The file, in order to register the custom of Panagia Mesosporitissa in Elefsina, in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity (UNESCO Convention 2003) was submitted by the Ministry of the Interior,

“An important custom of our country, carrying the timelessness of the sanctuary and the historical memory of many generations, begins its journey towards UNESCO’s Representative List of the ‘Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity’,” informs a relevant announcement of the Ministry of the Interior.

The custom of Panagia Mesosporitissa

Panagia Mesosporitissa, Panagitsa in Ancient, as she is called in Elefsina, is a custom with multi-layered references to the history of the city and its inhabitants. Since ancient times and the performance of the Eleusinian mysteries, the Thriasian field has been the most important granary of Attica for centuries. The modern face of the area was transformed by new productive activities, and now hosts important industries (refineries, shipyards, factories, etc.). However, the custom is a field of common expression for all the ethno-cultural groups that inhabited Elefsina in recent years, contributing to the preservation of the city’s memory and its social cohesion. The faithful participate in an experience of the sanctuary with deep roots in the time and landscape of Eleusis, evident in the reverence with which they approach the feast and the preparations they themselves make for it.

On the eve of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, on November 20 of each year, in a small post-Byzantine church, also known as the “Panagitsa in Ancient”, inside the archaeological site of Eleusis, where in ancient times the Eleusinian mysteries were celebrated, after the service of vespers, the priest blesses the sacred food of Demeter and the other two foods that make up the trinity of the Mediterranean diet. The worshipers offer bread, along with some oil and wine. They also hand over papers to the priest, on which the names of their loved ones are written, in order to be remembered in the prayer for health and prosperity. The priest blesses the offerings of the faithful and prays “for the euphoria of the fruits of the earth”. After the religious ceremony, the loaves are distributed to all present.

Since 2014, the Folklore Association of Elefsina “Adrachti” has been reviving a practice that used to be carried out by the women of Elefsina, when Elefsina was still a rural area. It is the polyspori, which is prepared with boiled cereals and legumes, to which petimezi, pomegranate and raisins are added, and is distributed to all the participants of the celebration, when they leave the archaeological site.

In the process of documenting the element and compiling the nomination file, the residents of Elefsina, cultural associations of the region and local government bodies, as well as “Elefsina Cultural Capital 2023” actively participated.

The art of Xerolithia

At the same time, on March 29, 2023, the nomination file for the extension, with five new countries (Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Ireland and Luxembourg), of the registration of Xerolithia Art in the Representative Catalog of ‘Ailis’ was submitted to the UNESCO headquarters in Paris. Cultural Heritage of UNESCO (Convention 2003).

The initial registration of the Art of Xerolithia in the UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage took place in 2018, at the initiative of Greece and Cyprus. At that time, France, Switzerland, Spain, Italy, Croatia and Slovenia had collaborated, and international recognition was a factor in the preservation and promotion of this important traditional building technique both nationally and internationally.

For two years now, Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Ireland and Luxembourg have expressed interest in joining this multinational registration. The competent department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Directorate of Newer Cultural Heritage, collaborated with twelve other states-parties of the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (2003), in order to compile the new file, with the necessary and demanding documentation material.

The flourishing of drystone art in our country, after the element was registered in UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2018, is a fact. They are taking place all over Greece laboratories dry stone, which bring together the great masters of stone with the new generation, highlighting the significant social role of this traditional building technique.

The ever-increasing international interest in the Art of Xerolithia is fueled by the fact that it constitutes an absolutely sustainable building tradition: In all their forms – paths, bridges, terraces, impressive sets of crops in terraces, humble buildings for agricultural use, various structures that support water management systems, retaining walls, fences, landscaping of fields and gardens, road networks – xerolithic structures contribute greatly to the ecological balance, especially in areas threatened by soil erosion, desertification and the effects of climate change. Equally important is its contribution to the preservation of biodiversity, but also to the cohesion of the groups involved in the construction of xerolithic works.

As stated by the Minister of Culture and Sports Lina Mendoni, “in a systematic manner and recognizing the emergence of elements that are of critical importance for the preservation of collective identity, the Ministry of Culture and Sports gives special importance to the promotion of intangible cultural heritage, nationally and internationally level. Intangible cultural heritage is a vehicle and an expression of the ways in which people have left their mark over time. It is a valuable source of reference from which modern societies can draw knowledge and inspiration about the history, traditions, experiences, practices of previous generations. Since 2019, the Ministry of Culture, in collaboration with local agencies and associations throughout Greece, has been dynamically strengthening the protection and promotion of intangible cultural heritage. In the last four years we have registered approximately 60 items in the National Register of Cultural Heritage, while four more items have been registered in the corresponding UNESCO Representative List of Humanity. This is an important project of the Ministry of the Interior, which is going to continue.”