The book by Alekos E. Florakis, The Pilgrimage to Panagia of Tinos, is presented at the Cultural Foundation of Tinos. It is a two-volume work published by the Panhellenic Holy Foundation of Evangelistria of Tinos and the Cultural Foundation of Tinos.

About the Book

Two volumes, a total of one thousand pages. In the first volume, entitled “The sacred place, the ritual of pilgrimage, the folk worship”, the subject is approached both chronologically and synchronically, focusing on the study of the anthropology of the place, the ritual of sacred pilgrimage and the cultic-dedicatory practices that accompany it.

In particular, the historical context at the time of the foundation of the Sanctuary is examined; the manifestation of the sanctuary and its components; the construction of the sacred place; the organization of the sacred space, the structure and functionality of the individual circles of sanctity; the two-way zones of approach, on the one hand deterring the demonic forces and on the other hand mystical for the faithful; the parallel sacred centres (Monastery of Kechrovouni and Second Finding) in the body of traditions and their organisation. In addition, the relationship between sacredness and historicity; the national character that the icon and the temple of Megalochari took on; the ritual of the sacred exodus; the consecration, the hierophantic elements of the miracle and its historicity; the manifestation of negative hierophanies and incantations; the annual cycle of the four festivals; the religious practices of the pilgrims; the substitutes for sanctity and the symbols which extend the consecration in space and time; the consecration practice as an agreement and process; the categories of consecration acts; the various devotional objects and especially the effigies (“vows”), as to the occasion of the offering, their handicraft construction and their social character and, optionally, the special relationship of the local society with Megalochari and the resulting religious behaviour.

The second volume, entitled “Appendices”, includes four chronicles of the finding of the icon and its miracles from old sources (” Phyllada” of the Kagadis brothers 1833, 1869, Pyrrhus the Thettalos 1848, 1865, Anna Georgantopoulou’s rhyme, ca. 1830)· 225 documents of the 19th and 20th century from the archives and library of the Holy Foundation, classified in six categories; an unpublished report by Adamantios Adamantios to Professor Spyridon Lambros (1894); texts of 18 foreign travellers and old Greek scholars; a selection of publications from the old local and Athenian press; illustrations of the church of the Annunciation during the 19th century; a catalogue of 366 homonyms and objects, classified in four categories and seven subcategories, and 44 dedicatory engravings from the external marbles of the complex.

Rich iconographic material, period photographs and other documents, extensive bibliography and indexes complete the work, which was published by the Panhellenic Holy Foundation of Evangelistria of Tinos and the Cultural Foundation of Tinos in the context of the celebrations for the two hundred years since the discovery of the miraculous icon of the Virgin Mary.

About the Author

Alekos E. Florakis (Athens 1948) is a Doctor of Ethnology and Folklore, who studied in Athens and Paris, and a poet of the Generation of the 70s. He has published many studies in independent books, scientific journals and conference proceedings, as well as poetry collections and other literary books. In 2018 he was awarded the Bronze Medal of the Academy of Athens for all his work.