Panagia Evangelistria

In 1822 a nun named Pelagia reported visions directing her to a buried icon, and the following year an icon of the Annunciation was unearthed on this hill; a church was raised over the spot almost immediately, in the first years of the Greek state, and it became the country's principal pilgrimage site. The building is faced in Tinian and Parian marble, with an arcaded courtyard and a broad stairway, and inside the icon hangs encrusted with gold, jewels and votive offerings left by petitioners. On 15 August, the Dormition, thousands arrive, and many climb the eight hundred metres from the port on their knees along a carpeted strip laid on the street. Chapels, museums and galleries fill the lower levels of the complex.

History

By tradition, in 1822 a nun named Pelagia had visions of the Virgin Mary telling her to uncover the old church of St John the Baptist under a field, and excavations on January 30, 1823 found an icon of the Annunciation, then thought to be the work of St Luke. Found in the first days of the modern Greek state, it made Our Lady of Tinos the patron saint of the nation, and a nationwide collection paid for the church, designed by the Tinian architect Efstratios Kalonaris in the Renaissance Revival style as a three-aisled domed basilica (Wikipedia, Our Lady of Tinos).

What's there

• The marble church - arcaded courtyard and stairway in Tinian marble.
• The icon - the 1823 find, covered in gold and votive offerings.
• The votive gallery - silver ships, limbs and objects left in thanks.
• The pilgrim route - the carpeted strip climbing from the harbour.

When to go

Spring and September for a quiet visit; 15 August for the feast, when the town is full and ferries and rooms must be booked far ahead. The complex opens early and closes at dusk.

Good to know

Dress rules are enforced and photography inside is restricted. On the feast day the crowding is intense and queues to the icon are long. The scenes of pilgrims crawling uphill can be uncomfortable for visitors who are not there for faith.

Nearby

Tinos Town and its harbour lie below; the marble villages of Pyrgos and Volax are inland.