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September 11, 2021

The Expanding Veneration of Saint Theodora of Vasta


The famous 12th century Chapel of Saint Theodora of Vasta in the southern Peloponnese, with its seventeen trees growing on its roof, was a local shrine for hundreds of years, that gradually expanded in popularity since the 1950's, and today is one of the most visited shrines in Greece, with people coming there daily from all over the world. In the past few years especially the veneration of Saint Theodora has been expanding outside of the small village of Vasta. In 2010 I reported how a chapel dedicated to the Saint was built in Nafplio (see here). Now new frescoes and icons are popping up in various churches of Greece bearing the image of the Saint. The ones posted here are some newer examples, some with her signature chapel in Vasta and some without. Like Saint Irene Chrysovalantou, it seems like this is another Saint of old who in our times is in the process of going through an expanded veneration, primarily because of their association with miracles in our times.