Well… These are names! And quite famous to be honest!
They originally come from a local name for Virgin Mary and the Monastery & Church that are dedicated to her.
The Monastery of Panagia Tsambika is located about 25 km south of Rhodes Town, between Kolymbia and Archangelos village. The old monastery of Tsambika, is built on top of a hill. One of the most known elements, is that the visitors, in order to enter the monastery, need to walk up more than 300 stairs. Despite the long climb, the gorgeous view towards Tsampika beach and the surrounding area totally worth it.
This Byzantine monastery was built according to the Dodecanesian architecture with hollow roof tiles. The floor of the temple and the yard are covered with pebbles and shells. Some icons date from the 19th century, while the iconostasis is even older.
A new church dedicated to Panagia Tsambika is located on the main road. By locals it is called ‘’Low’’, while the monastery up in the hill is called ‘’High’’.
The name of the monastery comes from the word ‘’tsamba’’, which means ‘’spark’’ in the local dialect. In fact, tradition says that a local shepherd found an icon of Virgin Mary on top of the cliff, where the old monastery was later built, following a vigil light.
The icon of Panagia Tsambika is considered miracle-working, particularly for women who try to have a child, which is why many women offer to the icon of Panagia wax child dolls.
This monastery is considered a protector of the island and that is why many locals are named Tsambicos for men and Tsambica for women.
Until the next vlog… Don’t forget to enjoy every moment in life!
Margaret 😉
