Traveling the roads of Greece, it won’t be long until the metal boxes on the skinny wire legs catch your eye. Some may be needed before you realize that what you are seeing is not a strange mailbox or the Greek version of a road phone. Behind small glass doors, a candle flickers, a color image of a saint looks back, and the top of the box is crowned with a cross or perhaps a row of Greek letters. Ahead, a whitewashed building the size of a children’s playhouse stands out against the gray-green leaves of the olive trees.
The origin of the sanctuaries
Tourists generally assume that the sanctuary is built to act as a souvenir for a traffic accident victim. This is true in some cases, but it is often done to publicly thank a saint for a benefit, not to commemorate a tragedy. It is said that one of the most attended is the death of a tour bus driver. It stands in front of the entrance to the busy archaeological site of Delphi, where distracted tourists sometimes bump into it. But this constant buzz of activity has its benefits, too. If the candle goes out, it is usually only for a few moments: the first driver who notices will go to the sanctuary, stop for a moment in prayer, and light a new candle.
Ancient shrines, new meanings
Some of the shrine sites may have lasted as long as the roads themselves. Nicholas Gage, author of the best-seller “Eleni,” a tale from his mother’s life in Greece during World War II, writes in “Hellas” about the ubiquitous shrines. He points out that “sanctuaries for pagan gods were built in the same places and for the same purpose: to provide the traveler with a moment of rest and prayerful reflection.” And they serve a related purpose for travelers who will stop for a quick photo and end up looking at the endless fields of olive trees disappearing into the distance or finding bright red cyclamen or yellow saffron unexpectedly exploding through the grass at their feet.
Pausing at these heartfelt roadside sanctuaries immediately connects the visitor to the enduring life of Greece.
The mixture of ancient faith and modern practices are often easily visible. An Aphrodite akroterion is backed by a simple white cross on top of a Peloponnesian shrine found on the road between Hermioni and Nafplion.
Where to find the shrines
Where there is a beautifully built sanctuary, look at the edges of the woods beyond. Often there is an older predecessor, sometimes less careful, but who remains a testimony of past faith.
As family fortunes improve, so do shrines. In other parts of Greece, shrines take on the appearance of miniature chapels, sometimes with interior spaces large enough to hold small ceremonies.
Mykonos is famous for its small family chapels, which are usually opened on the feast day of the wizard saint or to commemorate another important day in family history. A charming chapel stands at the end of the harbor, awaiting last-minute prayers from sailors before sailing in the often choppy waters of the central Aegean. Others are in the heart of the busy secular streets of the Venezia area.
During your drive through Greece, you will see ancient temples, impressive Greek Orthodox churches with arched domes, and glittering golden icons. You will see evidence everywhere of thousands of years of Greek belief. But to feel it, go into one of the small chapels. Or stay for a moment on a wild road next to a small sanctuary where someone’s hopes, sorrows or life are perpetually commemorated, and our spirit is restored with a moment of tranquility in the heart of Greece.
