16Jan
Greece
Follow the steps of Paul through the glories of the Greek mainland—and even add a Greek Island cruise to your pilgrimage—to sites including:
Athens
- The Acropolis to see the magnificent Parthenon and other remnants of classical Greek architecture
- The famous Plaka market
- Mars Hill, where Paul preached (Acts 17:15-34)
- The Agora, the ancient marketplace and former center of Athenian public life
- The House of Parliament, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the Presidential Palace
Corinth
(Corinth, Paul’s home for 18 months, was the center of Peloponnesian life at the height of the Greek Empire and where Paul wrote two of his epistles to the people of Corinth.)
- The Archaeological Museum, the marketplace and the temples
- The Bema, where Paul spoke to the Corinthians (Acts 18:1-17)
- The Corinth Canal, which separates the Peloponnese from the Greek mainland and connects the Ionian and Aegean Seas
Delphi
- Theaters and stadium where the Pythian Games were held (Paul references the Greek games as an illustration of the Christian life in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27)
- Byzantine monastery of St. Luke on the slopes of Mount Helikon
- Church of Mary, 10th century monastery with mosaics and frescoes that are among the most beautiful in Greece
Thessalonika
- Follow Paul’s footsteps through Thessalonika on his Second Missionary Journey (Acts 17), where he preached in the city’s synagogue, the chief synagogue of the region, for at least three weeks and where he established a Jewish-Gentile church, although it was more heavily Gentile (1 Thes. 1:9). Paul faced great persecution at the hands of the mob and fled to Berea, but Thessalonians eventually forced him to leave there also (Acts 17:13-14).
Kavala (ancient Neapolis) & Philippi
- City where the Apostles Paul and Silas, accompanied by Luke and Timothy, first set foot in Europe (Acts 16:11)
- Byzantine Castle, aqueduct and museum containing finds from ancient Amphipolis (Acts 17:1)
- The Roman and Greek tombstones and ruts of ancient chariot wheels en route to Philippi (Acts 16:12-40), where Paul delivered his first sermon in Europe and baptized “a certain woman named Lydia” (Acts 16:14-15)
- Roman Forum ruins and rocky ledge above the town’s main road (with its inscriptions and carved reliefs), which was the “prison” where Paul and Silas were held (Acts 16:16-34)
Greek Islands
- Mykonos, with its 360 little churches and chapels
- Rhodes, the island of the sun whose old city was built by the knights of St. John, and visited by St. Paul
- Patmos to see its famous monastery on the hill, where St. John the Evangelist wrote the Apocalypse while in exile