{"id":15251,"date":"2022-02-14T10:41:01","date_gmt":"2022-02-14T10:41:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/religiousroutes.eu\/?post_type=route&p=15251"},"modified":"2022-02-14T10:43:45","modified_gmt":"2022-02-14T10:43:45","slug":"pilgrimages-of-the-virgin","status":"publish","type":"route","link":"https:\/\/religiousroutes.eu\/en\/route\/pilgrimages-of-the-virgin\/","title":{"rendered":"Pilgrimages of the Virgin"},"content":{"rendered":"

It is difficult to estimate in how many parts of our homeland holy monasteries and churches have been built, dedicated to the Virgin Mary. An infinite number of icons of the Virgin Mary are stored in monasteries and holy shrines. The Virgin Mary, the holiest of the faces of Orthodoxy, is glorified in every corner of Greece.<\/p>\n

The main reason for the establishment of these religious monuments was, to a large extent, the miraculous presence of the Virgin Mary in the specific place or the miraculous finding of a sacred image, which comes even from the iconoclasm period in Byzantium. Also, this preference has to do not only with the prominent position of the Virgin Mary in Orthodoxy, but also with the respect and the exceptional honor that Islam and consequently the conquerors paid to the Virgin Mary. The Virgin Mary, in the tradition of Islam, is the daughter of Joachim and Anna, whom, according to the Qur’an, her mother dedicated to Allah, to serve him. She remained pure by divine choice and gave birth to Christ in a unique way, occupying a superior position among all women. The establishment of temples and monasteries, after the Turkish conquest, would certainly take into account this special position of the Virgin Mary, in order to protect the religious monuments in her honor.<\/p>\n

The worship and devotion that the faithful have to the Most Holy Theotokos is proved by the many names, which have been dedicated to her grace, the “Theotokonymia”, which exceed 500 in Greece: Megalohari, Ekatontapyliani, Faneromeni, Eikosiforinoussa, , Eleousa, Megalospilaiotissa, Giatrissa, and many more. In Epirus, the long Byzantine tradition of the region has to show many monasteries and churches, which are dedicated to its grace. The Virgin Mary holds a leading position in the honor and respect of Christians in the mainland, which is reflected in the long period of time and under difficult historical, social and economic conditions. The people of Epirus have dedicated to her imposing monasteries, majestic churches and humble chapels. The route that follows, in stations with important historical and artistic pilgrimages of the Virgin Mary in the area of \u200b\u200bIoannina, proves the worship of the faithful and gives the visitor the opportunity to admire up close religious monuments of the highest artistic creation dedicated to Her.<\/p>\n