Case file · Apparition / miracle
Pelagia's vision and the icon of Tinos
In 1822 the nun Pelagia of the Kechrovouni convent on Tinos reported repeated visions telling her where to dig for a buried icon; it was found on 30 January 1823.
1823 CE · 37.54, 25.16 · status: account
The account
The icon of the Annunciation was unearthed in a field at the spot she described, and the church of Panagia Evangelistria was built over it. Its discovery during the Greek War of Independence made it a national symbol, and Tinos became the largest Marian pilgrimage in Greece, with pilgrims crawling up from the harbour on 15 August.
The sceptical view
The visions rest on Pelagia's testimony; the island had ruined churches, and old icons could plausibly be found in the ground.