Tinos

Tinos is located with the Cyclades Island complex in Greece. The island is most famous for the Church of Panagia Evangelistria, which holds a miraculous icon of the Virgin Mary. On August 15th each year, the island holds Our Lady’s Feast Day, which is a yearly pilgrimage in the eastern Mediterranean. During this day, the church and town are busting with people, and services take place next to a commercial fair held in the streets. Many pilgrims make the trek from the ferry port to the church on their hands and knees as a sign of devotion. This is also a day of commemoration for the sinking of the Elli, a Greek cruiser, which was sunk at Tinos’ harbor in 1940 on this date.

The church stands overlooking the site in which the icon of Our Lady was first discovered. Next to the church, you will find the gallery of Tiniot Artists and Modern Greek Painter’s, which holds an interesting collection of arts and culture. At Xombourgo, you can see the ruins of a medieval castle.

Tinos island itself has been little affected by tourism, and many of the villages still hold onto their traditional and cultural past and architecture.

The landscaping of the island varies upon which area you are visiting. There are many beaches and mountains to be explored. The landscape around Volax has a very unusual quality of huge boulders, some the size of large, multistoried buildings, while the mountains around Pyrgos hold some of the most beautiful green marble found in Greece. All over Tinos, you can see many beautiful pieces made from stone by the islanders. The hills are complemented with stone walls, and each village is connected by stone walkways that are set between stone walls.