The Annunciation at Tinos

The Annunciation at Tinos is one of two principal pilgrimage feasts at the shrine of Panagia Evangelistria, held on 25 March 2025. The church holds the icon of the Virgin found on the island in 1823 — venerated as the Megalochari, the Great Grace — and the Panagia of Tinos is the declared national patron saint of Greece. The Panhellenic Holy Foundation of Evangelistria was established in 1825, in the first years of the modern Greek state, to administer the pilgrimage and direct its endowment to education and charity.

The Annunciation falls on the same day as the national anniversary of Greek independence. The feast observes an all-night vigil, a hierarchal liturgy, and the procession of the icon. Pilgrims climb the long Megalochari avenue from the harbour to the marble steps of the church, some on their knees in accordance with long custom. The August Dormition draws larger numbers; the March feast is the smaller of the two annual pilgrimages at the shrine.