Program

Day 1 Wednesday 12/3: Larnaca – Athens – Monastery of Saint Ephraim – Monastery of Panagia Makrymallis – Saint John the Baptist – Chalkida
Gathering at Larnaca airport and departure for Athens. Arrival, boarding the buses and we begin our journey. First stop at the Holy Monastery of Saint Ephraim in Nea Makri where the Great Martyr and Miracle Worker Saint was martyred by the Turks. He was arrested on September 14, 1424 and subjected to daily torture for eight consecutive months. Until Tuesday, May 5, 1425 AD, when they decided on the horrible end of the Great Martyr, hanging him upside down on a mulberry tree that still survives today, nailing him to the feet and head with sharp nails and violently piercing his devastated body with burning wood at the end. His holy relics were found after 524 years, by the blessed Elder Makaria on January 3, 1950, following miraculous appearances and guidance from the Saint, who has been performing countless miracles since then and with the Grace of Christ. Then, crossing the Evripos bridge, we arrive in Evia. Stop for a pilgrimage to the male I.M. of Panagia Makrymallis. It has many holy relics such as part of the casket of Saint Parthenios, Bishop of Lampsakou, protector against cancer, and Saint Great Martyr Paraskevi, protector of eye diseases. We then arrive at the village of Prokopi and the church of Saint John the Russian to make a pilgrimage to the holy relics of the miraculous Saint. The Saint was captured and became a slave of a Turk, who took him to his homeland, Prokopi in Asia Minor. He was humiliated by the Turks, who tried to make him convert. His virtuous behavior made his master let him go free to practice his religious duties. At the age of 40, he became seriously ill and died, his holy relics were placed in a marble shrine in the Church of Saint George. In 1832 the relic was thrown out of the shrine on a pile of wood to be burned by the Turks, but the relic remained intact. This event frightened the Turks and they placed the body of the Saint back inside the shrine. During the population exchange of 1924, the Christian residents of Prokopios in Asia Minor transferred the relics of the Saint to their new homeland, in Evia. In the afternoon we arrive at our hotel not far from Chalkida, check into our rooms and rest. Overnight stay.

Day 2 Thursday 13/3: Thebes (tomb of Saint Luke the Evangelist) – Holy Trinity Church – Holy Virgin Gorgoepikoou Church – Athens
Breakfast for departure for the prefecture of Boeotia. Our first stop is in the city of Thebes for a pilgrimage to the tomb of Saint Luke the Evangelist the Doctor, who died a martyr's death (he was hanged from an olive tree). He was of Greek origin from Antioch in Syria and had come to preach the Gospel, after the Martyrdom of the Apostle Paul in Rome, according to the testimony of the ecclesiastical historian Eusebius. According to the testimony of the ecclesiastical writer Nikephoros Kallistos Xanthopoulos, on the day of the martyrdom of the apostle Luke, a miraculous liquid fell from the sky onto his tomb, which cured eye diseases. This healing power emanates from the marble shrine to this day. The fact that the shrine continues to work miracles after so many centuries is evidence that this is the authentic tomb of the Evangelist Luke. The Holy Relic is today in Padua, Italy, near Venice, where it was transferred by the Frankish conquerors of Byzantium in 1204, and is placed in the church of Santa Justina in the center of the city. Our next stop is the village of Plataies, where a short distance from it we will reach the Holy Monastery of the Holy Trinity. Its history has been little researched to date, however its foundation dates back to Byzantine times. The extensive building work carried out during the 20th century, especially after the devastating earthquake of 1981, has significantly altered its original form. The catholicon in its current form is a peculiar cross-roofed church to which lateral niches were subsequently added. It was erected in 1632, according to the marble engraved founding inscription preserved on its western facade. Information on the history of the monastery during the Post-Byzantine period is limited. During the 20th century, a new female sisterhood was established, which, to meet its needs, erected a new catholicon in the name of the Holy Cross and other auxiliary buildings within an enlarged enclosure. We continue our journey to Mandra, Attica and make a pilgrimage to the Holy Monastery of Panagia Gorgoepikoou. It is located at the top of the mountain range, overlooking the sea of ​​Eleusis. Although the monastery is so close to Athens, anyone who visits it can calm down and find peace. To perceive the sanctity of the space and with reverence to pray to the Great Grace and ask for redemption for whatever concerns him. And Panagia Gorgoepikoou – as her name suggests – will quickly hear and come to her aid. The Holy Icon of the miraculous Panagia Gorgoepikoou was painted on Mount Athos. In the afternoon we end up at our hotel in Athens, check into our rooms and have free time to enjoy the capital. Overnight stay.

Day 3 Friday 14/3: Aegina (Monastery of Saint Nektarios & Monastery of Saint Anastasia)
Breakfast and we head to the port of Piraeus and board the ship for Aegina. Arrival and we head to the Monastery of Saint Nektarios, one of the most important pilgrimage sites of Orthodoxy, with a large number of believers visiting it every year. Saint Nektarios lived in the monastery for 12 consecutive years, from 1908 until November 9, 1920, where he died. During this entire time, he lived in a small house – which survives to this day along with his personal belongings – outside the boundaries of the monastery at that time, since the monastery was a women's monastery. The church of the Holy Trinity, which he founded himself and was inaugurated on June 2, 1908, is in the Byzantine style. Nowadays, next to this church there is another one, dedicated to Saint Nektarios, and a little further there is the chapel with the tomb of the Saint. His body remained incorrupt for 21 whole years. The transfer of the relics of the Saint of patience, fortitude, love and forgiveness took place on September 3, 1963. Our next stop is at the Holy Monastery of Saint Anastasia the Pharmacist. In a special sense, the Saint is called "Pharmacist", because among the many other healings and treatments she performs, she received from God the Grace and power to save those who fell into the nets of medicines and pharmacists, that is, sorcerers and witches. We return to the port of Aegina and free time to stroll through the cobblestone streets and admire the neoclassical mansions along the sea and the churches with their blue domes. The buildings of Aegina have been built in neoclassical architecture, have a strong traditional color and remind us that Aegina was the capital of Greece for two years. Enter the folk art shops and do not forget to buy the traditional sweets and pistachios of Aegina. In the afternoon return to our hotel in Athens. Overnight.

Day 4 Saturday 15/3: Athens (free breakfast) – Monastery of Saint Irene Chrysovalantou – Athens Airport – Larnaca
Breakfast and free day to enjoy the capital. Visit the Acropolis and its new Museum, as well as walk through Plaka, perhaps the oldest district in Europe. Don't forget to visit the commercial streets of Ermou and Stadiou for your shopping. Late in the afternoon we depart for Lykovrysi, Attica and the Holy Monastery of Saint Irene Chrysovalantou, one of the most popular religious destinations in Greece. It is a place with unique historical and religious value. Crowds of people from all over the world visit it daily to pray or fulfill a vow. Something that is testified by the miraculous icon of the Saint, full of vows, located inside the monastery, but also by the stories you hear from visitors when they tell of their own miracle. We then continue our journey to the "Eleftherios Venizelos" airport in Athens and the return trip to Cyprus with our suitcases full of beautiful memories from our four-day stay in Greece.