Kefalonia, Greece, August 15, 2018
Mystagogy A strange miracle is known to occur in early-mid-August on the western Greek island of Kefalonia that draws hundreds of faithful pilgrims to two tiny villages to pray and give thanks to God.
Mystagogy One snake is reported to have appeared in Markopoulo and one in Arginia. Church bells joyfully rang out to announce their appearance. It has not been reported if more snakes have appeared since then. The snakes appear every year and begin crawling everywhere throughout the churches, and particularly around the icon of the Panagia.
Mystagogy The local faithful testify that the snakes are warm-blooded, which is unknown anywhere else or any other time in the world.
Mystagogy As can be seen in the video below, the snakes are peaceful and safe, and the faithful even venerate the snakes themselves, as a miraculous manifestation from God and the Most Holy Theotokos.
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The Church of the Dormition in Markopouo is built on the ruins of an old monastery. In the early 18th century, the nuns of the former convent were attacked by pirates. They prayed fervently to the Theotokos for protection, and when the pirates entered the convent they were terrified by the sight of snakes darting towards them and they fled.
Mystagogy The snakes have appeared every year since then, except for two years: 1940, the year Greece was brought into the Second World War, and 1953, the year of a devastating earthquake on Kefalonia. Thus, it is believed to be ominous if the snakes do not appear.
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