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Our Lady of Tinos (Greek:Παναγία Ευαγγελίστρια της Τήνου,PanagíaEvangelístria tēs Tēnou,lit. "The All-Holy Bringer of Good News", andΜεγαλόχαρη της Τήνου,Megalócharē tēs Tēnou,lit. "She of Great Grace") is the majorMarian shrine inGreece. It is located in the town ofTinos on theisland of Tinos.
The complex is built around a miraculousicon which according to tradition was found after theVirginappeared to the nunPelagia and revealed to her the place where the icon was buried. The icon is widely believed to be the source of numerous miracles. It is by now almost completely encased in silver, gold, and jewels, and is commonly referred to as the "Megalócharē" ("[She of] Great Grace") or simply the "Chárē Tēs" ("Her Grace"). By extension the church is often called the same, and is considered a protectress of seafarers and healer of the infirm.
The icon was found on the very first days after the creation of themodern Greek State, henceforth Our Lady of Tinos was declared the patron saint of theGreek nation. The icon was at the time thought to be the handwork ofSt. Luke the Evangelist, and a nationwide fund collection was carried out for the building of a church to house it.
The church was designed by the architect from Tinos,Efstratios Kalonaris in the Renaissance style and was inaugurated in 1830. Since then it constitutes the majorChristianpilgrimage in Greece, akin toLourdes in France orFatima in Portugal. The church receives a vast number of donations in silver and gold votives each year; these are auctioned and used for charities.
The church is officially dedicated to theAnnunciation of the Virgin Mary. The major feast of the church, however, is on 15 August when theDormition of theVirgin Mary (Theotokos) is commemorated by theGreek Orthodox Church, following the strong tradition of theAegean Islands where the Dormition is grandly celebrated in mid-August as the principal summer feast.
The second finding of the icon took place on December 18, 1842, according to the Old Church Orthodox calendar in force until 1924 in Greece, corresponding to 31 December in the current civil calendar.
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