The bright sun blinds the eyes, reflected in the intricate mosaic of tile, its rays are tangled in the emerald branches of the olive tree and are lost in the depths of the azure abyss, appearing in all its unabashed power .A tired traveler moves along a wide road, laid out by huge white slabs .His face is weather-beaten, the skin has a bronze hue from the constant sunny caress, clothes were smelling of winds, roads and showers, the look is piercing and clear as the sky, with a high dome curving over the Roman colonial town .Behind the traveler in a dense formation, silently, having fixed heavy glances forward, raising dust clouds with lead tread, there are pilgrims .On the calendar, the year 49 is from the birth of Christ .The Apostle Paul entered the city of Philippi, now a city museum, the abode of monuments of ancient Greek architecture, in which a large number of temples, basilicas, sanctuaries are concentrated ...
Special discounts for early booking!
Individual and excursion tours to Greece
Your unique Greek wedding. VIP class service ...
Special offers. Combined tours. Excursion tours.
Wedding ceremonies. Individual tours of any complexity.
The best 5 * hotels. Exclusive SPA-centers. VIP service.
Crete, Corfu, Rhodes, Chalkidiki. Personal excursions. Vacation with children.
Rent of aircraft. Transfers by helicopter.
Sodis - 25 years of impeccable work.
Rental villas in Greece.
Shares.
Children's rest and education in Greece.
Spa tours and health improvement in Greece.
Content
|
How to get here
To get to the Philip's complex turned into a museum complex, you can take a bus chariot from the colorful port city of Kavala, which is 12 km away, or from the city of Drama, having overcome 19 km. The nearest airport that receives flights from Russia is Thessaloniki. The most successful option is to take a sightseeing tour from Thessaloniki or Chalkidiki, the program of which usually combines visits to three important for this part of Greece and unique places: Kavala, Amphipolis and Philippi.
Search for tickets to Thessaloniki (nearest a / p to Philippi)
A bit of history
Even earlier, the Roman colony, drowning in cypress gardens and rich in ore, warmed the Macedonian king Philip II and did everything to turn it into a developed center of commerce and culture. From that momentous day for a small Macedonian settlement, when the city was visited by the apostle, a series of bright events that changed the course of the history of world religion came.
Entertainment, excursions and attractions in Philippi
The first Christian church in Europe, erected on the initiative of the mistress of the Lydia merchant's shop, which sheltered the apostle Paul at times that were not best for him, was built here, attracting curious believers from all over the world.
The most valuable early Christian basilicas of Greece are concentrated in the "Gates of Europe and Asia", so in ancient times the Greeks called Philippi, in the guise of which the Hellenistic, Roman and Christian epochs had their mark. Until now, excavations have been carried out here, as a result of which the treasury of exhibits of world archeology is constantly replenished.
Central Egnatieva road, by the fragments of which, and now you can repeat the path of the apostle Paul, divides the city into two parts. In the north there is an agora forum, in other words an ancient shopping center with shops, galleries, baths, filled with a couple of thousands of years ago by the crowd homo, aromas of spices, fruits, coffee and fried cakes, abuse of traders and loud women arguing about quality olives, and now enjoying the silence and clatter of camera shutters.
Right in the center of the city one of the very first basilicas of Philip was erected, the greatness of which can be judged by the remains of impressive walls covered with lining and molding. Another early Christian temple, Octagon, dedicated to the apostle Paul and dating from the 5th century, lies just south of it. And then there were ruins nearby, at the beginning of the era, served as the walls of the prison of the apostle Paul, who was detained under orders of the governor of the city, who was immediately liberated and continued to preach a new world religion and carry the Word of God to the inhabitants.
Partially preserved Roman theater, later redesigned in the arena. Curious events take place every summer within the framework of the Philippe-Thassos festival on a large stone platform that transforms into a colorful scene. The architecture of the acropolis (the upper part of the city) is a cocktail of Byzantine style, elements of Roman paganism and Christian cemetery basilicas. Immediately guarded carefully from encroachments of tourists "creche Bucefala", the legendary horse of Alexander the Great.
The oratorical place of Pavel's teacher was immortalized by the Greeks building a cumbersome temple with eight corners and mosaics laid out by the architect Vlasis Tsotsonis, as well as glass panels performed by Meropi Prek. The city, impregnated with history, antiquity and Christian culture, works from 8.00 to 20.00.
Kavala
Kavala is a cozy Greek city, attracting tourists with its main attractions - the former home of the founder of the Egyptian dynasty of Mohammed Ali, the Church of the Blessed Virgin and St. Silla. The local museum features rare archaeological exhibits of East Macedonia and Thrace.