Virgin Mary Evreti

On our left 300 meters after we leave Agridi on the way to Tripotama, we see a cement road heading up to the church of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary (Kimisis tis Theotokou). To the left near the beginning of the road, there is a small cave in the rock. (Small stalactites can be discerned, although most have been destroyed.) Here, according to tradition, an icon of the Virgin was found during the Ottoman occupation, leading to its nickname, Evreti or Vretoula, from the Greek word for ‘finder.’ The icon is kept inside the parish church of the Holy Belt (Agia Zoni, also known as the Cincture of the Theotokos and the Girdle of Thomas). Tradition says that the original icon was enriched with the icon-paintings of the Twelve Apostles in Constantinople, where it was sent after a faithful vow.