Vourniotissa

;

Description

INFO

Information: 

Located in the north of the island, 4km from Agapi, this church has a wonderful view to the bay of Kolympithra and the endless blue.

It is a white building sized 11m x 6m with a floor paved with marble. The church has a marble iconostasis and is dedicated to the miraculous icon of Panagia Vourniotissa, which is kept in the Monastery of Kechrovouni.
The church is related with a miracle of the namesake icon.
The icon was found at dawn of the 8th of September in 1670 by fishermen from Sklavoxorio. 

A related miracle is worth mentioning:
At dawn of the 8th of September in 1670 some fishermen saw an icon floating on the sea. They picked it up and decided to take it to their village. On the way to the village, they stopped to have a rest in a chapel and put the icon on the altar. When they were ready to continue, the icon seemed too heavy to transfer. On the same day, Orthodox and Catholics together sang a Litany and laid the foundations of Panagia Vourniotissa beside the chapel. Over the years the church was enlarged and the old chapel was demolished.

The church celebrates the day the miraculous icon was found, which is also the celebration day of the Nativity of Virgin Mary. Three of the many miracles of the holy icon are mentioned below:

1. An icon painter from Arnados went to the church to work in the morning. He showed no signs of life for three days, so his wife and children were worried and looked for him in the church. They found him working there, his food untouched. When they asked him why, he quite annoyed asked himself whether it was reasonable to have lunch, since it wasn’t even noon yet! He could not believe he had already spent three days in the church.

2. A woman who was cleaning the church took too long to finish and had to stay there overnight. A peasant came near the church intending to molest the woman. Surprised, he saw the church full of lights and a lot of of people praying. He entered, attended the vigil and returned home. The next morning, asking the woman and other villagers, he found out that there was no vigil in the church the night before. After that, the peasant donated to the church the nearby field that he owned.

3. A peasant, whose wife was seriously ill, went to the fields around the church to plow. Looking towards the church, his eyes full of tears, he begged the Virgin to help his wife. Suddenly a nun appeared in front of him and told him that, from that moment on, his wife was healed. The nun disappeared and the peasant, full of expectations, rushed home and found his wife well.

source: www.tinos.gr