In the complex of Messinian Oinousses, between Schiza and Sapienza, there is a small uninhabited island called Agia Marina or Agia Mariani.
It is a flat and very low island with a round shape and height not exceeding 30 meters, which is covered by dense bush vegetation. At its highest point there is the only house that the visitor will find there, a small picturesque church, dedicated to Agia Marina, which gives the island its name. Every year on July 17, a day celebrated by the church, believers visit the island from the opposite Messinian coast.
Next to the current church, among pines and wild olive trees, the ruins of the older smaller church can be seen.
The access to Agia Marina can be made from the east, to the small concrete pier, since the other coasts of the island are rocky but with smooth depth.
Due to its excellent climate and proximity to Methoni, it had been used in the past along with Sapienza as a “disinfectant” by the Venetians.
Historically, the island is also mentioned with the name “Green” in the written instructions of the Order of the Knights of Ioannina to the envoy negotiator with the Greek government, in 1823.
It is worth noting that the island is part of the Natura 2000 network together with the other islands of the Messinian Oinousses, but also the wider area of Cape Akrita.
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