Description

INFO

Informations: 

This is a 10 x 5m single-aisled church with a beautiful view over Panormos. It celebrates on the 15th of August, but, since this is a great celebration day in Chora, the feast takes place on the first or second Sunday afterwards.

The story about the origin of the church and the Holy Icon is as follows:
In the early 18th century, captain Cosmas and his crew were sailing north of Tinos, when, suddenly, a heavy storm broke. No matter how hard they tried to enter Panormos bay, the ship’s crushing on the rocks seemed unavoidable. Captain Cosmas and his crew prayed in front of an icon of Virgin Mary and begged Her to save them. He also swore that, if saved, he would build a church in Her honor and would become a monk to serve Her forever. The captain and his crew were finally saved. The crew returned home, but the captain, faithful to the vow and holding the icon tightly in his hands, went up the mountain towards the nearby village of Marlas. On the way, he stopped to rest near the gorge of Fleva, but, when he stood up after a while to continue his way, the icon seemed too heavy to carry, which he interpreted as a desire of the Virgin to have a church built there.
The ex-captain, monk Kallinikos now, devoted his whole life to build a monastery, by selling all his personal property and by raising money in major Christian centers. The monastery was eventually completed in 1755. He dies very old and was buried in his monastery.

Today, devout Christians from Pyrgos keep the “kandili” (small sized glass, filled with a little water and oil and a wick on top which holds a flame) of Kyra Xeni lit and the church clean. Kyra Xeni means a lady from abroad, a foreigner; in this case it refers to the Virgin, who came from elsewhere and is there to protect the foreigners.

source: www.tinos.gr