Kefalonia, Greece, August 16, 2022
The “Snakes of Panagia” have again made their annual appearance in villages of the Greek island of Kefalonia.
Every year, around the new calendar feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord, mysterious snakes appear in the villages of Markopoulo and Agrinia where there are chapels dedicated to the Dormition of the Theotokos, remaining until the feast of the Dormition on August 15.
Hundreds and thousands of faithful pilgrims flock to the villages every year to behold the Snakes of the Panagia that seem to appear from out of nowhere and disappear again after the feast. The black and white snakes have the Sign of the Cross on their velvety heads, and their tongues are in the shape of a cross.
The local faithful testify that the snakes are warm-blooded, which is unknown anywhere else or any other time in the world. The snakes crawl throughout the churches and especially around the icons of the Theotokos.
Many have testified that when they touched the snakes, they were healed of incurable diseases.
According to Mystagogy, with reference to local Greek outlets, two snakes appeared this year on August 6 in Markopoulo and two in Agrinia.
“At their appearance, the bells rang joyfully to announce their arrival,” according to Mystagogy.
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The Church of the Dormition in Markopoluo 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 the pirates were terrified by the sight of snakes darting towards them when they entered the convent and they fled.
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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