed that the preservation of these historical treasures through the usage of technology is a huge responsibility for the Ministry, The Cyprus Institute and the Pancyprian Gymnasium, and this collaboration will bring to light unknown aspects or will enlighten better known aspects from the History of the Pancyprian Gymnasium and its contribution to the Greek letters. At the same time, it will enrich our knowledge about the modern history of Greek education in Cyprus, especially Nicosia’s history.

The initial Memorandum was signed in March 2017 with the aim of preserving and utilizing the Archive, manuscripts and historical artefacts of the Pancyprian Gymnasium. This project is led by the Science and Technology in Archaeology and Culture Research Center (STARC) of The Cyprus Institute, through the usage of the Edmee Leventis Digital Library for Cypriot Culture (“DIOPTRA”). Most of the work was conducted in a specially equipped room by Secondary Education Photography teachers of the Pancyprian Gymnasium.