The stay of the Aksion Esti icon of the Mother of God was extended until Wednesday morning, May 17, in the Metropolis of Athens, it was announced on Sunday.

The holy icon was to remain in Athens until Monday, May 15th.

The decision was made at the request of the Archbishop of Athens and All Hellas Jerome to the holy community of Athos in connection with the large number of pilgrims.

Every day since May 3, thousands of believers flock to the metropolis to bow to the icon, which has arrived in the capital for the first time in 23 years. They come on pilgrimage from different regions of the country, up to Corfu itself.

Huge queues of believers line up around the Athens Cathedral, stretching for many hundreds of meters. The expectation of believers often reaches and even exceeds two hours.

Source: RES-IPE