Μake us preferred on Google The FDI HN frigate Kimon, the newest and most advanced frigate in the Hellenic Navy, has arrived on the Cyclades island of Paros to participate in events marking the Aug. 15 Feast of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary, a major religious holiday in Greece.
The Kimon is the first of three French-designed FDI HN frigates being acquired by the country under its naval modernization program, alongside the Nearchos and Formion.
The presence of a Greek Navy warship at Dormition celebrations has particular significance on the nearby island of Tinos, where Aug. 15 is marked by one of the country’s largest Orthodox pilgrimages. The Church of Panagia Evangelistria, home to the revered icon of the Annunciation, draws thousands of pilgrims each year, while the celebrations combine religious observance with a strong national and military dimension. The Navy traditionally sends warships to Tinos for the occasion.
The connection between the religious feast and the armed forces is also linked to the sinking of the Greek light cruiser Elli at Tinos on Aug. 15, 1940. The ship was torpedoed by the Italian submarine Delfino during the Dormition celebrations, killing nine crew members.
Greece was officially neutral at the time during the advent of WWII, and the attack, less than three months before Italy attempted to invade Greece from Albania, became a defining symbol of the tensions that preceded the Greco-Italian War. Each year, a memorial ceremony is held at the site where the Elli sank, with wreaths laid at sea in memory of the crew.
