Travelling through Greece - in the Steps of St Paul - The churches of Thessaloniki

There are many Byzantine churches to enjoy in Thessaloniki - indeed here is the richest collection anywhere in Greece. 

We have time to see just two. 

agia sophia

We first make our way to Agia Sophia,  reminiscent of Hagia Sophia in Istanbul on which indeed it is based, with its 9th and 10th century mosaics, and one of 15 UNESCO World Heritage sites in the city. Here we are treated to the beginning of a Greek Orthodox wedding! We were taking plenty of photos between us and no one seemed to mind - but we were surely being disrespectful?

The seats in the church are extremely uncomfortable - but then worshipers are not meant to sit in them for any length of time.

wedding at Agia Sophia

We have lunch all together in a local restaurant - and very good it is too - but they really cannot cope with us all descending on them at once - and there are problems with paying afterwards. But hey go with the flow - there is no Greek word for deadline apparently.

                         

Agia sophia

From Agia Sophia we go to St Demetrius Basilica (church) or Agios Dimitrios, the site of Demetrius' martyrdom, and the largest church in Greece, with a very rich religious history and fine mosaics. The crypt of Agios Dimitrios, where according to Christian tradition Dimitrios died in AD 303, is probably the oldest surviving part of the church, and some mosaics dating from the early 7th century can be seen here. This church gives us an idea of what Basilica A would have looked like at Philippi.

By contrast with our previous experiences in Georgia and South East Turkey on previous pilgrimages, females do not generally wear headdress in church. This we are told is because during the Turkish occupation the Greek Orthodox were made to cover their heads to identify them, and this current practice is therefore a reaction to that!

Agios Dimitrios

Some in church did have their heads covered though - Mara said these would be perhaps Russian Orthodox, therefore they are showing respect in their own way.

There is a rare mosaic of a dead Jesus Christ - a symbolic of hopelessness.

How do I feel in here? We listen to the beginning of Paul's first letter to the Thessalonians, one of his earliest written letters, which he wrote to strengthen and encourage the young church here, and we see the relics of St Demetrius. The mosaics and icons are all very beautiful and there are lots of locals crossing themselves three times in front of everything and kissing icons. In fact many people here make the sign of the cross three times every time they pass a church as a sign of respect. In spite of all of this I do not find this a "thin" or very spiritual place at all.

Agios Dimitrios

Perhaps I am in spiritual overload. We are all certainly very weary and ready to check in to our hotel. There is a Greek man who clearly feels as we do - slumped fast asleep in the church head lolled against a pillar. On our way through the city to our hotel I see a group of students at a busy street corner in a very small green space - cooking a BBQ and having a small party!! And a dust cart working on a Sunday!

Agios Dimitrios

So to the hotel to check in at 4pm for just one night - we are all very glad to get to our rooms - but first we are warned by Andrew that we must not expect the ambiance and quality of our accommodation in Kavala. He was right! The Holiday Inn is very acceptable but certainly not up to the standards of that chain elsewhere as I remember them from my business days - but hey we are in Greece and it has more than its fair share of problems at the moment so let's not be too critical. 

Agios Dimitrios - some of the wonderful mosaics

And the hotel cannot really compete head-on with the wonderful waterside setting of our hotel in Kavala. This hotel has also clearly had its own difficulties. I read that not so long ago it suffered from an influx of Libyan refugees. Those poor people - there seems to be a family group "squatting" on the street corner below my balcony with their few possessions in bags of all description. So much suffering - and we quibble over the niggling defects in our hotel rooms.

Pray for refugees and the homeless everywhere - pray for solutions to the great political and social problems that cause such unhappiness and displacement in so many parts of the world.

And our greatest suffering at the moment beyond small gripes about the hotel is from information overload - so much to absorb, all so interesting.

I for one am still finding it difficult to get into the pilgrim mode; I still feel more of a tourist than a pilgrim, although the chanting in the church at the Orthodox wedding (which we "gate-crashed") touched a spiritual spot with some of us.

Agios Dimitrios wonderful mosaics

We finish the evening as usual with Compline - Mark tells us that Paul would have been influenced by the Stoics - and that Acts is not always a strictly accurate historical record - although Luke is known for accuracy and detail - but in the end meaning is what counts. I was so tired after Compline I tried to open my room door with my credit card instead of the bit of plastic which served as a key!

Today we hear the news that the latest negotiations with Greece and the EU have failed - this poor country - how will it end? And poor Georgia - the destination of our wonderful pilgrimage in 2014 - have just declared a national day of mourning over lives lost when the River Vere in Tbilisi burst its banks on Saturday night and flooded large areas of the city, including the city zoo. 

carpets in Thessaloniki

Many are homeless and animals, many dangerous, wander the streets. It is surreal to see pictures of lions and tigers in the streets, a hippo looking bemused, a bear clinging to the side of a building on an air conditioning unit! So sad that many had to be shot. We pray for Georgia, Tbilisi and our lovely guide Maka who accompanied us on that Georgian trip, and are so happy that she is OK - the wonders of instant communication on Facebook. 

Travelling through Greece - in the Steps of St Paul - Thessaloniki

sunrise in Kavala

Another lovely day has dawned. The fishing boats have left harbour by the time I awake - the sea is still and shimmering in the pink hue of dawn before the sun is fully risen. After an early breakfast we all make sure that our own bags have been placed on board and so we are off again in the coach bound for Thessaloniki, retracing our steps of the day we arrived and once again following in the steps of St Paul. 

Not much survives here from the 1st century BC but not only has it always been a thriving seaport, it is an important city for the spreading of the Christian gospel - there was a large Jewish community here and Paul preached several times at the synagogue albeit with little success, but many pagans and women were open to his message, some taking it so literally that they ceased work as they waited for the second coming, understood to be imminent. But he thereby also infuriated many Jews, who mobbed Jason's house where the apostles were lodging. So Paul and Silas set off once more this time for Beria. (Acts 16:11-17:14)

Much of the highway we are following from Kavala to Thessaloniki is easy on the eye - with plenty of pink Oleander, tall cypress trees and dramatic rock faces interspersed with woodland and agricultural tracts of land.

We cross the Strymonas River near to the city of Amphipolis, an important city for Philip II - this very fertile area of Macedonia was much fought over. Paul, Silas and Timothy used this as a staging post on their way west to Thessaloniki from Kavala. 

on the seafront at Thessaloniki

We do not have time to detour to see the Lion of Amphipolis, reassembled from 4th century fragments and guarding the mouth of the river. It is quite probable that the apostles saw and appreciated the splendid mane and glaring eyes of this huge statue. Amphipolis made headlines recently with the discovery of a huge funeral monument - to a woman - who could be Alexander the Great's mother Olympias so there is obviously a  huge interest. But there is also controversy and uncertainty as the research continues. There is a superb website where full analysis is available with 3D and interactive representations.

the White Tower

The modern service areas on this new road are superb. At our comfort stop today along the road we enjoy great coffee overlooking the Aegean Sea - and no queues for the loo either! We see storks flying over the Volvi lake - this is good luck for Greeks. Suddenly a loud bang - the lorry we are about to overtake blows a tyre - lots of dust and debris fly up - our driver skilfully avoids a more serious mishap. Few seem to wear seat belts here - even young children.

Workers are hand tending grapes, small herds of cows are seen but they are few and far between, a man kneeling in his field waves to us - he is planting something, but I cannot see what? A solitary manual job but he is clearly happy. Grain is being harvested - there are beautiful red poppies among the oats or barley. Nearer to Thessaloniki farming is on a larger scale. There is a large American Genetics factory . Here is not the forum for me to delve deeper into my own concerns re genetic modification if that is what they do. Then we see lots of closed down industrial units on industrial estates on the outskirts of the city. It all seems very sad, looking for all the world as if the owners just locked up one night and walked away from their failed businesses leaving vehicles to seemingly rot away in the yards.

up at citadel above Thessaloniki

So we arrive. I love the way Mara our guide pronounces Thessaloniki, with emphasis on the "al" and the "iki"! 

First we have a brief photo stop down on the port front, to see the imposing White Tower, and statue of Alexander the Great. We stroll down to the water's edge - it is very pleasantly warm at 11.30 in the morning and there are plenty of families strolling and relaxed - in spite of all their troubles - as Mara puts it: "how unhappy can you be in this sunshine?"

Then we drive up to Ano Polis, the highest point, to the Acropolis and what remains of the city walls - just 8km. There are panoramic views up here and on a clear day Mount Olympus can be seen more than 62 miles away.

We can see churches everywhere here.

Agia Sophia - wedding in progress

In 1917 seventy percent of the old city was destroyed by a great fire starting in a kitchen, destroying much of the Jewish quarters, which gave the city planners the opportunity to come up with a chance to redesign the layout.

Up at the citadel we have a short reading (Philippians1:27-30, Paul urging the young church in Philippi not to be intimidated by their opponents) and we reflect on "turning the world upside down" - and how the residents here must also have felt about Paul's visit. We sing the hymn: "City of God, how broad and far Outspread thy walls sublime!" and have a short prayer.

St Demetrius Basilica 

On our way through the town we see the new construction of the metro underground in progress - it is taking a long time Mara tells us because of cost, budget cuts and austerity measures, and archaeological discoveries which intervene - this will bring huge improvement to the city once completed and it is popular with students.

Taxis in Kavala were orange and white - here they are blue and white - in Athens they will be yellow - different cities had different colours - you knew where you were by the colour! Colours still stick although no longer obliged by regulation.

There is so much Graffiti - Mara says this is mostly about football and not political - but surely much elsewhere is political?

The condition of many houses seems appalling - even when occupied! This is because ownership is often not clear - they could have been lived in by Armenians, Jews, Muslims we are told - who have moved out and they then get very rundown. It is of course difficult to sort out ownership without deeds but the Greeks are trying to sort this out. 

Now it is time to visit some of the important churches here...Agia Sophia and St Demetrius Basilica - described next...