(today's Experimental Lyceum of Mytilene)

The Gymnasium of Mytilene (now named the Experimental Lyceum of Mytilene) was founded and built in 1840 by the then Metropolitan Biskop of Mytilene called Meletios Fotiou (+1876) on his own initiative and by donations of rich Lesbian patriots and also by other Greeks who loved their country.

The historic Library of the Gymnasium was founded at the same time. In those years Lesbos was under Turkish occupation. The chances for education were particularly limited since Turks did not allow the unredeemed Lesbians, one reason out of many, not to get educated. However, certain political developments which had started in the interior of Turkey in 183 9 gave the possibility to the Greeks of Lesbos to put forward the foundation of the Gymnasium of Mytilene.

   The Gymnasium was recognized by the Greek Government in 1875 and was functioning for 48 years in the same architectonic form of the building. A new imposing building (the one that it is up to now) was built in the same place in the years 1888-90 and for its construction a much larger amount of money was needed than the one for the establishing of Athens University. An important Lesbian called Sophocles Boumazos contributed to the accomplishment of the work by giving a considerable amount of money. His statue, established in 1896, decorates imposingly the schoolyard. The teaching staff of this historical school was of corresponding authority , since wise men were among them,such as Kostantinos Michaelides, loannis Olympics, Bassilios Archontides, Panagiotis Joumaras, Stavros Paraskevaides and others. Many of them  became later professors of the National University in Athens. Gregorios Bemardakis and Petros Papageorgiouwere also editors in -the -famous Leipsias Teubner series of classical texts.

Among the greatest teachers of our school, in the early twentieth century, is Michael Stefanides, the most versatile and eminent University professor and Academic, who was the first to teach the discipline of the "History of Sciences" in a chair specially established by him in Athens University. Later on he became a member of Athens Academy.

   Nowadays, the Gymnasium of Mytilene has been changed into Experimental Lyceum by the ministerial decree of 1995 and the school keeps up its glorious tradition having efficient scholars, most of them are holders of a post graduate title or having got further education.

   The Lyceum has been honoured twice by the National Academy and the Greek Government in recognition orks 158 years constant contribution to the letters and to me nation.

Nowadays, it is the unique Experimental Lyceum all over the North-Eastern Aegean and beyond its conventional obligations, which are increased due to its nature, it co-operates closely with the Aegean University and the Regional Educational Training Center in Mytilene achieving national task at the far eastern corner of the country.

   In our school, as it is mentioned at the beginning, since its first years of its establishing (1840) a Library has been functioning which is housed in a specially shaped room. It includes 74 rare manuscripts dated

• from 9th century to 17th century AD, about 15.000 rare books of Venice's, Vienna's, Paris', Gottigen's, Oxford's etc, which are mostly philological and theological but they cover many other fields of science, too. There are also complete series of philological and scientific magazine editions such as Hermes, Philologus, Philolog Anzeiger, Wochenschrift fur Klassiche Philologie, Byzantinische Zeitschrift etc and they have been recorded in a long catalogue.

   During this long period of its functioning the Library was enriched with large donation by various Lesbians.

   In addition to the above-mentioned Library there are two more libraries in our school. The one houses books which have been donated by two great Lesbian patriots of Letters Dimitrios and Gregorios Bemardakis and the other one has been established recently (in 2000) within the framework of the project named "lalysos" which was worked out by the Aegean University. The Library includes 6000 modem books that cover all the scientific fields such as Philosophy, Religion, Pedagogic, Psychology, sociology. Economics, Physics Science, Mathematics, Computer Science, History, Foreign Languages etc.                                     

   Today our school consists of 9 sections (three for each class of Lyceum-A, B, C) and has got about 200 pupils and 35 teachers. The Director of the school is called Dimitrios Tserdanis, the philologist.