The icon of Panagia Myrtidditissi is the holiest relic of Kytheria. The most important devotional centre of the island is the monastery in the area of Myrtidia, where in the 12th century the icon was found by a shepherd hidden in the myrtle trees. The shepherd built a small temple at the place of discovery to keep the icon there. According to tradition, he became the first monk to pledge his life to the protection of the icon of the Virgin Mary. Over the years, the fame of the icon spread and led to the creation of this monastery, which could now accommodate pilgrims coming from different places.
The icon of the Virgin Mary, at the time of its discovery, had smaller dimensions but was later placed in a wooden frame. The icon is inky and the faces of the Virgin and the Saviour are not distinguishable. The gold paneling was made in 1837 by Theophilos Spithakis. The upper part of the gold panel depicts two angels holding the crown of the Virgin Mary of Myrtidotissa, which is adorned with diamonds. To the left and right of the angels are the psalms «Hail to the existence of the King» and «Hail to the bearing of the bearing of all things». Below the angel on the left is the Prophet Daniel holding in his hands a scroll with verses from the 44th Psalm that reads: «The Queen on your right hand is present. Below the right-hand angel is depicted the Prophet Solomon holding a scroll with a verse from Proverbs that reads: «Many daughters have been made.» On the lower part of the gold lining are depicted the three most important miracles of the icon of Myrtidiotissa, namely the miracle of finding the icon, the miracle of the healing of the paralytus and the miracle of the rescue of the city of Kythera by Thunder on the 21st to 22nd of January 1829. According to tradition, this icon of the Virgin Mary is the creation of the Evangelist Luke. It is also speculated that during the period of iconoclasm, someone collected the icon from the sea and hid it in the Kythera.
The small temple built by the shepherd is the nowadays called the Sanctuary of Evresis or the Catholicos, on which later the newer church was built (1841 - 1857 under the priest Agathangelos Kalligeros). The Katholikon houses another icon of the Virgin Mary with a silver garment which was also created by Theophilos Spithakis.
The custom of the procession
During the 17th and 19th centuries, as the danger of piracy spread to the surrounding seas and the fear of destruction or loss of the holy relic was great, the Kytherians transferred the icon of Panagia Myrtidiotissa from the monastery to the church of Panagia Myrtidiotissa or Kastrini, in the castle of the capital of Kythera. By decree of the Senate of the Ionian State, on May 7, 1841, the request of the abbot of the Myrtidia Monastery, Agathangelos Kalligeros, was approved for the return of the icon of the Virgin Mary and for it to remain permanently in the monastery. In the castle, in the church of Panagia Myrtidiotissa or Kastrini, a beautiful copy of the icon, made by Stefanos Stais in 1844, is housed today. After the decree of the Senate, it was decided by the Provincial Council on Religion to execute it and every Sunday of Orthodoxy the holy icon is carried in procession from the monastery to the Metropolitan Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross in the capital. There it remains for forty days, until Easter Sunday. On Easter Monday, the icon is carried from village to village, all over the island, until it returns on Myrrh Bearer Sunday to the holy pilgrimage at the monastery of Myrtidia. The custom of the procession continues uninterrupted every year until today.
