CHURCH OF THE HOLY VIRGIN AT MARKOPOULO

At the time of the fall of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden, the devil - transformed into a snake- played a major role, causing God to affirm the animosity between man and snake, promising that the snake would attack the heel of man while the sperm of the woman will crush the head of the snake.
Such was the snake's role in the fall of man and his entry into the world of sin, deterioration and death.
In Markopoulo we observe an phenomenon, extremely significant as a natural wonder and less significant in the religious sense.
On a regular basis at a certain time period, specifically August 6 to 16th , a small number of snakes emerge from the foundation of the olf bell tower. They are small in size, adorable, calm, harmless, and, bear four small dots in the shape of a cross on their head. Due to the celebration of the Holy Virgin at this time, they are referred to as The Holy Virgin's Snakes ("Fidakia tis Panagias").
Christians who come to the church during the celebration to worship the Holy Virgin express elevated interest in viewing, touching and being photographed with the snakes.
Subsequently, the snake appears to be defeated by the new Eve, The Holy Virgin, whose womb gave birth to the new Adam, Jesus Christ, who eventually dealt the fatal blow to the snake.
This constitutes the theological interpretation of this natural-religious phenomenon.
What follows is the interpretation based on popular tradition.

THE HOLY VIRGIN "FIDIOTISSA"

The miraculous icon of The Holy Virgin "Fidiotissa" is found in the Cephalonian village of Markopoulo.The name is derived from one of her miracles, of which pilgrims are reminded of every year by yet another miracle.

Many years ago, the villagers in Markopoulo in Southern Cephalonia noticed tall flames emerging from a burning tree high up on the hillside. At first they thougt that the forest was on fire and rushed to put it out before it could destroy the forest and the village itself. When they arrived at the spot they found that the tree had been burned to the ground and at its root was an icon of the Holy Virgin left untouched by the fire.

Full of emotion, they held the icon and paid their respects. Happily they brought the icon back to the village and placed it inside the village church on the main square.

The following morning when the rest of the village people came to pay their respects, the icon was gone and nowhere to be found. One of the villagers who had gone up the mountainside found the icon laying by the burnt tree and brought it back to the village, asking around to find out who had taken it there. As a result, this time the villagers decided to lock the icon in the church. Three times they did this and every time the icon would reappear at the spot of the burnt tree. This led the villagers to believe that the Holy Virgin really desired to be there so they built a church on this location and dedicated an icon stand to Her. A little later, this developed into a convent. The nuns would pray to the Holy Virgin daily. One morning they saw pirate ships approaching and pirates climbing uphill in order to loot the convent. Freightened as they were, the nuns prayed and asked the Holy Virgin for protection. Promptly, She performed her miracle. Snakes appeared from everywhere, circling the convent and scaring the pirates away. The nuns were saved and were grateful to Her. Since then, the snakes reappear every year.

CEPHALONIA'S SNAKES

The Church of the Holy Virgin's Dormition is located in Southern Cephalonia. A strange and amazing event takes place every year during the celebration of the Dormition in August. On August 6th , Day of the Trasfiguration, snakes appear in the church and its courtyard. These snakes are referred to as the Snakes of the Holy Virgin ("fidakia this Panagias"). As the days go by more snakes appear reaching a maximum number on the eve of the Dormition. No one has ever spotted a villager returning from a snake-collecting walk in the nearby ravine! No one knows where the snakes come from or where they disappear to after the celebration. This has remained a mystery over the years.

During vespers, the snakes actually "circulate" among the faithful, on the icons, the chairs without seeming to be freightened.

In order to prepare the visitors for this, the villagers say: "they will crawl to your chest but on the Holy Virgin's power, they will not harm you. You will hold them in your hands and they will lick you like cats."

This is emphasized by a popular verse:

I call upon the snakes of Markopoulo to bite me
But they are the Holy Virgin's, so they only caress me

The scenes are almost unbelievable.Some snakes wrapped around people's arms like bangles, others on the icons of the Holy Virgin and the Crucifixion, while others yet wrapped around the "artoklasies" (dedications of decorated breads in a basket). A snake will sometimes climb on the Gospel Book while the priest is reading from it. They seem to celebrate as members of the animal kingdom along with the faithful humans in attendancereminding us perhaps of they way things were in the Garden of Eden. When the August 15th celebrations are over, the snakes disappear.

The snakes have been examined by German reptile experts who were unable to classify them in any known reptile category. They are grey, thin and up to one meter in length. When you caress them you feel their velvet skin and notice their sparkling eyes. The shape of a small cross is formed on their wide head top as well as on the tip of their narrow tongue.

Should there come a year when the snakes do not appear in August, this is takes as an bad omen. This actually happed in 1940 and 1953 (when Cephalonia was truly put to the test by the devastating earthquake).

THE SNAKES AT MARKOPOULO

(Dimitris Loukatos "Cephalonian Worship" - ATHENS 1946)

It's something incredible but it happens every August at a Cephalonian village - Markopoulo. Within the church, during the festivity services, there are snakes everywhere, at every corner, on the furniture and the pews, snakes crawling, live snakes, twenty - sometimes thirty in number, climbing the temple, the throne, on people, easy-going and comfortable, non dangerous and submissive.
The church is build in the depths of a ravine. Its bell tower, very old, frankish style, well founded, stands away from the church at the bank of the ravine, next to the street. Grey-toned, eroded by time, full of holes at its base, it speaks of the long history of its church, a history not well documented.(1) Even its bells are unlike the other orthodox bells on the island. Tied by ropes to their horizontal levers, they jump when rung, like catholic bells.
From within this bell tower, from its holes and bushes, emerge the snakes that we will discuss.
With the exception of these few days in August, no one can claim to be able to find anywhere such snakes. Children and adults alike know this and only on Trasfiguration Day do they begin to search for them. The snakes come out, few at first, which is why the villagers cannot easily locate them right away. They search with lighted candles at night by the bell tower, take them in their hands and bring them to the village. ''The snakes have come out'' they cry with joy because they believe that the snakes' regular emergence guarantees good fortunes for the village and the year.(2) When Dormition Day arrives, on the previous evening after sunset, when the bells ring out and the devout fill the ravine, the snakes start to emerge in numbers. You can then see the villagers going around with lighted candles to gather them. The snakes, without fear, wrap themselves around people's arms and are willingly led into the church.

I was sixteen years old when I first went to Markopoulo. I had started by then to take an official pew next to my father with whom I acted as the right chorus. Left chorus was Memas Lefkokoilos and Karavias Giorgopoulos from Mousata. I was happy to finally get to go to this Eleios village which was said to be the land of Marco Polo and where the snakes came out.(3)
We went by car. Carriages had began to lose their vogue and their drivers in Argostoli had turned to automobiles. An open car picked us up at Noufri's cafe down by the marketplace. In the nearby cafes other chanters where awaiting the cars that would take them to other villages. The celebration of the Dormition is the most festive on the island and no chanter remains uninvited.
The bystanders at the marketplace where hovering over us until we left and where good-humoredly teasing us. Their most common teaser under the circumstances, was always this:
- You will be eating your heart out at the festival tonight! Have you taken your laxative, Lefkokoile? Sotiraki, take easy on the chickens!
My father, I remember, pretended not to understand and would answer half-humoredly:
- May the Theotokos Bless You, my dear!
We left Argostoli at 5 in the afternoon and headed for the Krania road, leaving behind us a cloud of dust. We passed Travliata and Peratata, went through Poriarata and Mousata, left behind us Vlahata and Simotata and arrived at the landmark of Eleios. To our left, Mt. Aenos, lay magnificently, showing off one of the ravines of its great back, separated by wild laurels, and to our right the Ionian Sea, bringing us close to Zante which lay across, violet - hued under the red light of the sunset. Pure magic, this location of Eleios! So named for its olive groves, it lay before us green, tranquil, caringly cultivated and fertile. Its villages : Mavrata, Theramona, Valerianos, Chionata, Markopoulo, Kateleios, all noble villages once full of masters and family coats-of-arms, today inhabited by honest, hard-working, polite farmers, cultured and full of kindness. It's the area that always had the least contact with the courts.(4)
We make our way up to Markopoulo from the Atsoupades road. The village children become aware of us and run to meet us. They climb on the car and take hold of its horn, announcing our arrival.
Outside of Metaxa's shop, the villagers with their priest awaited us. We greeted each one by handshake.
From this shop, the view available to the eye of the visitor is among the unique views in Cephalonia. Markopoulo, at an elevation of 300 m. is located above the sea on the side that looks upon Patras Gulf. A huge semi-circle, full of land and sea, lays ahead and all around. Zante to the right comes so close that on calm days many claim to hear its roosters. At our feet lays Kateleios, a make-do harbor for rough weather, which child-like embraces its dockes kaiks. And across from us Morias greets us from its Glarentza Castle. Mounta, the cape of Skala to the left, going into the sea like a road, and further still Roumeli with its light-etched mountains, yells out for us to notice her. This location in Markopoulo is Cephalonia's best balcony.
We went to the church warden's house for coffee. Other villagers came bringing us news on the political scene and the raisin situation. A raisin producing place just like Lixouri, Eleios is always concerned about the prices set by the wholesalers in Argostoli, as well as the demand for raisins. We engaged in conversation until evening and then sat down for dinner.
It was hot and we left open the window on the side of the sea. The moon was out and a huge silver line cut across the sea. I remember how we enjoyed the passage of a ship over this lighted path. Someone told us to keep quiet so we can hear its engines. Indeed, a rhythmic sound, dry as if it were the sea's heartbeat, came to our ears from that distant ship.

It was already 10 pm. Time to descend to the church for the night vigil. The church bells would ring out in the orthodox tradition tonight and their sound made this moon lit night even sweeter.
We approached the church grounds and I felt my heart beat in the expectation of viewing the strange phenomenon of the snakes. I felt chills through my body as I thought back to what the priest had told us at the dinner table:
- They will climb to your chest but with the Holy Virgin's Blessings, they will not harm you. You will hold them in your hands, and they will lick you like kittens.
There! We've arrived at the church bell tower. Behind its colored laterns, the shadows of the hands ringing the bells become enormous and move widely over the ravine bank. Here are the groups of people who are coming up from the lower villages holding lighted candles, searching the road for snakes.
- Oh, No! Holy Mother! The cries of the girls who are scared as the boys tease them by placing the snakes on their arms.
I'm not in a hurry to see this up close so I stay close to my company. I keep walking with the adults towards the church.
Two - three stands by the church door, full of sweets, drinks and greens, light the courtyard with their laterns and give it liveliness. Large watermelons, shed of their skins, are standing up red on the tables, and, the merchants herald their goods by loudly banging their knives on the wooden boards.
- Here, by the slice! For two people!
The pilgrims hover around and treat themselves. After a long walk, such a juicy and refreshing slice seems suitable for their thirsty mouths.
The merchants see us approaching and yell out:
- Welcome, masters! Let us treat you!
We approch to drink a rozzolio. I take the cup in my hand but suddendly I let it hang midair from fright.
Among the cups and glasses on the table, a thick snake - about half a meter long - was slowly moving without a care, lifting once in a while its head over the glasses. What a cold thing! My father, accustomed to it from past years, held out his hand and caressed its head. He even joked:
- Hello my dear snake, How have you been since last year?
The snake started to lift itself up, perhaps in an effort to greet us, but the pounding of the knives startled it and it retrieved.
We entered the church which was lighted and full of people. The sight of the girls among the congregation almost made me forget the case of the snakes when they reminded me themselves of their presence. On the wood carvings of the temple, on the temple doors, two, three, five, seven, many snakes were moving up and down. I stared at them in awe for a long time forgetting to pull out my pew. A church warden approached me and showed me a snake he was holding in his hand. It was quite large and had wrapped itself around his arm like a bracelet. He encouraged me to caress it. I eased up a bit and place my finger on its head. A velvety skin, two sparkling eyes and sign like a cross on the forehead.
Once in a while it would open its mouth and stick out a thready little tongue. I was told that if I looked closer I would notice a cross on it.
The rest of the congregation was doing the same. Groups of people, groups holding one or two snakes and showing them to the newcomers. To make an impression, they would put them on their chest and allow them to enter their sleeve and come out on the other side.
We chanted the night vigil and the snakes did not stop their promenade through the church. I remember that when we were chanting "Logon Agathon", the snakes would go up and down the icon frame, play with each other, and wrap themselves around the fake snakes - given as dedications by the devout - which hung by the Holy Virgin's velvet belt. At the end, as we went through the Doxology, people brought and set free into the church even more snakes since at this time the last of them emerged from the ravine bank.
This was repeated during Liturgy the next day. Father Vangelis was reading the Gospel and the snakes were crawling over his shoes. My father was chanting the Apostle in the center of the church and one of the snake's was moving over his book, placed there in jest by one of the villagers. With a gentle motion of his hand, he would move it aside every time it covered his text.
At the lunch table we were accompanied by a snake. I took the opportunity to ask the villagers several things about them and their history. They told me that after 40 days these snakes would disappear, no matter where one kept them. Some people had placed them in sealed bottles but still lost them. The proper thing to do is for anyone who takes a snake to put it back in its right place, there by the ravine, leting it find its way to its nest. Otherwise the Holy Virgin is angered and will punish him. The carriage drivers who either intentionally or by mistake go over these snakes on the street later dream of the Holy Virgin who asks them to return the snakes. That is the reason so many drivers have sent to the church silver of gold-plated images of the snakes.
What is one to say about this phenomenon? If one accepts miracles, then there is nothing to be said. If one seeks a natural explanation, he can say that we're dealing with a non-poisonous snake species that developed and multiplied in that ravine, originally because the ground was right and eventually because the villagers did not harm them. Through time, both the snakes and people got used to not fearing each other. This period in August possibly marks their mating and reproducing cycle. This along with the noise from the bells ringing and the festivities, arises them and makes them emerge from their nests. Unprotesting and trusting, they then allow themselves to be handled by people.(5)

No one in Markopoulo still sees the snakes with religious fanaticism. Of course they believe that they are blessed creatures, tamed serpents of the Holy Virgin, but they also see them as a decorative element of their festival, a promotional tool for attracting crowds. And they await them each year to show up as they awaited poppy flowers to blossom in May. They mention them in conversation and song as something completely natural. Here's a two-line rhyme from Eleios, where a love-torned complains of the snake's benevolence at his strong desire to commit suicide:

- I call upon the snakes from Markopoulo to bite me but they are the Holy Virgin's and so they only caress me.

) The Theotokos at Markopoulo is known locally as "Lagouvarda". It seems that the name originates from Lagovarda and is associated with the origin of the icon or the church. Evidence of the association of the Lagovardes with the island is found in:
a) During the 7th century Cephalonia belonged to the 11th Sector of the Byzantine nation which included Italy and the Seven Islands and was called "The Sector of Lagovardia".The island's administrators at the time were titled: "General of Cephalonia and Lagovardia". (see El. Tsitselis, page 71)
b) At the end of the 8th century the Lagovardes raided and captured Cephalonia. (see J.Kostis, History of Cephalonia, page 86.)
c) The legendary explorer Μarco Polo, who many claim comes from Markopoulo in Cephalonia, is considered a Lombard by Dante. (Purgatorio, C,XVI.46).
d) The last name Loverdos, very common on the island, must be a variation of Lombard. (see El. Tsitselis, page 317).

2) Many Markopoulians have informed me that in August of 1940 the snakes did not show at the festival and that this was taken as a sure sign of the war that came. They also say that in 1924 with the ecclesiastic calendar change, people awaited to take a position on the issue based on the appearance of the snakes. They emerged according to the new calendar and as a result no old-calendar followers were left in the area.

3) Tsitselis postulates on the possible origin of Marco Polo. (page 543). However, Markopoulo - along with other Xomero villages - was occupied by Albanian soldiers around 1450 and may be associated with Markopoulo in Attica. (see A. Miliarakis, Geo.of Cephalonia p. 93).The expolorer Avvatius in 1632 refers to it as Markopoulata.

4) During the resistance movement, Leticians were patriotic which is why they suffered many losses to the Germans and their local collaborators. Those hanged in Mavrata and Chionata: Aggeliki Montesantou, Maria Chioni, Sotiris Fokas, Gerasimos Vlahos, Lefteris Menegatos, Gerasimos Grouzis, Elias Fotinatos, and many others who were shot, only prove their noble activities.

5) Of course, a responsible opinion from an expert zooligist, would shed light on the issue.