St. Theodoa - the girl who turned into a church
Not far from the village of Vasta in the Peloponnese, there is an attractive place, admired by tourists and Greeks alike. From the roof of the church of Agia Theodora grow 17 large and small trees. Their roots cannot be seen outside or inside the church. Perhaps they pass through the stone walls, due to which some consider this phenomenon as a divine miracle, others as a natural miracle.
The history of the appearance of the church is as interesting as its external appearance. In Byzantine times conscription was in force. And all families without exception were obliged to send one soldier each or pay a huge tax. According to legend, a girl Theodora once lived in the area. Passing herself off as a man, she joined the army - there were no brothers in Theodora's family and her father was already old.
She served bravely and achieved respect until one day disaster struck. Another girl fell in love with her without knowing the whole truth. Rejected by Theodora, she decided to take revenge by accusing her of refusing to marry. Theodora had two choices: to marry or to sacrifice herself. It is quite obvious that she chose the second option. According to another version, the girl renounced the world and passed herself off as a man to become a monk. And she was executed because of the slander of another girl who lied that the "monk" had shown feelings for her.
In her last words, Theodora wished that her "body would be turned into a temple, her hair into trees, and her blood into streams." The story of the unjustly murdered girl has haunted the locals for years. The appearance of a spring at the place of execution was the main sign for them. And in the XII century it was decided to build a church here.
The church of Agia Theodora is located in an overgrown ravine, amidst a dense forest. The idyllic place impresses without exception anyone who comes here. Each tree that sprouted through the roof of the church, according to a modest calculation, weighs more than a ton, exceeds 30 meters in height and has almost no age-related damage. Under the ground still runs a spring, which, according to one version, feeds the trees. Some foreign and Greek scientists have even tried to find the roots of the trees within the walls of the church. But such research has yielded no results - the trees grow as if from nowhere. There is also no answer to the question of how the dilapidated and tiny church is able to support the growth of the roots.
Inside, the church looks more than modest. Walls with traces of centuries gone by, an altar and a few icons are all its decorations. But at any time of the year thousands of pilgrims come here to light candles, buy a talisman and ask St. Theodora for a blessing. And miracles do happen. It is said that after praying and bathing in the spring, many desperate families were able to have children. A trip to the church is often combined with a vacation. From Agia Theodora, one can walk along the trail to enjoy the silence and fresh air. At the end of the trail there is a kind of rest area with small stores and cafes.
