TINOS: 'FEAST OF THE VIRGIN'
August 15th
By Gary Van Haas
Tinos is the very special Aegean island where thousands and
thousands of devout pilgrims make their way every summer to pay
homage in a large, celebrated gathering called, The Assumption of
the Virgin. On the 15th of August, a
virtual army of believers descend upon this small, rocky Cycladic
isle to receive blessings, make solemn promises or give personal
offerings to the Icon of Virgin Mary.
From the harbor of Tinos, a wide cobbled street leads up to a mound
on which the magnificent chruch called, the Church of the Panagia,
or Church of the Megalochari. Here, perched on the top, the
stately chuch sit imposingly, towering above the whole town and
harbour. Built out of marble from quarries at Tinos and Paros, this
is the very spot where the miraculous icon of the Panagia
(Virgin Mary) was discovered hundreds of years ago. The
miracle-working of the Holy Icon of the Annunciation of Tinos has
been known all over the world. Thousands of Christians who come from
every part of the world to feel its miraculous influence and help
them in the difficult moments of their lives. The
impressive church of Megalohari itself, was built
after an event in 1822, when a Sister by the name of Pelagia,
who was a nun at Moni Kechrovouniou had a vision of Virgin Mary that
revealed to her where an icon depicting Mary and an Archangel was to
be found. Early the next year, the icon was finally discovered close
to the ruins of a byzantine church which had been apparently buried
in an underground vault for nearly 850 years. The actual crypt where
the icon was found, is now called the Chapel of Evresis
(Chapel of discovery). After this, Sister Pelagia herself was
canonized and is now called, Agia Pelagia.
Since the discovery of the icon, the sacred Church of the
Megalochari has been internationally recognized as a place of
pilgrimage, and also known as a philanthropic organization. During
the actual ceremonies, the spiritual emotion and the mystical
atmosphere is apparent among the masses of believers when the Great
Feast of the Virgin takes place. For believers, it is a moving
experience to take part in the gathering of the faithful. Even those
who are not Christian and know very little about the workings of the
actual Holy Icon find themselves touched by the events. From this
experience, many foreigners who visit the island leave with fond
memories of the Church of the Holy Virgin, which like a divine
crown, adorns and watches over the town.
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