Thessaloniki

It is the second capital city of modern Greece and also the second port. It was inhabited without interruption since the Neolithic period till our present days. Before its foundation, a city called Terme existed in the same site. Due to the necessity to communicate with the southern part of Greece, the Macedonian king Kassander unified 46 small cities from the Golf of Termai and founded in 316-315 BC a new city to which he gave the name of his wife Tesalonica, sister of Alexander the Great.

In spite of the lack of monuments from that period, but sources indicate that the city had a luxury palace, Agora, Gymnasium and numerous sanctuaries. Recent excavations brought to light the remains of a sanctuary dedicated to the Egyptian god Serapis, Macedonian tombs and Greek cemeteries.

In 168 BC the Romans captured the city and in 142 BC it became the capital of the Province of Macedonia. In the year 49 CE, Apostle Paul visited the city and established in it the first nucleus of a Christian community.

The Byzantine emperors showed a special interest in the city. Constantine the Great built the port. New walls were constructed afterwards and in the middle of the 5th century CE important Christian shrines were erected such as St. Dimitrios, Achirapitos and Ossios David. Afterwards, magnificent churches such Agia Sohpia were built. Thessalonika passed under the Turkish domination since 1430 till its final liberation in 1912. The most important monuments to be visited are those dating from the Roman and Byzantine periods such as the Roman Forum (Agora), the Odeon, the impressive imperial palace of Caesar Galerius, the Rotunda, the Hippodrome and the Octagon. From the Byzantine period, it is worthwhile to visit St. Dimitrios, St. George (the former mausoleum of Galerius), Agia Sophia etc. It is also worth the visit of the Archaeological Museum of the city which contains important findings from the long history of the city.

findings from the long history of the city. Thessalonika fits perfectly in the classical itineraries of the Route of St. Paul as it is very well connected to the important cities and sites in the northern region such as Neapolis (Kavala), Filippi, Lydia, Amphipolis, Veria, Verguina, Meteora etc.