TINOS, Greece (AP) — More than a thousand chapels dot the Greek island of Tinos. In a rare centuries-old tradition, the mostly simple, room-sized stone structures are painstakingly maintained by the ordinary families that own them.
These private whitewashed chapels with miniature bell towers belong to octogenarians and Generation Z, goat farmers and hotel owners, Orthodox Christians and Catholics who worship daily and de facto atheists.
What they have in common is an unwavering dedication to preserving the diminutive churches their ancestors built — and to throwing a liturgical and community celebration called panigiri around the feast day of the Virgin Mary or saint they honor.
“This tradition and custom that connect us between members of the family is part of our identity. I’m fully committed to maintaining and passing them down to my children,” said Ioanna Krikelli during the September festival at her family’s church, Agios Sostis, established in the 17th century.
Perched on a rocky promontory on the Aegean Sea facing Mykonos, the chapel with its twin bell towers topped by simple crosses hosted an hourlong evening liturgy. Hundreds of faithful packed the front yard festooned with small Greek flags and string lights.
“What you see here is very deep,” Krikelli said, as family members — including two who had traveled from Iceland and the United Kingdom for the occasion — served homemade raki liqueur and sweets after the service.
Greek island chapels galore
For centuries, European aristocrats built private chapels, usually in their palaces. Today, many homes in predominantly Orthodox G …