The "Apodosis", meaning the completion of the Christian celebration which began eight days ago, in this case the completion of the celebration of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary and that of her Metastasis which is celebrated on August 15, is called by the people "The nine days of the Virgin Mary" and is considered a "commemoration", the memorial day of the Dormition of the mother of Christ. Similarly, a...

The great work of digitalization and through that the rescue of a great historical archive of manuscripts, microfilms and miniatures in slides was concluded with an agreement between the Patriarchal Institute of Patristic Studies (PIPM), the Greek Ministry of Culture and the Prefecture of Central Macedonia. The PIPM was founded 42 years ago by the Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras in order to rescue precious manuscripts and miniatures of the libraries of the...

The most famous Church of Greece, the Church that is linked to the Greek revolution of 1821, and where one of the most important icons of the Orthodox is kept, is the Church of the Graceful, the Church of the Virgin Mary of Tinos. Throughout the year, the church gathers the attention and the hopes of thousands of Christians who crowd there to request and offer, to deposit on the...

The Assumption of the Virgin Mary is one of the biggest celebrations of Christianity and the Orthodox Christian religion and is celebrated since around the 6th century A.D. from all the Christians, on August 15 in most churches but also on different dates in some countries. In Greece, it is celebrated on August 15, which is an official public holiday. According to the Orthodox tradition, the Virgin Mary was informed of...

There are dozens of forms of address for the Virgin Mary and even more icons that depict her beloved image which symbolizes motherhood, protection, care, family, goodness and absolute and unnegotiable love. Each icon of the Virgin Mary, from the oldest and rarest to the most "humble", has its own emotional value. However, some icons of the Virgin Mary are inextricably linked to the Christian Orthodox tradition. Some of these...

Earlier this summer, the news of the honorary Europa Nostra Award given to the chapel of Agia Kyriaki of Naxos, accompanied by a separate monetary award, filled with joy and pride not only the inhabitants of Naxos but also those who contributed to its restoration. These are the preservers of the Ephorate of Antiquities of the Cyclades who take care of dozens of monuments throughout the Cyclades, thus contributing to...

Greece is interspersed with monasteries and churches decorated with icon paintings of all the periods to the present day. However, the icon for the Orthodox religion symbolizes the means with which the faithful comes into contact with the divine and at the same time, expresses the faith through a great form of art, namely icon painting. The icons of the Orthodox faith, from various schools with diverse styles, symbolize different meanings,...

Two famous Cyclades islands, selected by thousands of travelers each year for their summer holidays, hide two unique religious treasures. Milos with the catacombs, unique throughout Greece and third worldwide in size and importance, following the labyrinthine catacombs of Rome and those of the Holy Land, and Amorgos with the Monastery of Ηοzoviotissa, with the foundation of the initial building throughout the centuries and the attachments later on dated to...