“My plane is leaving soon, I can’t wait…” a 45-year-old man monologues, looking disappointedly at the line of hundreds of worshipers standing outside the church. metropolis to worship arti came from Mount Athos “Axion Astin” image. The icon in the form of the Mother of God holding Jesus Christ (baby) in her arms was called the angelic hymn “Axion Estin”. She was canonized during the years of iconoclasm, probably in Constantinople, and today she is in the Holy Sintron of the Protatus temple, in the karia of Mount Athos. He is considered the most important image and the highest relic of the Holy Mount Athos, he is the “Ephesian” and “Patron” of 20 monasteries of St. Oros, so every “exit” from Athos is a rare opportunity for believers. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is also expected to pay tribute in the coming days (the image will be on display until May 15).

It’s two o’clock in the afternoon, and at one of the entrances of the Metropolis, the police are called in to manage people with a variety of requests. The entry in question, which requires no waiting, is reserved exclusively for worshipers with disabilities or walking difficulties – hence the presence of Red Cross members willing to facilitate the process. However, there are many who want to convince themselves that they need discriminatory treatment, although this is not the case; but even those who really need support don’t get it, like the gentleman in the wheelchair who, despite the good intentions of the decision makers, doesn’t find a way to get in.

The waiting time for the icon, exhibited on pilgrimage for only the 8th time, is determined to be one hour, a tolerable period for most. “I did it in an hour and a quarter” says Ms. Eleftheria from Nea Smyrni. “I used to wait three or four hours, but for Agia Zoni I had to stand for six hours,” he recalls. “I came at one in the afternoon when traffic is down, at 7:30 in the morning. inseparability prevailed, many came before they went to work” says 68-year-old Mrs. Olga from Glyfada. “We are waiting for a bunch of other things, will I be disturbed here?” answers a reasonable question. And he adds: “Usually men have to leave, they have the opportunity to bow to the icon on Mount Athos.”

You can see people of all ages in the queue, with laptops on their backs, with shopping bags, with mobile phones in their hands. But the view is mesmerizing tourists with cameras and guides probably queuing, like in the Vatican to visit St. Peter’s or Barcelona to enter the Sagrada Familia, but in Athens, under other circumstances, the visit to the Metropolis is seamless. Around the crowd, beggars and women dressed in black “took stalls”, selling rosaries and icons, sharing wishes for health and longevity.