Panagia Kanala, Orthodox church in Kanala, Kithnos Island, Greece

Panagia Kanala is a Greek Orthodox church-sanctuary in the village of Kanala, southeastern Kythnos, built to house a 1575 icon of the Virgin Mary. The original small, earth-roofed church was demolished in 1869 and replaced; the building was reshaped with funds from Dryopida residents, most notably after 1946. Its courtyard has stone arches, terraces, dry stone walls, flowers and a cobbled square.

The first church on the site was a small, earth-roofed structure. It was demolished in 1869 and replaced by a new church, which the residents of Dryopida enlarged over the years, with the main changes made after 1946. In 1973 the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece recognised it as a Holy Pilgrimage.

The icon is celebrated every 15 August: from 1 August the paraklisi is chanted each afternoon, with the overnight vigil on 13 August and Great Vespers on the eve, followed by a festival with traditional music and dancing. On the feast day, after the liturgy, the icon is carried through the village to the pier, where priests throw a copy into the sea and people dive to catch it. A second feast is held on 8 September.

The church is accessible via paved roads from Kithnos main town and offers parking near the entrance. Visitors should be prepared for uneven terrain and bring appropriate clothing suitable for religious sites.

The icon, measuring 1 by 0.8 metres, is attributed to the Cretan hagiographer Emmanuel Skordilis and dated 1575. Tradition holds that fishermen found it glowing at night in the channel between Kythnos and Serifos, and that the Virgin later appeared in their sleep to point out where the church should stand.