Greece is an Orthodox country

There are world-famous shrines in Rhodes. There are icons to which people ask to conceive a child. There are pieces of relics that grant healing. There are also quite unusual icons in Rhodes - they help to find lost things.

There are thousands of churches in Rhodes. It is interesting to explore them with theological guides, who have special education and know everything about Rhodes churches. If you are a pilgrim, please email me - I can recommend a theologically trained guide.

In this article we will look at my personal TOP - 8 most soulful churches and monasteries in Rhodes.
The rules of conduct in Greek churches and Orthodox churches in the post-Soviet space are different."

CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES

Entrance to churches and monasteries in Rhodes is free. Women in Greece are not required to wear a headscarf. The only requirement is that shoulders and knees should be covered, for this purpose there is usually a pareo in front of the entrance. Candles are not bought in churches in Greece. It is customary to leave a donation for them - as much as you think necessary.

The 16th-century monastery of Our Lady of Tzambiki (36.230379 , 28.134823). This is the most visited church of Rhodes. There is a beautiful legend about the discovery of the icon of Our Lady of Tzambiki. A peasant from the village of Archangelos observed a glow on the top of the mountain for several evenings. Piracy was prevalent in the Middle Ages, so he thought the mountain was glowing with the fire of robbers.

Together with the villagers, he decided to climb the mountain. Upon his arrival, it turned out that the light was coming from a tiny icon. This light was so strong that the peasant temporarily went blind. He exclaimed "tsambo!" which in the local dialect means "I am blind!" So the little icon and the mountain where it was found became known as Tsambika. Now at the place where the icon was found, there is a chapel called "Upper Tsambika". There are 300 steps leading up to it.

Miracles began to happen by the icon. Our Lady of Tzambika especially helped childless women who dreamed of having a child. There was a ritual - a woman had to climb the mountain on her knees up 300 steps, light a candle in the form of a baby, and then swallow the wick of the burnt candle. In today's world, it is not necessary to kneel on the mountain; the priests believe that it is not the form of the rite that matters, but your vow and faith. In gratitude for the birth of a child, a woman makes a vow to either baptize the infant in this church or to name the baby after Tzambikos or Tzambika.

Countless miracles have already been performed here, which is why the name Tzambika and Tzambikos are so common in Rhodes. Also you can choose athos villas halkidiki for vacation.

The Lower Temple, into which the icon was transferred for the convenience of the pilgrims, has an unusual occurrence. In 1522 Rhodes was invaded by the Ottomans. The wife of the Turkish viceroy, who owned the land around the monastery, could not conceive a child. She learned that Greek women were praying for the gift of children in front of an icon on the mountain. Although she was forbidden by the Muslim faith, she still performed the ritual, and promised that she would have the child baptized in an Orthodox church.

Nine months later, she gave birth to a boy. The baby was unusual - with a clenched fist. Everyone thought it was a birth defect. The woman remembered her promise, and secretly went to baptize her son. The angry husband, upon finding out, rushed after him. The priest hastily baptized the child, the son opened his fist and the angry father saw the candle wick on his palm, which the mother had swallowed during the ceremony. This story may seem like a legend, but there is documentary evidence that the Lower Church of Our Lady of Tsambik arose on the land of an Ottoman official in the 16th century.

The active male monastery of the Archangel Michael in the village of Fari (36.1333343, 27.9149669). One of the oldest monasteries that have survived to this day. The exact time of its founding is unknown, scientists believe that it occurred between the IX and XI centuries. There is a legend that the main temple of the monastery was built by a seriously ill rich girl. She was healed here, thanks to the beautiful climate and the clear water from the spring that has survived to this day. In a dream, the Archangel Michael appeared to her with the words "Courage, you will get better," and he indicated the place where she was to build a temple in gratitude for her healing.

To determine the size of the future monastery, the girl threw her ring with all her might - where the ring would land, that would be the length of the temple. The servants began to search for the ring, but it was hard to find. There was a buzz of voices. One said, "I think it fell there," another said, "I believe it fell there." The word "Phari" (sometimes pronounced "Tari") translates from Greek as "I think I believe. This is how the monastery got its name - Fari.

The dome and walls of the temple are painted with frescos, the oldest of which date back to the XII century. The main relic is a large miracle-working image of the Archangel Michael of Fari. In 2008, during the terrible forest fires that raged in Rhodes, it was with this icon that the monks marched in procession around the monastery. As they approached the territory of the monastery, the fire stopped. Note that when you drive up to Fari, the burned out hectares of forest are striking, and the monastery itself is buried in greenery.

Honestly, this is my favorite temple in Rhodes.