The translation of the relics of Saint Nicholas from Myra, Asia Minor to Bari, Italy is celebrated annually in the Orthodox Church on May 20th. This feast is eagerly celebrated every year in Argos, Greece at the Chapel of Saint Nicholas the Wine-Maker in Nafplion. This is a church near the beach Karathona 7 km from the city and built during the first Venetian occupation by a captain who would carry wine from an island in the Aegean to Nafplio, which was then a major port and trading center in Europe and the East.
The captain of the ship entered the harbor one night and fell into a violent storm, since this area is hit a lot especially in winter. Then the captain, to save himself, vowed to build a church in that area dedicated to the patron saint of seamen Saint Nicholas. The boat was saved and the captain fulfilled the promise, building the church with great effort because of inaccessible areas. Also instead of water, the mud was created with wine. Ever since then the church stands strong against the winds and the winter waves, but also thanks to the efforts of the ecclesiastical council of the parish of the Annunciation in Nafplio which the chapel is under, there is a guardian angel on all ships entering the port of the city. To go there, walk a few miles through a trail and you will come upon this beautiful church which looks like an oasis.
The photographs here are from the feast in 2011.
