The sacred jewel of Paros is the Church of Panagia Ekatontapyliani, one of the most important early Christian monuments in Greece. It is located in the northeastern part of Parikia, a short distance from the port. According to Byzantine legends, the history of Ekatontapyliani begins in the 4th century. Saint Helena, mother of Emperor Constantine the Great, while traveling to the Holy Land to find the True Cross, stopped with her ship at Paros, where she discovered a small church—one of the first of the new faith. She prayed and made a vow: if she found the True Cross, she would build a great church on that site. Her prayer was answered, Saint Helena found the Cross, and fulfilled her promise. According to another tradition, the church was built by Constantine the Great under the orders of his mother, who had not lived to fulfill her vow herself.

Read more HERE.