ATHENS CHRISTIAN TOUR

We pick you up at the Port or Airport or your Hotel in Athens at 8:30 am

We visit Paul’s first destination in Athens which includes Acropolis Hill and the surrounding old city (Plaka).  Acropolis’ hill hosts the impressive Temples of Parthenon, the Propylaea, the Erechtheion and the Nike Temple, all erected in the fifth century BC.

When Apostle Paul was visiting, some 500 years later, Athens was under Roman Rein. Apostle Paul visited Acropolis and had discussions with the locals about the death of Jesus on the cross and his resurrection.  History mentions that he impressed some epicurean and stoic philosophers of the time. 

Information on Entrance Fees to Acropolis

Exactly across the official exit of Acropolis Athens site, stands the Mars Hill or Areopagus Hill where Apostle Paul after being formally invited to do so, preached about Christianity. At Acts 17:22-31 is mentioned that  Apostle Paul stood in the middle of the Areopagus, and said, “You men of Athens, I perceive that you are very religious in all things. For as I passed along, and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘TO AN UNKNOWN GOD”. There is an excerpt of his sermon carved into a stone hung at the root of Mars Hill.  Free Admission

From Acropolis, we will slowly descend into the most beautiful part of Athens, Plaka old city, a mixture of Neoclassical houses and archaeological sites around. You will pass by Roman Agora and Adrian’s Library on your way to Ancient Agora of Athens.

Ancient Agora of Athens was the political and social centre of ancient Athens. Ancient Agora most prominent sites are the magnificent Temple of Hephaestus, Stoa of Attalos, the Church of the Holy Apostles, the Bouleutirion (council chamber), the Stoa of Zeus, and its many pagan shrines, including the Altar of the Twelve Gods and the Altar of Zeus.

In the Book of Acts (17:17) is said that Apostle Paul visited a synagogue in the Ancient Agora and preached about the ‘unknown god’. He also discussed with the Greek philosophers that one could meet in the Ancient Agora.

Information on Entrance Fees to Ancient Agora

The Archaeological Site and Museum of Kerameikos offers to the visitor the richest and most complete collection of

funerary findings in Greece. 

The  Kerameikos was the most important cemetery of ancient Athens. Within the site are the ancient walls of Athens and the Sacred Gate which was only used by pilgrims from Eleusis using the sacred road to and from that site during the annual procession.

Information on Entrance Fees  to Kerameikos

The Athens Metropolitan Church was built in 1842 with the laying of the cornerstone by King Otto and Queen Amalia.
Itis dedicated to the Annunciation of the Mother of God by the King and Queen. The Cathedral is a three-aisled, domed basilica and inside are the tombs of two saints killed by the Ottoman Turks during the Ottoman period: Saint Philothei and Patriarch Gregory V.

Free Admission

The Kaisariani Monastery lies on a wooded hillside at the foot of Mt. Hymettos, not far from Athens’ centre, in a beautiful serene natural environment, ideal for relaxation. 

Originally the monastery was founded in the Early Christian period, in the 6th C AD,  over the ruins of a Roman temple. Today, four columns of the ancient temple survive and support the dome of the                                                                                                  monastery’s church. 

The catholicon that we see today was built in the late 11th -early 12th century and was dedicated to the Presentation of the Virgin to the Temple. It is enclosed by a high wall with two gates, and the visitor will admire the impressive frescoes and the icons of Greek Orthodox Christian tradition.

Information on Kaisariani Monastery Entrance Fees

The Daphni Monastery was founded in the 6th c AD, on the site of the Sanctuary of Dafnios Apollo. The builders reused the Ionic columns of the ancient temple of Apollo. Today, only one remains, as the others were stolen by Lord Elgin and moved to England.

Visitors face a wealth of mosaics with the golden ground, representative of the classical period in Byzantine Art. The most prominent and known of all is the Pantocrator on the dome.

Together with the monastery of Hosios Loukas near Delphi,  the Daphni Monastery is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its significant historical and architectural value. 

Free Admission