The Church of Zoodochos Pigi Kotsina

The church of Zoodochos Pigi in Kotsina is one of the most interesting churches in Lemnos due to the underground tunnel that leads to the holy water in the heart of the hill. References to the Zoodochos Pigi church can be traced back to the late Byzantine period when the island was under Venetian rule. Then, the church was located within the walls of the Castle of Kotsina, which was an important port on Lemnos at the time. It was initially dedicated to the Virgin Mary, but it is unknown how it eventually came to be dedicated to Zoodochos Pigi (“Life-giving well”). The current building of the church was constructed in the 1950s. To access the holy water of the church, visitors must descend approximately 60 steps down a domed tunnel to the center of the hill where there is a room that is below sea level. The Venetian builders of the Castle understood the value of the underground well, and they preserved it, making it accessible even today. Zoodochos Pigi Kotsina celebrates Easter Friday with a large festival in the church courtyard. A female statue may be seen in the courtyard of Zoodochos Pigi Kotsina.

According to history, this is Maroula, the local hero who led her fellow villagers to drive out the Turks who had besieged the Castle in 1478.

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