Holy Monastery Esfigmenou

On December 6, 1891, the lay worker Theodoros Karamaniolas from Ierissos fell asleep on the arsanas (monastery small harbour)  in front of the Shrine of the Virgin Mary that was lit by his candle. But during the night, due to rain, a large rock was detached from the mountain, which crushed the arsanas complex.

In the debris of the disaster, only a small part of the wall that protected the shrine of Panagia was found standing. As soon as the monks took the icon in their hands, the part of the wall that protected it collapsed. Also the worker, who was spending the night there, was found unharmed fifty meters away from the ruins, covered with the blanket he was sleeping on.