Holy Snakes

The Holy Snakes of the Virgin Mary are a species of snake that appear at the church of Panagia of Langouvarda, and in the village of Arginia higher up the slopes of Mount Ainos between August 5 and August 15 on an annual basis for centuries on the island of Kefalonia of Greece. Known as the (Telescopus fallaxis, FLEISCHMANN 1831), the cat snake appears in and around the churches courtyard, walls and bell tower. The inhabitants of the villages consider them to be holy, collecting them and setting them on the silver icon of the Virgin of the Snakes.