Patron Saints

Everything and everyone else seems to have a patron saint; do you reckon there is a patron saint for cats?

We took a devious route on the way home from work today and paused for a photo session outside the big church over-looking the port at the cruise terminal end of Akti Miaouli.  

Agios Nikolaos.

Patron Saint of seafarers.  By default that makes him something of a patron saint for Piraeus and his celebration day on 6 December is a public holiday here.

It is a really big church with a pretty blue dome, but it's all wrapped up in scaffolding at the moment.  F tells me that it's the place to go and light a candle for those in peril on the sea.  We have candles to keep the mosquitoes away.  I wonder how big a candle you need to keep sea monsters at bay.

There is a statue of a seafarer outside just to remind the saint why they built him such a big grand church.

It isn't the only church St Nikolaos has to keep an eye on.  In Piraeus alone there are others - this one is our 'local'.  

It is Agia Paraskevi, (She is a patron saint for eyesight.  We assume she has other responsibilities, but apparently eyes are an important one.)  She has to share her church with Agios Nikolaos.  She has the front door facing the garden and the sunset.  He has a side door straight onto the street.  Maybe that is so he can sneak out mid-performance if he has to be somewhere else.  He's a busy bloke.