Panagia Evangelistria - one of Greece's greatest sanctuaries

Tinos' big draw is the Panagía Evangelistría, the Church of the Virgin, or Church of the Annunciation, built in 1830 and one of the largest sanctuaries in Greece. The church with its encircled buildings and the avenue from the church square down to the harbor dominate the cityscape. The complex is erected on the site where the miraculous and miraculous icon of the Holy Virgin Mary is said to have been found.

Thousands of pilgrims visit the church all year round, but the influx is particularly large on March 25, Mary's Annunciation Day, and August 15, Mary's Ascension. Many hope that the divine power of the icon will relieve heartache and pain and perhaps heal illnesses and magically remove blemishes. They bring offerings, kneel before the icon in deep reverence, kiss it and make the sign of the cross.