Jeffrey Siger - Target - Tinos

“That’s Eleni.” Tassos waved back and they walked to her table.

She looked about Andreas’ age and had the Greek woman’s traditional fancy for decolletage revealing dress, in this case a white sleeveless blouse. Aside from that national custom she was discreetly dressed in a knee-length dark-navy skirt and mid-heeled navy pumps. She was virtually indistinguishable from any other serious Greek businesswoman. With one exception: her hair was the bright copper color of an Irish setter and curly as a Shirley Temple doll.

Eleni stood. “Hi, uncle.” She exchanged kisses with Tassos on both cheeks and shook hands with Andreas.

“Uncle? She’s your niece?” Andreas pointed at two men standing by the kitchen. “Let me guess, those two are your cousins.”

Tassos gestured no. “The one to the right is Eleni’s father, and the other is her brother.”

“He’s not really my uncle. He’s just such close friends with my father that I’ve called him ‘uncle’ all my life.”

As they sat down Andreas mumbled to Tassos, “You’re paying.”

The father and son came over with water, biscuits, and coffee, and after exchanging hugs and introductions left them alone to talk.

“So, uncle, what is the ‘sensitive’ subject you want to discuss with me?”

Tassos smiled, “I see your career has made you all business. Whatever happened to, ‘Hello, how are you?’”

She laughed. “I know how you are. My father told me all about Maggie, and since I know you’re here with the famous Chief Inspector Andreas Kaldis, who’s marrying Lila Vardi this Sunday on Mykonos in the wedding of the season, I assumed you’re both anxious to get to what’s on your mind.”

Andreas looked at Tassos. “I take back what I said before about Eleni being your niece. She must be your daughter.”

“I should have only been so lucky.” Tassos leaned over and pinched Eleni’s cheek. “Andreas, tell Eleni ‘what’s on your mind.’”

Eleni sat back in her chair and focused on Andreas.

“If you’ll excuse me I’m rather new to your family. I don’t mean to sound rude, but could you give me a little background on what you do at the Foundation. It might make it easier for me to explain what I need to know.”

Eleni looked at Tassos. “He’s trying to decide whether he can trust me.” She smiled. “But that’s fair. I’m personal assistant to the vice-president of the Evangelistria Foundation’s commission.”

“Who’s the President?”

“The Bishop of Syros and Tinos. Whoever is bishop is president by reason of his position. There are ten members of the commission. The other nine are all Orthodox Tinians elected to serve without compensation, and the vice-president runs the day-to-day affairs of the Foundation. You do know what the Foundation is, right?”

“Sort of.”

“That’s the answer I generally hear, second only to ‘not a clue.’ And to be honest, that’s the way we like it.” Shirley Temple flashed a glorious smile.

Andreas smiled back. “Okay, let’s start from ‘not a clue,’ just so that I don’t have to interrupt you with questions by having mistakenly opted for the more advanced lecture.”

Eleni took a sip of water. “First let me give you a little background. In ancient times, a temple to the Greek god Dionysus stood on the present day site of the Church of Panagia Evangelistria. When Christianity came to the Cyclades the temple was transformed into a Christian church dedicated to the Virgin Mary and Saint John the Precursor. It was in those early Byzantine years that the Holy Icon of the Megalochari came to the island of Tinos to be kept and venerated within that church.

“However, the Megalochari dated back to long before Byzantine times. It belonged to the early Christian era and those who’ve studied it unanimously concluded that it was one of the first three icons painted by the apostle Saint Luke during the lifetime of the Holy Virgin. Many believe the Megalochari received its wonder-working power directly from the Holy Virgin herself who blessed it with the words, ‘The grace of him who was borne by me, be through me with it.’

“In the mid-10th century Saracen pirates invaded Tinos, burned and leveled the church, and the holy icon vanished. Nine centuries later, in July 1822, a nun named Pelagia from a monastery northeast of the town had three recurring, consecutive Sunday visions of the Holy Virgin instructing her to convince her superiors to order digging at a specific place where they would find the missing holy icon and must build a church to the Holy Virgin.

“Her superiors believed the nun, but the place in her vision was a cultivated field and the owner was away in Constantinople, so excavations did not start until September. Within a matter of days the ruins of the ancient temple were discovered, but as more days wore on without finding the Megalochari the islanders lost heart and work stopped. Soon after, a great cholera epidemic struck the island, killing hundreds. The townspeople were frightened, believing they’d brought the epidemic on themselves by not following the Holy Virgin’s instructions. They prayed for forgiveness, resumed excavations, and began rebuilding a church on the unearthed ruins.

“On January 30, 1823, a laborer discovered the Holy Icon of the Megalochari by splitting it in two with his shovel. On one half was the Virgin Mary and on the other half the Archangel Gabriel. It had been buried for almost 850 years, yet when found was virtually undamaged. A miracle in and of itself.

“Sister Pelagia was sainted in 1970.”

Andreas reached for a biscuit, sneaking a peek at his watch as he did. He’d asked for the whole lecture. There was nothing he could do but listen.

“There was another immediate miracle recorded by historians of the time. From the moment the holy icon was discovered no more cases of the epidemic were reported and those suffering with the disease recovered.”

Andreas took a sip of coffee.

“The people of Tinos decided to build a much larger church than the one they’d started. Although they would finish the smaller one, work immediately began on what would become our magnificent Church of Panagia Evangelistria. The construction of the church and much of the eastern part of the complex you see today was completed in less than eight years, virtually all of it during Greece’s War of Independence with Turkey. That was another miraculous achievement, considering Tinos was a poor island and everything was done while it operated a wartime port, sent its young off to fight alongside other Greeks, and struggled to feed thousands of refugees fleeing here from other islands.

“They transported marbles and columns, mainly from ancient temples on the nearby holy island of Delos but also from Tinos’ ancient temple of Poseidon. Marble was mined from our finest quarries and the most famous artisans and technicians of the time worked side by side with unskilled laborers. Passing ships loaded with timber and other building materials generously donated part of their cargo for the construction. And when all seemed lost, the Holy Virgin would provide.”

“By a miracle, I presume,” said Tassos.

Eleni smiled, “Yes, uncle, ‘a miracle.’ At one point during the first years of construction the church faced serious financial difficulties and there seemed no choice but to halt work. A large English frigate, anchored at the time off the town’s beach, was suddenly engulfed in an unexpected storm driving it toward certain destruction on the rocks. The English vice-consul standing on the frigate’s deck saw our church under construction above the town and prayed for salvation from the storm, promising a substantial donation should he be delivered from harm.

“An eyewitness said the storm raged all across the sea but around the frigate there was absolute calm, as if protected by a divine hand. Faithful to his promise, the vice-consul went to the church, gave thanks to the Megalochari and one hundred Spanish pieces of eight to the church treasury. His generosity allowed construction to continue.”