This Sacred Island

Being towards the northern end of the Cyclades, Tinos is within relatively easy reach of Athens and so weekend homes for Athenians are commonplace here, particularly in Tinos Town itself. But the steady stream of visitors heading here from the mainland arrive for something far more spiritual, with several sites on the island holding special significance in the Greek Orthodox Church. Amongst these, the Panagia Megolacharia church in Tinos Town itself is possibly Greece’s main pilgrimage destination, a pilgrimage which includes a remarkable personal endurance commitment. More of that later.

The church, actually a monastery originally, is built, according to legend, on the site of the discovery of a buried icon featuring the Virgin Mary praying, unearthed after a Nun was compelled to the site by a vision of Our Lady, telling her that this is the site of where her church should stand. She located the spot, and villagers dug, eventually unearthing the icon which is housed in the church to this day. Pilgrims flock here year round but especially, it turns out, in August.

And so our difficulty in finding a room is explained. We have arrived on Tinos on the second most important date of pilgrimage, and consequently the town is thronged with Greek visitors, filling virtually every hotel and apartment in town. Our tiny room must have been one of the last available, as our reconnaissance around town today reveals a lack of places even after the weekend, despite what we were told yesterday. We may struggle to find another bed after our two nights in this room, but those driven here by a higher belief should certainly take priority over tourists like us. We will do what we can.

The bustling town hugs the hills above the harbour and adjoining bays, and is home to a whole host of restaurants catering for the visitors from mainland Greece. Consequently the town buzzes with chatter, large groups sit over long leisurely meals late into the evening, Greek music drifts through the air. 

We spend the day exploring the town, half seeking a place to stay, half taking in the sights, as the bulky island ferries come and go, each one disgorging yet more hordes of visitors, until we succumb to a light fish and salad lunch and spend some time on a beach just out of town. The Aegean is warm, and crystal clear. 

Returning to our room, we witness the incredible pilgrimage in its stark reality for the first time. The entire route up the steep hill from the port to the church is carpeted with a rough textile, over stone, tarmac, cobbles and, eventually, steps. The more devout pilgrims make the entire climb on hands and knees, in reverence to Our Lady Of Tinos, dragging themselves inch by inch until they reach the church interior. As they near the final steps, many are sobbing openly, no doubt partly through exertion and pain, but mostly through the amazing spiritual experience the pilgrimage constitutes. They find the strength to undertake this task from within their faith. It is more than a little moving to witness their open emotion, and humbling to witness.