During the third and fourth day of our mobility we have travelled back in time by means of 3 wonderful guided visits to the baptistery of Saint Lydia, the ancient town of Phillipi and the stunning city of Thessaloniki.

Just 12 km away from the city of Kavala next to the ancient, archaeological site of Philippi located the place where the Apostle Paul baptized the first Christian woman in Europe - Lydia, and it was here that the first baptismal ceremony was held in Europe. Today here is the Baptistery where the christenings are held today.

The Archaeological Site of Philippi is lying at the foot of an acropolis in north-eastern Greece on the ancient route linking Europe with Asia, the Via Egnatia. The city of Philippi, re-founded by Philip II on a former colony of Thasians in 356 BCE, was reshaped by the Romans into a "small Rome" with its elevation to a Colonia Augusta of the Roman Empire in the decades following the Battle of Philippi. The vibrant Hellenistic city of Philip II, of which the walls and their gates, the theatre and the funerary heroon (temple) are to be seen, was adorned and transformed with Roman public buildings including the Forum and a monumental terrace with temples to its north. Later the city became a centre of Christian faith and pilgrimage deriving from the visit of the Apostle Paul in 49/50 CE and the remains of Christian basilicas and the octagonal church testify to its importance as a metropolitan see.

Thessaloniki has many stories to tell, starting by the moment of its foundation in 316/315 B.C. Fortunate to have royal “blood”, since the new city was named after Thessaloniki, sister of Alexander the Great and daughter of Philip II, King of Macedonia. It was developed rapidly -due to its prominent geographical location- as one of the most important ports, and economical and commercial centers of Macedonia and the Balkan Peninsula as a whole, advantages maintained for the past 2300 years.

Undeniable witnesses of its long course over the years are its numerous monuments. Open and easily accessible to the public, live alongside its residents and tell interesting stories about different civilizations, religions, eras. We invite you to read the history of Thessaloniki so as to comprehend their significance, before you come across them, walking around the city, and to feel this uniqueness that makes Thessalonians so proud of their past.