Virgin Mary Myrtidiotissa - How the miraculous icon got its nickname

Panagia Myrtidiotissa is the name of the icon of the Virgin Mary found in Kythera in the 14th century. It has the nickname Myrtidiotissa, because it is said by tradition that a shepherd found it in a place full of myrtle trees. Tradition says that on 24 September - 40 days after the Assumption of the Virgin Mary - the Virgin appeared to a shepherd who was grazing sheep in the area, and told him to look for the icon that had come to that place many years before. The shepherd fell to the ground, in awe, praying to the Virgin. As soon as he got up and looked around, he saw the image on the branches of a myrtle tree.