Philippi, the UNESCO World Heritage site in northwestern Greece, is way more than meets the eye. It’s definitely a working archaeology site–far off the beaten path from touristy Athens, the Peloponnese, and Greek islands.
In late-March, it was not overrun with tourists (we saw five people), and visitors are free to wander the site. There’s an extra surprise less than a mile from Philippi, so read on!
After our original Greek tour was canceled, we created our own adventure and wanted to include some of the missionary journey sites of the Apostle Paul. If you take the toll roads from Thessaloniki (ancient Thessalonica), the ruins are less than a 2-hour drive east. Driving from Athens to Philippi is a good seven hours.
TIP: Secure a tour guide, if possible. For once, I did not secure a site guide.
We had no idea when we would arrive or how long we could stay, so I created detailed notes and had a Philippi map. Some ruins are labeled, and we eventually found everything on my list. But it wasn’t easy! I read about the great museum on site, so go if you have time!
Philippi is a huge archaeological site spanning both sides of the main road. Here’s half!
It represents three distinct historical, art, and architectural periods spanning over 2000 years: Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine (Christian).
Hellenistic Philippi
Greek colonists from the island of Thasos moved to this area and founded a colony in 360 BC. They named it Krenides “meaning springs” after the abundance of water streams in the area. They also discovered a secret bounty of gold, silver, and gem mines.
A portion of the ancient wall and the acropolis
To protect their investment in the mines, colonists asked King Philip II of Macedon for military assistance. Realizing their mine resources and the strategic east-west Macedonian route, Philip instead conquered the city and named it Philippi after himself. He added a wall around the city, built an acropolis up the hill, and brought in his own people.
Philip established powerful garrisons to control the gold mines, and he used all those riches for his military campaigns. Excavated copper coins and gold staters prove it was a wealthy city. Today, archaeological finds from this era include the remains of the original city walls, the theatre, Greek shrines, and an acropolis (not as fancy as Athens).
Although Macedonia’s King Philip was pretty popular in his own right, he’s better known as the father of Alexander the Great. King Philip is credited with dominating and unifying city states (after he conquered them) creating the foundations for what we know today as Greece.
TIP: Ancient Macedonia is different than today’s country of Macedonia.
Roman Philippi
Fast-forward 300 years. By 50 BC, Philippi had declined, and just a few farmers lived in the area. A significant historical event (a major battle) took place in 42 BC just outside the Philippi western wall. Mark Antony and Octavian (later to be named and hailed as Emperor Augustus) defeated the armies of Brutus and Cassius in the Battle of Actium.
TIP: Shakespeare’s “The Tragedy of Julius Caesar” is our reminder that Brutus and Cassius were the murderers of Julius Caesar in 44 BC. Mark Antony and Octavian defeated their army in 42 BC in Philippi. Octavian (Augustus) was adopted by Julius Caesar, and he became the first Roman emperor after Caesar’s assassination. Augustus ruled from 27 BC until his death in 14 AD.
The Roman Forum
After the battle in 42 BC, Octavian (Augustus) founded a large Roman “colony” in Philippi and divided up over 700 square miles of land between veteran Army soldiers. He reshaped the Greek city into a Rome away from Rome. Public buildings, a forum, bath houses, temples, and even public toilets were added.
Public toilets built by the Romans
Most of the ruins at the site are from the 2nd century. They also updated and renamed the main east-west road and called it Via Egnatia. It connected the Adratic Sea with Byzantium and the Seaport of Neapolis (now Kavala) to the south.
Byzantine (Christian) Philippi
Philippi might sound familiar because of a Christian missionary, the Apostle Paul. He visited the city around 49-50 AD and founded the first Christian congregation on European soil.
From there, Christianity began to spread all over Greece and prosper. The Apostle Paul visited Philippi at least three times, and Philippian Christians later supported Paul in his ministries in other places.
By the 3rd century AD, Constantine the Great institutionalized Christianity as the official religion of his empire. Philippians began to speak Greek again, and Latin was no longer used.
One of the first known Christian churches in Greece was built in Philippi in the 4th century. They dedicated it to St. Paul.
Philippi's Decline
From the 7th century on, Philippi suffered from continuous earthquakes. Invasions from the Slavs and Bulgars into northern Greece also led to its decline. By the 16th century, the city was left in ruins.
A former arch near the ancient theatre
In 1917, the French School of Archaeology at Athens began excavations at the site. Work continues today by several groups, including the Greek Archaeological Service.
The Via Egnatia
Running through the east and west walls of Philippi is an exposed section of the Via Egnatia. The large paving stones were built over the original Hellenistic road.
It was the first public road outside Italy built by the Romans and was in use from the 2nd century BC until the 20th century (more than 2,000 years). Ultimately, the Via Egnatia connected from Rome to Constantinople.
The Roman Forum
Keeping tradition, a Roman Forum was built right next to the Via Egnatia and added on beside the original Greek Agora. For Rome, the forum was the administrative center and marketplace.
The Roman Forum ruins in Philippi
The current forum was built during the reign of Marcus Aurelius (161-187 AD). Apparently each new emperor would “one-up” the previous emperor with a renovation project, plus a new shrine to himself.
Forums were built as a large central square surrounded by stoas on three sides. Philippi had two public fountains, a speaker’s platform (called the Bema), temples, a Roman basilica, a library, and several small shops.
The doorframe to the Library remains standing.
The Ancient Theatre
Philippi’s ancient theatre still survives today. King Philip II built the theatre around 356 BC, and it dominates the area just below the acropolis.
The theatre is one of the largest in the ancient world.
Romans updated the theatre in the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD. It was modified for gladiator contests by removing the first four rows and adding protective walls to keep the animals “out of the audience.” In the 3rd century, a stage was erected, and an underground tunnel was added below the orchestra to house animals. Below: Roman arches added on near the theatre. Was this the tunnel?
The Octagon of Philippi Church
One of the first known Christian churches in Greece was built in Philippi in 312-341 AD, and it was dedicated to St. Paul.
Built over the ruins of a former building, visitors can see the cathedral church called the Octagon of Philippi. It’s east of the Roman agora and next to the Via Egnatia. An inscription told us the gorgeous mosaic floor, called an embroidery, was made by a bishop named Porphyrios. In the Greek dedication to the Apostle Paul, I found his name in the mosaic floor!
ΠΑΥΛΟ is Greek for Paulo
The Octagon church was developed in three phases from the 4th to the 6th centuries. It is the most complete complex and includes all the ancillary buildings of the church–plus a fountain, a baptistery and a latrine.
The bishop’s residence was next to the church and named the Episcopeion. It was beautifully decorated and also had offices, reception rooms, a wine press (yes, please), apartments for bishop employees and guesthouses for pilgrims.
The Bishop’s House
Close to the Octagon Church, a four-room baptistery contained a room for annointing the newly baptized with oil, an instructional room, a dressing room, and a baptismal font.
A nearby Roman bath complex (dating from the time of Augustus) supplied the hot water for the church’s baptistery. Below: the Baptismal font.
Basilicas A and B
Basilica A
At least five important Christian basilicas can be found at the archaeological site. They’ve been named by alphabet letters.
Basilica A was built at the end of the 5th century. Now in ruins, the large three-aisled two-story church was known for its marble floor paving, beautiful frescoes, and sculptures. It was the first basilica built in Philippi, but it was destroyed by an earthquake soon after completion.
According to tradition, the basilica chapel was first an ancient water reservoir. Later, it became a jail and is considered the jail of the Apostle Paul in the 1st century AD.
Basilica B was also called the Direkler Basilica. Direkler is Turkish for “pillars”. The massive Christian basilica was ambitiously built around 550 AD in the Byzantine-style of Constantinople. It covered the entire southern half of what was once the commercial agora.
Basilica B
An enormous free-standing dome, built to crown the majority of the church, sadly collapsed before the church was completed. A more modest church was later built at the site. Archaeologists were working at the basilica the day we visited, and a fence kept us at bay.
Why did Paul go to Philippi?
The arrival of Paul, Silas, Timothy, and Luke in Philippi was and is a significant historical event. According to the Evangelist Luke ( Acts 16:6-12), Paul originally intended to journey to Asia Minor, but he was not allowed by the Holy Spirit.
During the night in Troas, Paul had a vision from a Macedonian man begging, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” So they got ready and went! They sailed from Samothrace to Neapolis, (the port city for Philippi) in the winter of 49-50 AD. Today, Neapolis is named Kevala. From there, they traveled to Philippi. At the time, it was a Roman colony and the most important city in Macedonia.
Paul and the First Christians in Europe
(Acts 16:13-15) After arriving in Philippi, Paul and his team began looking for a place of prayer for the Sabbath. At that time, there was not a Jewish Synagogue (which required a group of at least ten adult Jewish males). They heard Jews gathered on Saturdays outside the city gate near the banks of the river.
They met a group of women, one named Lydia, by the river and began speaking to them. Lydia was a Gentile from the city of Thyatira in Asia Minor who worshipped the God of the Jews. She was also a successful business woman who dyed and sold purple fabrics with a red/purple dye made from the madder root.
The Krenides streams outside the Philippi wall
TIP: A small Philippi Jewish community is confirmed not only in the book of Acts but from excavated marble grave inscriptions and steles.
Lydia accepted the Christian faith and was baptized after hearing Paul’s message. She also had the other members of her household baptized. She invited Paul and his companions to her home and even housed them during their stay.
Lydia was the first Greek and European woman to be baptized as a Christian by Paul and went on to faithfully spread Christianity.
Paul's First Recorded Arrest
Paul also experienced some drama in Philippi. In Acts 16:16-40, Paul and Silas were arrested, beaten, and thrown in jail. They were accused of unlawfully disturbing the city after Paul healed a slave girl possessed by a spirit by which she predicted the future.
She followed Paul around for days shouting that they were “servants of the Most High God” telling others the way to be saved. Until Paul healed her, she made a great deal of money for her owners as a fortuneteller. Ultimately, her owner claimed her healing “destroyed his livelihood.”
Western side of the prison
That night in jail, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns. Around midnight, a violent earthquake shook the foundations of the prison, the prison doors flew open, and the prisoners’ chains came loose.
When the jailer woke up and saw the open doors, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself thinking the prisoners had escaped and he was responsible. But Paul shouted, “don’t harm yourself. We are all here.”
Eastern side of the prison
The jailer considered the event a miracle. He asked, “what must I do to be saved?” They answered, “believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.” (Acts 16:29-31) Grateful, the jailer took them to his home, fed them, and treated their wounds. He and his entire household were baptized during the night. Then they willingly went back to jail.
Roman magistrates realized the next day that Paul and Silas were actually Roman citizens. They were quickly released from custody and encouraged to leave Philippi to avoid more problems. They encouraged Lydia and other new believers, then moved on to Thessalonica. Paul’s first time in jail resulted in glory for God and the salvation of many!
The Baptistery of Lydia
Located less than a mile from the Philippi western gate is the Krenides stream associated with Lydia’s baptism by Paul. It’s a quick drive over from the Philippi Archaeology site, so go!
A modern Greek Orthodox Church, The Baptistery of Lydia, was built in 1974 to commemorate her baptism. It is in the shape of an octagon, and naturally, there are shades of purple throughout. http://www.im-philippon.gr
The church is decorated with impressive works of art and stained glass. Mosaic scenes and paintings from the life of the Paul also colorfully decorate the church.
Visitors can see and read the full story from Acts 16 through the Byzantine iconography on the ceiling of the church.
Infants are baptized in a marble font inside the church.
As visitors enter the church, an impressive mosaic floor maps out the second missionary journey of Paul. If you don’t read Greek, it shows Paul leaving his home in Tarsus (not shown), going to Ephesus and then Troas.
From there, he journeyed to the port of Neapolis (today named Kevala) and on to Philippi (shown as a walled city) and Thessalonica (now Thessaloniki). He then traveled to Berea (or Beroea and now Veria) and went south to Athens and Corinth. Last, he sailed back to Ephesus and traveled back to Antioch (today named Antakya in southern Turkey).
It wasn’t easy to capture the whole mosaic floor in a photograph. I believe I’m missing Tarsus and Antioch. Below: a close-up of the mosaics (Athens, Corinth, Philippi, Neapolis, and Troas)
An open-air baptistry in the shape of a cross has been created in and over the river. The water was cold!
Adult baptisms are held outside in the stream flowing near the church.
Worth the drive?
Driving to northern Greece and exploring Philippi was not in our original tour plan, but we were so glad we visited! It certainly connected the dots for centuries of history.
It was also worth the effort to follow the footsteps of the Apostle Paul. I knew Paul made a great impact at Philippi, and I was pleased to see him honored for his persistent missionary efforts and dedication to spread the Gospel.
Paul’s letter to the Philippians is unique because of the strong affection and unselfish love he felt for them. The advice Paul gave them to be humble, stay together, and love one another at all times has been kept and reinforced throughout the ages.
What's Next?
What’s next? We’ll head to the Greek cities of Thessaloniki and Corinth!
Until then, keep exploring!
If you rent a car anywhere in Greece, you’ll need to get an International Driver’s Permit (IDP) before you go. Our permits were purchased at AAA Travel. And don’t forget travel insurance! http://www.aaa.com
Check out my other Greece series travel blogs:
Meteora Monasteries – A Climb to the Top!
Magnificent Meteora – Castles in the Clouds
Delphi, Greece – It’s Still a Mystery
Olympia, Greece – The Birthplace of the Olympics
Athens, Greece – The Acropolis
Santorini, Greece – Off the Beaten Path
For all travel blogs, visit my blogsite: https://traveltipsbytami.com
Thank you for sharing the story of Paul traveling here and the baptism of Lydia. So cool to connect the dots of history and see their representation in this location! Looking forward to our next destination.