Assumption of the Virgin Mary in Greece

In her Synaxarium, the Assumption of the Virgin Mary is portrayed in a very human and moving way. When Christ decided to take his mother with him, he sent his angel three days earlier to tell her. She, joyful to be reunited with her child, went first to the "Mount of Olives" to pray. There all the trees bent down to greet her. She returned home, prepared her bed and all the necessary things. She lit candles and invited neighbors and relatives to be present at her death. She told them about the message from the angel and showed them the branch of the date tree he had left her. The women burst into tears, but the Virgin Mary reassured them that she would not forget the world. She gave her clothes to the poor, then there was a great thunder, the clouds rolled back over the house, and the disciples of Christ appeared. Our Lady, ready, lay down on her bed and gave up her soul. The apostles lifted up her bed and buried her.

In every corner of Greece you will find a little church dedicated to the Virgin Mary. According to their customs and legends, this Virgin Mary possesses an additional attribute - the Virgin Mary - holder of the newborn child, helper of the sea, protector of sailors, physician, etc. - according to each place, according to each church dedicated to her, according to each custom - a different attribute. But above all, and for all Greeks and for all churches, the Virgin Mary - the mother. A mother who cares, who soothes pain, who helps you and all those in need, who will never leave you alone, who will never fall asleep and will watch over you and keep a protective hand over you, and a mother who gives you everything.

In the archipelago of the Dodecanese (Kos, Rhodes, Karpathos, Nisyros.. etc.) the celebration of the Virgin Mary (August 15) is likened to Easter in summer. Huge festivities are held, long services are celebrated, churches but also by the locals who live this holiday, all visitors and travelers are feasted. Believers and non-believers alike visit the nearest churches dedicated to the Virgin Mary around August 15, confiding their problems and asking for a miracle for their incurable "pains". Because it is she, the mother, to whom we come for advice, for caresses, for hope.

On Nisyros, the monastery of Panagia Spiliani (the Virgin of the Rock) is carved into a high rock in the port town of Mandraki. According to legend, sometime in the 14th century AD, a farmer discovered a small picture of the Virgin Mary on this rock, which he took to the church of Panagia Potamitissa (Virgin Mary of the River). A few days later, however, the picture disappeared and was rediscovered in a cave on this rock. The inhabitants again returned it to the church, but the disappearance and the discovery on the rock were repeated several more times. It was also a sign for the locals to build a monastery in this rock and name it Panangia Spyliani - the Virgin Mary of the Rock. This monastery is not only the ornament of Nisyros, it is a beautiful sight from the coast and the sea, but if you take the trouble to climb to the top, the view you get of the whole of Mandraki and Kos is unforgettable, calming, refreshing and simply fabulous. The monastery was very famous from the beginning of its construction, not least because of the "moving" picture, which is taken as a miracle by the Greeks themselves. And that is why on August 15th, crowds of pilgrims and visitors come here from all over Greece!