Pelagia of Tinos

Pelagia (born Loukia; 1752 – 28 April 1834), distinguished as Pelagia of Tinos, is an Eastern Orthodox saint credited with receiving visions of the Virgin Mary which directed her to the lost icon of Our Lady of Tinos in 1822, shortly after the establishment of modern Greece.

Born in 1752 on the island of Tinos, she became a nun at age 15, taking the name Pelagia.

Her father died when she was a child, and at age 15 she decided to become a nun, and going under the supervision of her aunt, named Pelagia. Loukia joined her aunt at the Kechrovouni Monastery in Tinos, taking the monastic name Pelagia after her. In this vision, Pelagia saw majestic lady with a halo. The lady explained how she suffered from being buried underground for many years. The woman told Pelagia find Stamatelos Kangades, a prominent man, and tell him to unearth the church of St. John the Baptist that was in a field which a man named Anthony Doxaras owned. Pelagia did not believe the validity of the vision at first. An expedition was called, and uncovered the foundations of the church of St. John the Baptist that was destroyed in the 10th century by the Saracens, but after funding ran out, the effort stopped. Pelagia had another vision in which the Virgin Mary urged continuation of the project, and the bishop solicited donations to continue the work. Numerous feast days related to Pelagia, the icon, and the visions take place throughout the year on Tinos.

Veneration Pelagia is a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church, and her feast day is celebrated on 23 July.