The village of Plataniotissa in the Peloponnese

It is a mountain village settled at an altitude of 769 meters northwest of Kalavryta. Here is the small church of “Our Lady of Plataniotissa” which has been formed inside the hollow of a huge plane tree.

Panagia Plataniotissa is tucked inside the hollow of a large plane tree. It’s a special and natural phenomenon which was created when three plane trees sprung together close to each other and over time united into one.

The tree has a base of around 16 metres and height of 25 metres and through time it has been joined with two other Platanus trees. The date of the foundation of the church is not known. In the interior of the church, inside a natural cavity of the Platanus tree, you will find the depiction of the icon of Panagia holding baby Jesus. The icon is identical to the one at the Monastery of Megalo Spilaio.

The church is around 8 metres long, and about 3 metres wide and can hold a capacity of around 20 people.

It is said that monks Symeon and Theodoros who had found the holy icon, were resting in this exact spot and decided to hide the Mega Speliotissa icon in the hollow of the plane tree to protect it. In the morning when the monks woke up, they saw a miracle as the spot where they had left the icon was now an imprint of the image in the hollow of the hard surface of the plane tree and this identical image was bathed in light. This remarkable phenomenon is preserved to this day and the chapel now resides in the hollow of the tree.

The church is around 8 metres long, and about 3 metres wide and can hold a capacity of around 20 people. A small entrance opens on its northwestern side, and a window is facing exactly opposite it. Inside there is a small screen with two columns that create the Holy Gate, while at a height of approximately 3 metres from the ground there is the icon of Panagia.