"In the Steps of the Apostle Paul in Macedonia" is a digital application that follows the path of the "Apostle of the Nations" in Northern Greece during his 2nd apostolic tour. A refreshing and alternative proposal for Greek tourism, based on the artistic work and proposals of Makis Varlamis and which gives the opportunity to experience the Greek space with a spiritual character.
The route of Paul's second apostolic tour from Neapolis, today's Kavala, to the coast of Pieria (1st century AD) described in the Acts of the Apostles (Ch. 16 f. 9-12) in the New Testament, revives the oldest and most documented Christian Journey.
Although it is often mentioned in publications and announcements and publications have been made on this subject, an appropriate route has not been proposed to date, officially at least. This subject is of additional interest because it is highly related to the ancient Via Egnatia that connected and still connects the eastern to the western part of Northern Greece.
The itinerary of Apostle Paul in Macedonia is now emerging as an innovative development program for Greek tourism that can take place at any time of the year.
The proposed route is suitable for children, adults and even elderly people. It basically follows the ancient Via Egnatia from Kavala to Philippi, Amphipolis, Apollonia, Thessaloniki and then heads to Veria to end up in Methoni, on the coast of Pieria.
The methodical presentation of the itinerary is divided into 3 sub-sections:
Each section includes travel maps, information about the cities and towns we meet, archaeological, religious and environmental attractions, historical data, myths and traditions, the natural environment and the inhabitants of the route and even useful information about accommodation and food, local products and interesting nearby destinations.
We will also include our own experiences and impressions, reports and memories from the passage of the Ap. Paul and positive suggestions for the designation of each region.
Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect
(Romans 12, 2)
Kavala - Krinides (Ancient Philippi) - Lydia
Krinides (Ancient Philippi) - Kormista
Kormista - Proti - Rodolivos - Nea Fyli
Nea Fyli - Paleokomi - Kasta Tomb - Amphipolis - N. Kerdylia
N. Kerdylia - Asprovalta - Vrasna Beach
Vrasna Beach - Rentina - Apollonia - Apollonia Baths
In 2016 at the Museum of Byzantine Culture in Thessaloniki, Professor Efthymios Warlamis, in the context of his exhibition “Apostle Paul”, proposed the revival of the course of the Apostle of the Nations during his second apostolic tour, as described in the “Acts of the Apostles” and presented a spiritual and developmental travel tourism project that highlights the importance and contribution of Macedonia in the Christianisation of Europe.
His proposal was welcomed enthusiastically by the local and regional authorities, but the unexpected loss of the artist in December of the same year postpones the development of the work.
In 2021, in collaboration with the museum of Warlamis in Austria, we decided, as a debt of honour but also in gratitude to this great artist, to get this idea for the revival of the Journey off the ground.
That's how it started, of course, but then this journey gripped us. And that was when we stopped expecting support from the various organisations and ministries to start this project, and we just started walking on the Footsteps of the Apostle Paul. In this, we were motivated by the example of our friend and journalist Giorgos Dimpalas.
From that moment we felt Paul's care and support. Every time we had a hard time, every time walls rose impenetrable before us, every time we had financial difficulties, the Apostle of the Nations took care to send us a message, to show us a sign, to give us courage with his letters, but also with his own life.
And of course, the journey was a surprise. Avoiding the highway and following rural roads and paths, we found ourselves in front of an amazing journey in our Macedonia. Our Macedonia, which we did not know until then! And its people were something unexpected for us. Their warmth and hospitality. We made new friends, smiling and observant people.
We found partners, or to be more precise, they showed up. Brilliant, righteous and motivated young people eager to work.
Fivos Tsaravopoulos and Nikos Katsaros from the Social Cooperative Enterprise “PATHS OF GREECE”, Giannis Zalidas and Zenovia Antoniadou founders of Tsai Akademy in Krinides, in Serres, Charalambos Tsouroukidis, the “soul” of the non-profit civil partnership “OPSOMETHA”, in Kavala. These people shared with us the vision of the Journey.
The local government and almost all the Metropolises along the route felt the same excitement with all of us.
In personal meetings we had with the Ηis All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew in Constantinople and the Holy Father of the Roman Catholic Church Francis in Athens, they both welcomed the idea of implementing the project. The same goes for the communication we had with Mr. Thomas Bucher, General Secretary of the AEEE (Evangelical Church).
During the meeting that Pavlos Trochopoulos had (on behalf of the Vergina Experimental Workshop and the “Paths of Greece”) with Pope Francis, he had the opportunity to inform him about the program “IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF THE AP. PAUL IN MACEDONIA” and to request his participation in this historic route, something to which Pope Francis responded with great joy. During the meeting, Mr. Trochopoulos gave the Pope a commemorative hat of the route and a photo of a painting by Warlamis on the subject of the Apostle Paul, the original painting of which was sent and adorns the Pope’s private office in the Vatican (Athens December 2021).
Along with the practical work for choosing the route, we should take care of the “spiritual content” of this action and the essence of Paul's mission. What is the purpose of this journey today.
Our purpose slowly began to become clearer. Let us plant the seed for this world Pilgrimage. A Pilgrimage for all the Christians of the world. For all the people of the world. For those who believe in Peace, Love and Prosperity. Studying the work of Paul, we found that it was him who opened the teaching of Jesus to all the people of his time without discrimination and exclusion. And so, Christianity became a world religion.
We began to understand that the work exceeds us by far. And as we learned from our teacher, the late Warlamis, the more you put yourself aside, the more humiliated you are, the more you serve, the more people hear and feel you.
We are sure that the Journey of Apostle Paul in Macedonia will be walked by millions of people from all the races of the world and these people will be the messengers of Love, this essence that connects all people and thus makes the planet earth, our common home.
And God chose the lowly and despised of the world, those who count for nothing, to reduce to nothing those who are something.
(Corinthians A` 1, 28)
The logo of the project was designed in collaboration between the Warlamis Museum of Austria and the Experimental Laboratory of Vergina. We believe that it stands worthily between the respective logos of the three great Christian Journeys, Santiago de Compostela (symbolised by the shell), Rome (symbolised by the cross) and Jerusalem (symbolised by the leaves of the palm tree).
We chose the walking rod as a symbol (its construction is made of solid linden and beech wood and comes in various sizes to cover all the ages of the pilgrims) because the characteristic element of the Apostle Paul was the thousands of kilometres he travelled preaching Christianity, while at the top of the rod is the cross that looks like a flower, referring to the natural beauty of the route in Macedonia.
Not that I say this because of need, for I have learned, in whatever situation I find myself, to be self-sufficient. I know indeed how to live in humble circumstances; I know also how to live with abundance. In every circumstance and in all things I have learned the secret of being well fed and of going hungry, of living in abundance and of being in need. I have the strength for everything through him who empowers me.
(Philippians 4, 11-13)
Ap. Paul or the Apostle of the Nations (Tarsus of Cilicia 5-15 AD / Rome 66-68 AD) is the founder of the Church of Greece. This great historical and religious personality, although not part of the small core of the disciples of Christ, was the one who opened the teaching of Christ to all the nations of the time and in this way, Christianity became the world religion that today has more than two and a half billion believers.
A Jew by origin, but also with a Greek education, was the one who organised the teaching of Christ in a religious structure. He walked in the years of his teaching more than 30,000 km from the Near East to Spain, preaching the teachings of Christ and founding churches in Asia and Europe.
The “Road to Damascus” where the miracle of Saul's conversion to Paul took place is a constant of life against despair for every person, says the Blessed Sotirios (Trampas), Metropolitan of Pisidia.
The Apostle Paul is regarded as the first Christian theologian: he was the only one from the first generation of Christianity who had developed his own structured, though incomplete, theological view on theoretical (theological) and practical (moral) issues. This is why his Epistles were the authority for the later Church, so that he could be considered the "lead" after the "One" (Christ). Almost all the researchers who dealt with Paul sought to find the sources of his thought and to discover the origin of the formulations of his teaching, following his own interpretative paths.
His martyrdom in Rome by beheading was the personal justification of his identification with his teacher, Jesus Christ.
Today he is accepted and recognised by all the major Christian denominations (Orthodox, Catholic, Evangelical) and his teaching was the beginning of today's European Humanism and it is the subject of research and study throughout the Christian world.
The bibliography on his life and work is huge and continues to inspire and fascinate today mainly through his letters to the churches and his students in the 1st century AD
Now a faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
(Hebrews 11, 1)
According to the data from the International Tourism Organisation, itinerant tourism is one of the fastest growing categories of tourism and hikers are considered quality tourists who stay on average more than a common tourist in the area they visit.
As a tourist product, the route of Apostle Paul in Macedonia requires a special type of approach and adaptation to the market. Innovation and distinct character are essential prerequisites to keep a spiritual content alive throughout the journey. A tourist proposal, but also a tourist product, can not be limited only to materials and events. The dominant atmosphere, that means, the feeling of satisfaction, depends on the people involved. Do not forget that this is a cultural phenomenon of the living space of people.
Therefore, it is a central task of the project to mobilise the residents, inform them and consider all people as participants, where participation does not have a theoretical dimension, but it represents an emotional bond because only the locals, the people living in the area, know the essential features of the landscape of this particular pilgrimage road.
The mobilisation of people in the countryside combined with the networking of the march will give a new quality to the region of Macedonia. In this way, it becomes a global place, a global journey and this requires a corresponding culture, that is, a special planning that will transfer a new culture and a spirituality to the rural areas.
The strategic objective of the overall planning is:
At the time, all discipline seems a cause not for joy but for pain, yet later it brings the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who are trained by it.
(Hebrews 12, 11)
The visit of the Apostle Paul to his homeland in Veria prompted Professor E. Warlamis to carry out an ecumenical monument for the Apostle Paul with the realisation of a "Crypt", that is, a monument inside the ground, in full balance with the natural environment that will represent the importance and greatness of the great Apostle.
The overall configuration combines architecture, plasticity of forms, lighting and sounds in an organic unity with the visual works created by the internationally renowned Macedonian creator for the life and work of the Apostle of the Nations. It is an impressive experiential work with substantial spiritual content.
The purpose, as Warlamis said, is to create in people the feeling of the deepest memory of the early Christian churches. “This is not only a modern technical work, but also a place that will ensure with its spirituality and sanctity, the mystery of faith.
The Crypt is associated with the revival of Paul's first apostolic course in Greece, viz a network that crosses Eastern and Central Macedonia, from Kavala and Philippi to Veria and Methoni, a distance of about 330 km.
The internationally renowned Greek architect and painter Prof. Efthymios Warlamis started his art collection for Apostle Paul in 1998 and completed it in 2013. The collection includes 12 drawings and 38 paintings of medium and large dimensions. The technique is mixed, with oil and acrylic on cardboard for the drawings and on canvas for the paintings.
Its first presentation, under the auspices of the Ministry of Macedonia and Thrace, took place in the particular homeland of the artist in Veria, the city from which the Apostle Paul passed in 50 AD and refers to the Acts of the Apostles.
In 2014, after an official invitation by the Honorary Patriarch of Venice, the collection was presented in the Basilica of St. Paul outside the Walls, in Rome. The presentation was made with the support of the Greek Presidency of the European Union.
Finally, in 2016, a large presentation of the collection took place at the Museum of Byzantine Culture of Thessaloniki under the auspices of the Metropolis of Thessaloniki, the Ministry of Tourism Development, the Region. Union of the Municipalities of Macedonia and especially the cities visited by the Apostle Paul during his 2nd apostolic tour.
The artist himself writes about his work: “The original image of him (Ap. Paul) in my mind has no photographic feature, but I must nevertheless grasp his form and give it back to people. Although I do not start from any particular type in my studies for the physiognomy, at the end the image that I kept in my soul since I was a young child appears…”
St. Paul in Rome, 2014
The Apostle Paul, Thessaloniki 2016
The Apostle Paul, A Project by Prof. Efthymios Warlamis
The visual work of E. Varlamis about the Apostle Paul
In 2010, Pope Benedict received Warlamis at a Vatican hearing and was impressed by his work on St. Paul. Then, in 2014, as an Honorary Pope, he officially invited him and the presentation took place at Ap. Paul's Basilica in Rome.
Pope Emeritus Benedict wrote in one of his personal letters to the artist: “It is striking how we can see St. Paul through your eyes in your inner way and thus strive to understand him. I am sure you are opening a door to many people to meet the Apostle of the Nations again. Your great plans – the Crypt in your hometown, Veria and “The Course of Paul” – I am sure they require a lot of strength, but they are new guidelines in the message of St. Paul…”
Warlamis had planned the route “On the Footsteps of the Apostle Paul” from Kavala to Methoni in Pieria as a whole.
He believed that the project must be combined into a whole. This meant that the local stations, the logo of the project, and even the hotels and restaurants along the route should have a specific style of aesthetics so that the hiker gets the feeling that they are in a single set.
Before he died in December 2016, he had drawn many elements of the route, which were continued and completed by his assistants at the Museum of Art in Austria.
Along the route we suggest the creation of stations that will serve the pilgrims. These stations must have a simple architectural expression and be attuned to the natural landscape. Each station will be the reception, information, food, rest and accommodation area and must also include an information centre and a shop with souvenirs, local products and route aids.
Each station will be 16 to 25 kilometres from the previous one, which means a 4-6 hour hike. The building of the station must be marked up so that it can be distinguished from afar and have its own colour expression so that it forms together with the other stations a global artistic work.
The internationally renowned Greek architect and painter Makis Warlamis was born in Veria (1942) and lived between Santorini and Vienna. He studied at the Technical University of Vienna and taught in the department of architecture until 1981. He founded the Museum of Art in Schrems, Austria, which continues its operation after he passed away in 2016.
He was a multi-faceted Renaissance artist. He loved folk architecture, young children, people and bright colours. He had great faith and he supported religious sentiment in people in many of his works.
One of his important art collections was Apostle Paul and his vision was to revive the itinerary of Apostle Paul in Macedonia. He designed the route and marked it with special monuments that culminate in an architectural masterpiece “The Crypt of Ap. Paul”.
The Experimental Workshop of Vergina, which represents his work in Greece and internationally, has undertaken the implementation of the idea along with other funding bodies.
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast.
(Ephesians 2, 8-9)
The starting area of the route is accessible via the main roads of Greece. From the Egnatia road, (if you are coming from the Thessaloniki side), from the Xanthi-Kavala national road (if you are coming from the Alexandroupolis side) and from the Drama-Kavala national road (if you are coming from the Drama and Serres side).
The nearest airport is that of Kavala/Chrysoupolis, which is located outside the city, on the provincial road of Nea Kavali. Kavala airport has flights to and from Athens.
The best way to get around the areas is by car.
The route of Saint Paul can be walked all year round. The areas it crosses are not mountainous, so snow cover is not a frequent phenomenon.
In the summer (July, August) it may be hot enough to walk on some days. Special care must be taken on such days, as there are some sections of the routes where there is not frequent shading by vegetation, resulting in exposure to the summer sun making day hiking difficult.
Spring and autumn are considered the best seasons thanks to mild temperatures and colorful nature.
| Police: | 100 |
| Fire Department: | 199 |
| European Emergency Number: | 112 (for all emergency services) |
Hiking boots, hat, sunscreen, long trousers, walking poles are considered essential.
It is also advisable not to walk alone and to always keep with you a first aid kit.
A torch, and a well charged mobile phone are also advisable.
That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
(Corinthians B` 12, 10)
The Social Cooperative Enterprise Paths of Greece consists of a group of people, experts in their field, who share the same passion for hiking and a common vision for the development of hiking in Greece. They have set a goal for Greece to become one of the top hiking destinations, so that the country can take full advantage of this type of alternative tourism.
Using the latest GIS technology, interviews with the local community, hard field work and international know-how (member of the Board of Directors of World Trails Network, seminars in France and international conferences in America and Korea) Paths of Greece specialises in the design of hiking trails networks that are able to attract hikers from Greece but mainly from abroad.
It searches and finds the old and forgotten paths, in their majority ancient or old, they contain elements of nature and culture, which it considers important points of our cultural heritage.
It provides services for the opening, promotion, improvement of the accessibility and the marking of high standards and in order to ensure the long-term sustainability of the projects it creates plans for the management, promotion and publicity of the networks, such as the construction of websites, applications, brochures, participation in international thematic tourism exhibitions, etc.
Among other things, the S.C.E. Paths of Greece has created hiking networks in Sifnos, Kythira, Prespes, Peloponnese, Tinos, Hydra, Kasos, Skiathos, etc. It has also worked as a consultant in the development of hiking trails in China, Japan and Albania. It has developed bilateral partnerships with some of the major hiking organisations abroad such as the Federation Drancaise de Randonnee Pedestre (France), the Jeju Olle Foundation (S. Korea), the American Trail (America) and the Culture Routes Society (Turkey).
The services of the S.C.E. Paths of Greece have been sought and are sought by Municipalities, Companies in the field of Corporate Social Responsibility, Foundations and other institutions that wish to develop networks of paths in their area.
The Experimental Workshop of Vergina is a non-profit organisation that has been operating continuously since 1982. The object of its activities is about Art and Culture. It specialises on the work of the late Greek diaspora of the artist Makis Warlamis (1942 - 2016). It has organised exhibitions of Warlamis' collections all over the world and holds the copyright for the use of all his work. On the websites www.warlamis.gr and warlamis.libver.gr you can browse through Warlamis' entire work and the activities of the Experimental Laboratory of Vergina.
Since 2000, when Warlamis started his work on the project of Apostle Paul and after he passed away in 2016, the Experimental Workshop of Vergina has continued this cultural and religious work with the implementation of the Journey of the Apostle Paul in Macedonia. A national work with a global character.
Apostle Paul steps and his companions were first and foremost steps of faith for a new world of love and peace as he envisioned it through the teachings and sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. Paul realised his vision through a journey that brought him close to cities, towns and smaller settlements of the Roman world, people more or less ready to respond to the new call.
On his way from the Middle East to the West, Paul passed through roads with diverse vegetation. Walking from Neapolis to Thessaloniki, he was surrounded by springs, rivers, streams, broad-leaved trees, herbs, almond trees, vines and a variety of flowers. The modern landscape may have been altered and fragmented even more by modern habitation and new needs, but the seeds remained the same and through their annual cycles still give similar image to the one Paul and his travel companions saw.
The flora of today's roads is for the modern traveller and seeker of Paul's vision a constant axis of impressions as they were engraved in his memory at the time. The recognition of the plants connect the walker with the peculiarity of the landscape and consequently bring each contemporary step back to the roads, to the natural vector where the Apostle's vision travelled.
Especially on our route at the foot of the Paggaio, we are impressed by the beauty of the mountain and its rich vegetation and fauna. The relative isolation of the mountain from other mountain ranges, as we read in the guides, has led to the development of a rich flora with many endemic species and a forest complex of about 200 square kilometres.
Our route, at the foot of the mountain, is framed by shrubs or trees of small height such as holly, aureus (aueτcus ilex), fissures, wild olive trees, wild almond trees (Prwnus webbii), wild plum trees (Prwnus domestica), gorchia (Pyrus spinosa),shrubbery (dunipeatws phoenicea),birch trees (arbutus anedo), and even ferns, angelica and the larger pine trees (Pinus rutia), chestnut and sycamore.
Botanist Giannis Zalidas, who has created the "House of Tea" in Krinida, Serres, and together with Zenobia Antoniadou has founded the "Tsai Academy", studies the flora of the region and makes practical suggestions for both the rescue of endangered species and the sustainable use of useful herbs, he writes: In Paggaio we find many of the most beautiful wildflowers of the Greek flora, such as red peonies, cyclamen, red and pink lilies (Lilium Chalcedonicum) and (L. Matragon) and many species of irises, such as lris sientenisii.
Among the most important plants of the mountain are the bell, the centaur, the Verbascum pangaeum, the Arenaria filicaulis subsp teddii, the Haberlea rhodopensis, the Chondrilla urumoffii, the Omphalodes luciliae subsp scopulorum, the peonies, the Valerian, the fritillaria, the wild carnations, the viola, the Aquilegia vulgaris, the Saxifraga, the wild lilac, the Genista anatolica and the bitter orange.
It is the Management Body of Lakes Koronia & Volvi, which emerged after its integration into the Organisation of Natural Environment and Climate Change together with the Management Body of Lake Kerkini and the Management Body of Protected Areas of Thermaikos Gulf.
The Management Unit of Protected Areas of Central Macedonia operates with headquarters in Lagada, Thessaloniki and branches in Kerkini, Serres and Halastra of Thessaloniki and our cooperation with it refers to information on fauna, flora and protection of the natural environment in the wider area of Lakes Koronia and Volvi and the straits of Rentina.
All the interactive Maps were created by Staridas Geography #MakingMapsPretty. The creation of the Maps was based on the Leaflet.js mapping library. Carto Positron, OpenStreetMap and Esri World Imagery services are used as cartographic basemaps.
General information:
Vergina, Imathia, Postal Code 59031
art.vergina@gmail.com
Technical Information about the Trails:
Karneadou 34-36 (Metro Evangelismos)
Postal Code 10676, Athens
+30 211 408 1482
info@pathsofgreece.gr
