The island of Tinos is the centre point for the celebrations of the annual Feast of the Dormition (or Assumption). Thousands of faithful have flocked to the Cycladic island from across the country to honour and venerate the Theotokos (God bearer), with many offering gifts to the Church’s icon believed to be miraculous. The government is represented by Defence Minister Panos Kammenos, while opposition party New Democracy (ND) is represented by the party’s spokesperson George Koumoutsakos. President of the Centrists’ Union (Enosi Kentroon) Vasilis Leventis is also attending the celebrations on Tinos. The heads of the Greek armed forces were also in present. The erection of the Church of the Virgin Mary on Tinos was completed in 1880, after the miraculous icon of the Holy Virgin was discovered in 1823 following a dream by a nun called Saint Pelagia where the Theotokos told her to dig in a land plot and unearth the icon. The discovery took place amid the Greek revolution for national independence against the Ottomans that started in 1821 and was considered a good omen for the struggle for liberation.