Picture series by Michael Pappas in pculiar.com
Every August 15, Orthodox Christians from all over the world crawl to the church of Our Lady of Tinos in Greece...
Yes, you read that right: As soon as they disembark the boat at the port of the island of Tinos, many believers fall on their knees and begin the difficult journey to the church. Their aim is to touch the holy icon of Virgin Mary, which can be found inside and is believed to have healing powers.
The icon is believed to be the handiwork of Saint Luke. According to legend, its whereabouts had been unknown until the first day of the creation of the modern Greek state. That's when the Virgin Mary visited Saint Pelagia (just a simple nun at the time) and revealed where the icon had been buried. Our Lady of Tinos was consequently declared the patron saint of Greece and a nationwide fund collection was carried out for the building of a church to house it. The first pilgrimage took place in 1823 and since then it constitutes the biggest Greek Orthodox pilgrimage.








