Friday, September 29, 2017

Tinos

Tinos is a Greek island situated in the Aegean Sea. It is located in the Cyclades archipelago. In antiquity, Tinos was also known as Ophiussa and Hydroessa. The closest islands are Andros, Delos, and Mykonos.
Tinos is famous amongst Greeks for the Church of Panagia Evangelistria, its 80 or so windmills, about 1000 artistic dovecotes, 50 active villages and its Venetian fortifications at the mountain, Exomvourgo. On Tinos, both Greek Orthodox and Roman Catholic populations co-exist, and the island is also well known for its famous sculptors and painters, such as Nikolaos Gysis, Yannoulis Chalepas and Nikiforos Lytras.
The island is located near the geographical center of the Cyclades island complex, and because of the Panagia Evangelistria church, with its reputedly miraculous icon of Virgin Mary that it holds, Tinos is also the center of a yearly pilgrimage that takes place on the date of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary (15 August, "Dekapentavgoustos" in Greek). This is perhaps the most notable and still active yearly pilgrimage in the region of the eastern Mediterranean. Many pilgrims make their way the 800 metres (2,600 feet) from the ferry wharf to the church on their hands and knees as sign of devotion. (By Wikipedia)

Here are some pictures from my visit: 

Our Lady of Tinos is located in the town of Tinos on the island of Tinos.
The complex is built around a miraculous icon which according to tradition was found after the Virgin appeared to the nun Pelagia and revealed to her the place where the icon was buried. The icon is widely believed to be the source of numerous miracles. It is by now almost completely encased in silver, gold, and jewels. By extension the church is often called the same, and is considered a protectress of seafarers and healer of the infirm.
The icon was found on the very first days after the creation of the modern Greek State, henceforth Our Lady of Tinos was declared the patron saint of the Greek nation. The icon was at the time thought to be the handwork of St. Luke the Evangelist, a possibility that can neither be confirmed nor ruled out, and a nationwide fund collection was carried out for the building of a church to house it. The church, built in the Renaissance style, was inaugurated in 1830 and since then it constitutes the major Christian pilgrimage in Greece, equal to what is Lourdes in France or Fatima in Portugal. The church receives a vast number of donations in silver and gold votives each year, these are auctioned and used for charities.
The church is officially dedicated to the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary. The major feast of the church, however, is on 15 August when the Dormition of the Virgin Mary (Theotokos) is commemorated by the Greek Orthodox Church, following the strong tradition of the Aegean Islands where the Dormition is grandly celebrated in mid-August as the principal summer feast. (By Wikipedia)










Tinos Beach hotel is set on the beach, a short distance from Our Lady of Tinos and Archaeological Museum of Tinos.