After staying for approximately three years in Great Morabia, the two brothers selected a number of students to be ordained and begun constructing some sort of church center for the ordination. Due to the invention of the Slavic alphabet and the translation of the church’s writings they came across the bitter hostility of the local clergy inVenice and were summoned to Rome by the Pope Nicholas I...
The Macedonian Museum of Contemporary Art Thessaloniki was founded in 1979 by a group of visionary citizens of Thessaloniki. In a conversation between Maro Lagia and Alexandros Iolas, after the latter had shown a keen interest in the damage inflicted on monuments by the 1978 Thessaloniki earthquake, Maro proposed the creation of a contemporary art centre in Thessaloniki. Iola’s response was imme...
Moni Lazariston (Lazarists Monastery) was built in 1886 by the monks of the Order of St. Vincent de Paul (Lazarists) in Stavroupoli and is among the most important monuments in the city. The main purpose of the Lazarists was to help the poor and educate the clerics in order to spread Catholicism. Over the years the monastery changed uses and roles and left its mark in history. The monastery was de...
In typical Greek fashion, Halkidiki has some incredible historical sites to marvel at. The Temple of Ammon Zeus is particularly fascinating, whilst Nea Fokea is close by and houses a 15th century church, so Kalithea’s in prime place. Buzzing Thessaloniki has many museums to meander around, too. Why not spend an afternoon wandering around the resort? Kalithea’s extensive shopping area is ideal ...
After the fall of the Kingdom of Macedon in 168 BC it became part of the Roman republic and was further developed into an important trade center actually connecting Europe with Asia through the Roman Via Egnatia. Many of the most imposing and well decorated structures were built during the Roman Era of its history as Thessaloniki was one of the capitals during the Tetrarchy period, while it also s...
According to Herodotus, the history of Macedonia began with the Makednoi tribe, among the first to use the name, migrating to the region from Histiaeotis in the south. There they lived near Thracian tribes such as the Bryges who would later leave Macedonia for Asia Minor and become known as Phrygians. Macedonia was named after the Makednoi. Accounts of other toponyms such as Emathia are attested t...
Pallene is the ancient name of the westernmost of the three headlands of Chalcidice, which run out into the Aegean Sea. It is said to have anciently borne the name of Phlegra and to have witnessed the conflict between the gods and the earthborn Gigantes. The modern name of the peninsula is Kassandra, which, besides affording excellent winter pasture for cattle and sheep, also produces an abundan...
Enjoy a marvelous day in the Halkidiki region’s middle peninsula, Sithonia, and journey through its majestic natural landscapes. Visit a winery for a delicious local wine and cheese tasting before a hands-on cooking class at an authentic Greek taverna
Escape into the beautiful landscapes of Greece’s Halkidiki region, and start your day with a tour through one of the most important vineyards o...
At the east end of Hermes Street, the Church of Saint Sophia is one of the town’s most important historic churches. The domed church was built in the eighth century on a three-aisled cruciform plan. In the ninth and 10th centuries, after the iconoclastic conflict, the church was decorated with expressive figural mosaics, including the Mother of God mosaic in the apse and a magnificent representa...
The Church of Saint Demetrius is the main sanctuary dedicated to Saint Demetrius, the patron saint of Thessaloniki (in Central Macedonia, Greece), dating from a time when it was the second largest city of the Byzantine Empire. It is part of the site Palaeochristian and Byzantine Monuments of Thessaloniki on the list of World Heritage Sites by UNESCO since 1988.
The basilica is famous for six exta...
According to the founder’s inscription above the west entrance, the church was built in 1028 by the protospatharios Christopher, katepano of Longobardia, and his wife, son, and two daughters. The inscription reads: This once profane place is dedicated as an eminent church to the Mother of God by Christopher, the most illustrious royal protospatharios and governor of Lagouvardia, and his wife Mar...
The Cave of St. George is the major tourist attraction of the city of Kilkis; it is ranked among the most remarkable caves in Greece and it offers the visitors a unique experience. Especially if it is combined with a visit to the Paleontological Museum, which displays the cave’s findings. It is located at the foot of St. George’s Hill and it was a accidentally discovered around 1925 by quarrym...
In the center of Thessaloniki in Fragon St in one of the most historic corners of the city lies a temple that will pleasantly surprise those who will discover it… Hidden among tall, modern constructions the Temple of the Immaculate Conception (devoted to Virgin Mary) represents an entirely different style and philosophy in a city dominated by Paleo-christian masterpieces.
Built in 1899 the te...
The Byzantine Bath of the Upper Town in Thesaloniki is one of the few and best preserved of the Byzantine baths that have survived from the Byzantine period in Greece. It is located on the Theotokopoulou Street in the Upper Old Town of Thessaloniki. The baths date to the late 12th/early 13th century, and functioned continuously until 1940, when they shut down probably due to World War II and the G...
When you are walking around the historic Upper Town and the Trigoniou Tower (check out the Trigoniou Tower article), among them there’s another spot that you should not skip: the charming Vlatadon Monastery. This is the only Byzantine monastery that has worked incessantly until today and dates back to the 14th century. It belongs to the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Istanbul and is protected as a U...
Located in Macedonia, in Northern Greece, there is a city unlike anywhere else in Greece. Thessaloniki is a sprawling urban centre, a cultural melting pot, where dreams, ideas, visions and trends percolate in an alternative, avant garde scene. Its history is written upon everything you see the Thermaic Gulf, the White Tower, Nikis Avenue, Aristotelous Square, Mitropoleos Avenue, Tsimiski Avenue, L...
“There is nothing like Halkidiki”, is a very common phrase for northern Greeks and widely acceptable from everyone decides to visit this beautiful place. Get ready to meet its three unique peninsulas, namely Kassandra, Sithonia and Athos. Kassandra and Sithonia can be visited by everyone, but the third is off limits to women, as it is home to the famous monastic state, Mount Athos. What exactl...
Thessaloniki is easy to fall in love with – it has beauty, chaos, history and culture, a remarkable cuisine and wonderful, vast sea views. This is Greece’s second city, which, like the rest of the country, has suffered the hit of the economic crisis, but the streets remain full of life and vibrancy.
The different neighbourhoods are little worlds unto themselves, and when you climb up to the...
The Aristotle University of Thessaloniki is the sixth oldest and among the most highly ranked tertiary education institutions in Greece. It is named after the philosopher Aristotle, who was born in Stageira, about 55 km east of Thessaloniki. It is the largest university in Greece and in the Balkans. Its campus covers 230,000 square metres in the centre of Thessaloniki, with additional educational ...
The Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki is a state museum of the Ministry of Culture and has been an autonomous unit since 2001. It has been housed in a building, designed by architect Patroklos Karantinos since 1962 and it has been designated as a listed monument of modern heritage, as it is one of the most representative examples of architectural modernism in Greece. Its collections include ar...