FROM THE APOSTLES TO BYZANTIUM
A Sacred Art Pilgrimage Through Northern Greece
Where Ancient Faith Became Sacred Art
September 18–27, 2027
Journey through Northern Greece on an extraordinary pilgrimage exploring the places where the faith of the early Church took root and, over the centuries, found magnificent expression in Byzantine churches, mosaics, frescoes, icons, monasteries, and sacred architecture.
Our pilgrimage begins in Thessaloniki, one of the great cities of the early Christian and Byzantine worlds. Here we will encounter an exceptional concentration of monuments spanning more than a thousand years of Christian art—from the early mosaics of the Rotunda and Hosios David to the great churches of Saint Demetrios, Hagia Sophia, Panagia Acheiropoietos, Saint Nicholas Orphanos, the Holy Apostles, and Panagia Chalkeon. A visit to the Byzantine Museum of Thessaloniki will place these remarkable works within the larger story of Byzantine sacred art.
From Thessaloniki, we travel even deeper into the history of Macedonia with visits to Pella, birthplace of Alexander the Great, and Vergina (Aigai), ancient royal capital of Macedon and site of the extraordinary royal tomb of Philip II. These archaeological sites reveal the classical artistic world from which early Christian visual culture emerged.
The journey then takes us into the dramatic landscape of Meteora, where centuries-old monasteries rise from immense stone pillars. We will visit the Great Meteoron, Varlaam, Saint Stephen, and Saint Nicholas Anapafsas, whose celebrated frescoes by Theophanes the Cretan are among the masterpieces of post-Byzantine painting. In nearby Kalambaka, the ancient Church of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary preserves an extraordinary early Christian liturgical treasure.
Continuing westward, we explore Arta, once the capital of the medieval Despotate of Epirus, including the remarkable Parigoritissa, Saint Theodora, Saint Demetrios Katsouris, and Panagia Blacherna. Our route through Epirus then leads toward Kastoria, one of Greece’s richest centers of Byzantine ecclesiastical heritage.
Set beside beautiful Lake Orestiada, Kastoria preserves an astonishing collection of medieval churches and icons. Visits include Panagia Koumbelidiki, Saint Nicholas Kasnitzis, the Holy Anargyroi, Saint Stephen, Panagia Mavriotissa, and the Byzantine Museum of Kastoria.
On our return to Thessaloniki, we stop in Veria, an ancient Christian center associated with the apostolic mission of Saint Paul. Here we will visit its Byzantine Museum, the Old Metropolis, and the Church of the Resurrection of Christ, whose 1315 frescoes by Georgios Kalliergis represent one of the great achievements of the Palaiologan Renaissance.
This pilgrimage is designed especially for those who wish not simply to see beautiful places, but to understand the remarkable continuity of Christian sacred art—from the world of the Apostles through the flowering of Byzantium and into the living Christian tradition.
Join us September 18–27, 2027
More details to come