Religious Tours of Greece

Although not considered a "Holy Land" by any of the world's major religions, Greece still has several religious sites that may be of interest to the devout as well as to the casual tourist. Monasteries and shrines can be found on many of the islands, and museums house several significant early Christian artifacts.



You can sign on for a formal tour or, with a little planning, make your own pilgrimage to Greece's holy sites.
  1. Monastery and Cave of St. John in Patmos

    • Travelephesus.net will arrange to take visitors to the monastery of St. John in Patmos, which was was built in 1088. The formal tour of the grounds includes time to explore the museum and the cave where St. John is said to have written the Book of Revelation in AD 95 to 97. The museum has several jeweled crosses, chalices and crowns and is also home to several famous icons and religious paintings. The grotto or cave of St. John is part of the tour, and purportedly contains the stone John used for a pillow during his visit. The tour takes about half a day, and guests to the monastery are asked to dress respectfully, with knees and shoulders covered. Women should wear skirts, not pants.

    On the Apostle Paul's Steps

    • Greecetravel.net offers a comprehensive nine-day tour which traces the steps of St. Paul's travels in Greece including Philipi, where Paul had his first converts to Christianity, and established one of his early churches. The tour continues to Thessaloniki, where Paul wrote two epistles. The visit to Thessaloniki includes tours of various Byzantine churches and an archeological museum. In Athens, members of the tour will visit Mars Hill, where St. Paul gave his famous speech to the "Unknown God." The final religious stop on this tour is Corinth to visit the site where Paul preached and established another church.

    Visit Ephesus

    • Through globusfaith.com you can book a tour that includes all of the above-mentioned sites and also includes a stop in Ephesus. In Ephesus, tourists can visit the Basilica of John the Evangelist and the House of Mary. St. Paul also visited and started a church in Ephesus, which adds more significance to the site.

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