The week of the last greetings, fifteen days before Easter, Andros It celebrates Our Lady of Theoskepastis, who is honored today of the Immaculate Hymn, 16 days before Saint Easter.

White and magnificent, the church rises near the port of Chora and is one of the most important churches of the Cyclades.

Our Lady of Theoskepastis is the protector of the entire island of Andros and in particular its seafarers who are a large portion of its population. Behind the erection of the church lies a legend, which highlights its miraculous origin and its designation as a protector of the seafarers.

The image of the Great depicts the Virgin Mary Guodian and represents the Virgin Mary holding Christ as an infant full of sweetness and affection. Performances from the Life of Our Lady complement the decoration of silver investment while the whole picture is overwhelming.

The legend and the miracle

One night, many years ago, a boat was in danger of the hectic waves and extreme weather conditions. As the sailors had begun to accept their fate, they distinguished a blinding light from afar. Trying to understand exactly what was happening, they saw the image of the Virgin Mary.

Without having any choice and hope to protect them, they followed the bright light. The closer they came to the picture, the more the sea became calmer. So they managed to get to land safely and worshiped the image.

After prayers and pilgrimage, the sailors decided to convey the image to a safer place and specifically to the chapel of St. Athanasius. To their surprise, however, when the image of the Virgin Mary was missing. They then discovered that the image had returned to the cave and decided to build a church there in her honor.

The godly timber

Work on the erection of the temple was done rapidly and the church was almost ready in no time. But the roof was missing, because there was no timber. Our Lady herself took care of it.

Our Lady of Theoskepastis in Andros and the legend that accompanies her do not stop there. The sailors and the locals were unable to complete the project as they lacked wood for the roof. At the same time, a few kilometers off the Aegean off another ship loaded with timber was in danger of sinking. The captain of the ship made his decision to throw the ship’s cargo into the sea to lighten up to save his crew.

A few moments later, the sea began to wash away all the timber needed to complete the roof of the church. For this reason, the Church was named Our Lady of Theoskepast in Andros, as its erection and roof were completed by miracle.

With information from Andros-guide.gr, orthodoxianewsagency.gr