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| Map of Tinos |
Tinos is
the 4th larger islands of the Cyclades with
8.636 population and 194km2 extension. A few foreigners have
discovered its beaches and unspoilt villages, but most visitors are Greek who
visit Tinos every year to see the church
of Panayia Evangelistria,
a grandiose shrine erected on the spot where a miraculous icon with healing
powers was found in 1822. A
local nun, now canonized as Ayia Pelayia, was directed in a vision to unearth
the relic just as the War of Independence was getting under way, a timely
coincidence that served to underscore
the links between the Orthodox Church and Greek nationalism. Today, there are
two major annual pilgrimages, on March 25 and August 15, when Tinos
is inundated by the faithful, and at 11am, the icon bearing the Virgin's image
is carried in state down to the harbor.
