Panagia Spiliani Monastery
Enter this spacious cave and descend 95 steps to the tiny church of Panagia Spiliani (Virgin of the Grotto). Half church, half cavern, this most unique landmark is also called Kaliarmenissa ("for good travels"), as it houses an antique icon of the Virgin Mary that, according to legend, was stolen from Samos and carried to a far-off land. Miraculously, it fell from the boat during the journey and broke into pieces, all of which washed ashore back on Samos. A pool in the grotto, once the sanctuary of a Roman cult, is considered to contain miracle-working water, and some have posited that it was here that Pythagoras taught and held discourse with his peers.
