Description of the attraction
Panagia Ekatontapiliani, or the Church of Our Lady of Stovratnaya, is a famous temple complex in the city of Parikia, on the island of Paros. The church is located near the city port and this is perhaps one of the most interesting and popular attractions in Parikia. The Church of Our Lady of Stovratnaya is also one of the oldest churches in the territory of modern Greece, as well as an important historical and architectural monument.
A long-standing tradition says that to found a temple on the island of Paros was the desire of Saint Helena, who found herself here during her journey to the Holy Land in search of the relics of the Passion of Christ and made a vow before the icon of the Virgin Mary to build a temple on the island if her search was successful. The son of Helena, the Roman emperor Constantine I the Great, fulfilled the will of his mother and erected a three-aisled basilica on the island, consecrated in honor of the Assumption of the Virgin.
It is believed that this church was later partially destroyed (presumably as a result of a fire) and was restored already in the 6th century during the reign of the Byzantine emperor Justinian I thanks to the student of Isidore of Miletus, who built the famous Hagia Sophia in Constantinople, the talented architect Ignatius. In the following centuries, a number of changes and additions were made, before, harmoniously combining elements of the early Christian, Byzantine and post-Byzantine periods, Panagia Ekatontapiliani turned into the impressive ensemble that we see today, and consisting of the main temple of the Virgin Mary (including the chapel of Agios Anagiros, Agios Filippos and Osia Theoktisti), the chapels of Agios Nikolaos, Agia Theodosia and Agios Dimitrios, the baptistery and the massive structure surrounding the complex, where various administrative and utility rooms are located. The main relic of Panagia Ekatontapiliani is the miraculous icon of the Mother of God, which attracts thousands of pilgrims from all over the world every year.
