The church of Panagia Faneromeni is one of the many ancient and sacred sites kept on the Halkidiki peninsula. It stands near the village of Nea Skioni.
It has a long history that dates back to the 16th century. It was named after an awe-inspiring icon, which is still kept within its walls. Originally, the church was part of the Flamuri monastery in Fhessaly, but was returned to christianity in 1881 when Thessaly was liberated from turkish rule. Presently, it is a part of the theological school of Halki.
A curious legend surrounds the primary image of the Panagia Faneromeni church. One night, a local villager perceived a luminescence in the sea, advancing towards the land. Thinking it was a raiding vessel, he rushed back to the village to alert the people of the imminent peril. When morning came, the light had reached the shore, yet to their consternation, the source of the light was a large chunk of marble depicting the Virgin Mary.
The inhabitants of the place believed it to be a divine occurrence and requested the turkish leader for consent to assemble a church in which the icon could be kept. However, he denied them, and then threw the icon on the ground and started to tread on it with his feet. Miraculously, the image of the Virgin became flexible, and the bey became stuck inside it like in clay. When he discerned his error, the turk not only expressed regret and gave permission for the construction, but he also converted to orthodoxy.
At the start, inhabitants of the village decided to construct a church on the peak of the hill, as they thought the Virgin Mary would protect them from the sea bandits. But every night the structure was demolished, and the marble image was found beside the ocean each time. People thought the image’s movements meant that a church must be constructed at that spot. The townspeople hold the icon to be divine. In the church, one can find out more about the wonders it has worked. Here, it is also assumed that the icon cries whenever disastrous events come about: this was the case before WWII and when the turks invaded Cyprus.
Investigations of the stone-built Panagia Faneromeni church uncovered earlier masonry and foundations, implying the site might have been a destroyed early christian temple.
The church is renowned for its copious frescoes, some of which were spared, making it a valuable resource for researching Halkidiki’s pre-revolutionary church painting. The frescoes, dating back to the late 1600s, reflect the prevalent traditions of church painting, many of which were inspired by the Cretean school.
The icon of Panagia Faneromeni located in the temple iconostasis was almost completely destroyed. Over time, the applied image to the marble had been erased. If you take a closer look, you can spot the footmarks of a turk. A more likely version is that the marble pedestal of the statue was taken to Crete the icon.
Aside from this important relic, another ancient artifact is found in the temple — a tombstone from the 2nd century ad, which was discovered at the burial place of a child (inscription revealed that). It was discovered among the ruins of ancient Skioni.
The church is located 2 km from Nea Skioni on the Kassandra peninsula. To reach the church with a car, you should travel past Nea Skioni in the direction of Loutra, and you will find it on the right side next to the sea. Bus number 79 from Thessaloniki airport will take you to the bus station Ktel Halkidikis, and from there you can take another bus to Nea Skioni. Then, you can take a taxi to the church.
On the fifteenth of August, the church organizes an annual occasion in tribute to the assumption of the Virgin Mary, which is worth going to for committed worshippers who are holidaying close to Nea Skioni.
