According to the tradition, a shipwrecked man in the Gulf of Corinth was trying to rich dry land and save his life. He suddenly saw a light in the dark and thought he was reaching the land. He filled himself with courage and made a lot of effort to get out of the sea. When he reached the land he tried to follow that light in order to find out what it was, as that light helped him save his life. Surprisingly he saw a picture with the icon of Virgin Mary, a work by Lukas the Evangelist.
The shipwrecked man, then, gave his first aid to build a small chapel exactly on the spot where the Image was found. Virgin Mary is the protector of the city and its people. It is believed that Virgin Mary ‘Trypiti’ has made many miracles, and the church has been established as a National pilgrimage, where thousands of people come and visit. The church has been built 30m above the sea level, in a fantastic natural environment. It has been built on a rocky cave- a ‘hole’ (trypa in Greek) – and so it is named Trypiti.
In order for someone to visit the church, he needs to take the steps[1]150 steps in total. At the entrance of the church one can find the water fountain and the inscription saying ‘wash out your sins and not just your face’, which can be read vice versa. Both the interior of the church and the outside area with the gardens and the view are very impressive and calming.
