The church of Panagia is dedicated to the Nativity of the Virgin Mary. According to the Gospel of James, an apocryphal book from the second century, Joachim was a wealthy Israelite who had married Anne. The couple remained childless for many years and were deeply grieved by that. One day, though, they received a divine message that they would give birth to a girl, who became Mary, the Mother of God. The church of Panagia (the standard title of the Virgin Mary in Greek Orthodox tradition) in Nafplion was built in the 15th century. In the early 1700s, the church expanded and became the three-aisle basilica we see today. The impressive iconostasis (the wall of icons separating the main body of the church from the sanctuary) was made in the nineteenth century. The bell tower was built in 1907.