Naxos Panagia tis Spilias

Location: Damarionas

Panagia tis Spilias (Virgin of the cave) is a church built in a cave, located in the area of Xerokampos, near Damarionas village. Upon entering the small cave, one can see a collection of various icons and votive offerings that are placed beneath an imposing natural stone formation.
According to a local legend, a maiden coming from a local noble family found this cave while seeking refuge to protect herself from armed pirates that were persecuting her. Inside the cave she found two icons -one of them depicting Virgin Mary. She prayed to Virgin Mary and promised that she would build a church if she was saved. As if by miracle, the pirates passed by the cave and did not see her. So the girl built the front entrance to thank Virgin Mary and the small church remains well-preserved to this day.