PILGRIMAGE & RELIGIOUS TOUR VISIT TO
ATHENS
PILGRIMAGE & RELIGIOUS TOUR VISIT TO ATHENS
GREEK ITINERARY
DESCRIPTION OF MAIN RELIGIOUS SITES
ANCIENT CORINTH & KECHRIES (Kechreai)
As Paul arrived at Corinth in 49 or 50 C.E., he would have seen lots of rock piles and ruins of
ancient city walls. Rome had destroyed the old Corinth in 146 B.C.E. The city Paul entered was
therefore young-- not even a century old. In 44 B.C.E. a decree of Julius Caesar had re-founded
Corinth as a Roman colony. Corinth, the capital of the province of Achaia, was a city of social,
cultural, and religious diversity, including Jews. The Jews living there were more cosmopolitan
and multicultural than those in Palestine. Paul's visit came at a significant time for mission work.
In 49 C.E., the Jews were expelled from Rome. A good number migrated to Corinth. While Paul
stayed in Corinth, he met with Jewish refugees from Rome. Paul sought out two of them, Aquila
and Prisca, because they were tentmakers like him. He asked if they could work together as
business associates. Aquila and Prisca also became key leaders of the young Christian church (Acts
18:1-12, 1 Cor. 16:19)
Around 150-200 followers of Christ were in Corinth at the time of Paul's writing his letters to
them. Corinthian Christians lived in large, complex households and worshiped in house churches
that reflected the city's diverse make-up.
Doiranis 53, 17672 Athens, Greece | T: +30 210 9566990 | F: +30 210 9566991 | E: [email protected] | W: www.promotline.com
PILGRIMAGE & RELIGIOUS TOUR VISIT TO ATHENS
ATHENS
ACROPOLIS AREA AND THE PNYX ROCK
Walking alongside the Acropolis site, we see the now restored 9thcentury Church of St.
Demetrios Loumbardiaris, with its interesting history from the time of the Ottoman occupation of Athens. Above the Pnyx Rock, the centre of dialogue, where all conversations on public
matters were taking place.
Next we visit Areios Pagos, the location of Ancient Athens Supreme Court, where the Assembly of the Citizens took place. This is the place where Christianity was first introduced to the
Athenians by St. Paul’s preaching in 53 A.D. Among many that converted was also St.
Dionysios subsequent Bishop of Christian Athens.
Return walk through the Monastiraki flea market and Athens commercial district area.
Apostle Paul’s preaching at the Acropolis
Paul seldom passed up an invitation to speak, when it gave him
the opportunity to preach the gospel to lost men and women.
The opportunity to speak in the synagogue was apparently a
matter of custom, but the invitation to preach to pagan philosophers was rare. He was given that unique opportunity in Acropolis, Athens. As Paul spoke with those who would listen in the
market place, he got the attention of the Epicurean and Stoic
philosophers.
Doiranis 53, 17672 Athens, Greece | T: +30 210 9566990 | F: +30 210 9566991 | E: [email protected] | W: www.promotline.com
PILGRIMAGE & RELIGIOUS TOUR VISIT TO ATHENS
It is planned to visit three representative churches:
. The Byzantine Church of the Holy Apostles built in the late 10th - early 11th century in
honor of St. Paul who taught nearby, inside the archaeological area of the Ancient Athens Agora,
on a site of Roman ruins of the 2nd century.
. The small Church of St Eleftherios - initially dedicated to, and now containing inside the
Holy icon of the Virgin Mary Grigorousa, protector of pregnant women; the small church was
the original Cathedral of Athens and was built in the 12th century and the builders incorporated
many sculptured pieces of ancient Greek temples in the area, which can still be seen in the walls.
. The Church of St Mary (Panagia) Kapnikarea, 11-13th century byzantine church, built in the
traditional Byzantine cross architectural style, with renowned frescoes by the religious painter
Kontoglou, located at the edge of the central Athens commercial district (Ermou Street).
FALIRO & CAPE SOUNIO
The boat that brought Paul to Athens anchored in Faliro. At that time
(and before then) that was the area were the main port of Athens was
located. The location of the port was between Kifissos river bed and the
small church of Agios Georgios. It is believed that it is constructed on
the ruins of the dock of ancient Faliro and the area around it is going to
be developed. From there started the road leading to Athens. This was
also the road that Paul followed after he got off the boat.
Doiranis 53, 17672 Athens, Greece | T: +30 210 9566990 | F: +30 210 9566991 | E: [email protected] | W: www.promotline.com
PILGRIMAGE & RELIGIOUS TOUR VISIT TO ATHENS
Cape Sounion is a promontory located 69 kilometres (43 mi) SSE of Athens, at the southernmost
tip of the Attica peninsula in Greece. Cape Sounion is noted as the site of ruins of an ancient Greek
temple of Poseidon, the god of the sea in classical mythology.
The remains are perched on the headland, surrounded on three sides by the sea. The ruins bear the
deeply engraved name of English Romantic poet Lord Byron (1788–1824). The site is a popular
day-excursion for tourists from Athens, with sunset over the Aegean Sea, as viewed from the ruins,
a sought-after spectacle.
The temple of Poseidon was constructed in 444-440 BC, over the ruins of a temple dating from the
Archaic Period. It is perched above the sea at a height of almost 60 m. The design of the temple is a
typical hexastyle and it had a front portico with 6 columns. Only some columns of the Sounion
temple stand today, but intact it would have closely resembled the contemporary and
well-preserved Temple of Hephaestus beneath the Acropolis, which may have been designed by the
same architect.
As with all Greek temples, the Poseidon building was rectangular, with a colonnade on all four
sides. The total number of original columns was 42: 15 columns still stand today. The columns are
of the Doric Order. They were made of locally-quarried white marble.
MONASTERY OF SAINT MARINA (optional)
In the area of Loutraki, at the stream of
Kolonaki, we can find the Monastery of Saint
Marina. The Monastery was found in 1982 by
a four member fraternity under the prompt of
Father Nektarios Marmarinos with the
blessings of the then Metropolitan Panteleimon Karanikolas who settled in and gave life
to the area. Since 1999, the Monastery has
been operating regularly with the Mother
Superior Paraskevi Kaskarika who undertook the management of the Monastery in 1997.
The Monastery of Saint Marina has rested many souls during the years of its operation and it still
provides peace to all sore souls who visit this peaceful place to pray seeking for comfort.
Doiranis 53, 17672 Athens, Greece | T: +30 210 9566990 | F: +30 210 9566991 | E: [email protected] | W: www.promotline.com
PILGRIMAGE & RELIGIOUS TOUR VISIT TO ATHENS
Preaching to
the Philosophers
W
hat appealed to these philosophers about Paul’s preaching was not that Paul was so
brilliant, or educated (according to their way of reckoning such matters), but that his
teaching was something new, and these people of Athens were always looking for
something new. The preaching of Paul about Jesus and His resurrection was a message never heard by
them before. Somewhere in the city was an altar, dedicated to “an unknown god.” To this altar Paul
made reference. Paul’s first point, in referring to the “unknown god” of the Athenians is that the religion
of these people is obviously not adequate, for they are looking for yet another “god.” One who has a
sufficient faith and a sufficient God does not leave room for another. The existence of this altar,
dedicated to the “unknown god,” is a telling witness to the inadequacy of their religion. Paul promises to
tell them what they do not know—who that God is.
After listening to what he had to say about God and His resurrection of the dead, some began to sneer,
but others said, “We shall hear you again concerning this.” So Paul went out of their midst and a lot of
men joined him and believed.
These Athenian philosophers got more than they had expected. They got more in the sense that they
were informed of their ignorance and sin. They were told of a Savior whose name they had never heard
before. Paul was the first who spoke to them about Christianity. They were told of a coming day of
judgment, and of a Judge who had been raised from the dead. They were called to make the kind of
commitment to truth which they had avoided for years. They had expected a very complex system but
Paul gave them a very simple gospel, the same gospel which he preached everywhere, the message of a
Savior, of a cross, of a resurrection, of a coming day of judgment, and of a choice which must be made.
They wanted Paul to stay on, so they could continue their conversations and begin their crossexamination. Paul thought that the preaching of the gospel in Acropolis at such an educated and
skeptical audience was fruitful. Now that he had brought a lot of these men at the path of the true faith
of God, they would spread the gospel even more and himself could move on with his missionary.
Doiranis 53, 17672 Athens, Greece | T: +30 210 9566990 | F: +30 210 9566991 | E: [email protected] | W: www.promotline.com