Pilgrimage to the Holy Mountain, accompanied by the visit to the Holy Shrines in the city of Thessaloniki and the Monasteries of Meteora

Arrival to  Thessaloniki Airport Makedonia (SKG). Group transfer to the hotel. Welcome Dinner. Orientation. Overnight in Thessaloniki.

Today we will explore the second largest city of Greece. We will start our day with a visit to the Basilica of St. Great Martyr Demetrius of Thessalonica, heavenly patron of the city. From there on we will continue the exploration of the city that will include visits to the historical parts of the city. Most notable visits will be to the Cathedral where we will venerate the relics of St. Gregory Palamas, the great teacher and defender of Orthodoxy, mighty church of St. Sophia and Osios David Monastery with the splendid Roman mosaic depicting Christ as eternal youth.  Overnight in Thessaloniki. 

Today we will continue the exploration of the city of Thessaloniki. Before the transfer to Meteora, we will visit the Monastery of St. John the Theologian to venerate the grave of  Saint Paisios the Athonite. St. Paisisos, born Arsenios Eznepidis on 25 July 1924 in Asia Minor, entereded the novitiate on the Holy Mountain in 1950, and spent there the rest of his life. In 1993 St. Paisios had to leave Mount Athos seeking medical attention. Despite his wish to be gone for only a few days, he was diagnosed with cancer requiring immediate surgery, and after recovery, he was transferred to the Monastery of St. John the Theologian, Souroti some 20 kilometers from Thessaloiniki. Despite wishing to return to Mount Athos, his health did not allow it. On July 12, 1994 St Paisios reposed in the Lord and was buried at the next to the church of the Monastery. St. Paisios renowned for his holiness was canonized in 2015 and remains one of the most beloved saints in Greece. Overnight in Kalambaka. 

This morning we will explore one of the most beautiful and holy places of Greece, the Meteora. Monasteries and convents sit on top of huge rock formations almost as bird nests. There are a number of them in the area and we will some most important of them. 

The foundation of the Monastery of Great Meteoron, dedicated to the Transfiguration of our Lord is the starting point of the organized life at Meteora. It   was founded shortly before the middle of the 14th century by Saint Athanasios the Meteorite. The history of the Great Meteoron is filled with many difficulties and challenges, however it manage to preserve the monastic life within its walls uninterruptedly. Miraculously, monks were able to preserve a good portion of its important priceless artifacts and historical treasure. Due to the later, Great Meteoron monastery serves as the main museum for visitors to Meteora.

The Holy monastery of Varlaam is the second largest monastery after Great Meteoron monastery. The monastery owes its name to the hermit-anchorite Varlaam, who first inhabited the rock in the 14th century. The history of the monastery itself begins sfrom the early 16th century, when two brothers from Ioannina, Theophanes and Nektarios Apsaras, descendants of the old Byzantine family settled on the rock and organized the monastery. 

The monastery of Saint Steven is the most accessible monastery, where instead of steps you simply cross a small bridge to reach the entrance. The beginning of the monastery dates back to the early 12th century and the first hermit monks who settled on the cliff. Centuries later, certain St. Anthony, in the first half of the 15th century, and St. Philotheos in 16th century, renovated and rebuilt the monastery from its foundations.

In the afternoon we will transfer some hours East to the port city of Ierissos.

In the morning, departure to Ouranoupolis for a boat ride to the monastery Hilandar. It was founded in 1198 by two Serbs: Stefan Nemanja (Saint Symeon) and his son Saint Sava. St. Symeon was the former Grand Prince of Serbia (1166–1196) who upon relinquishing his throne took monastic vows and became an ordinary monk. He joined his son Saint Sava who was already in Mount Athos and who later became the first Archbishop of Serbia. Upon its foundation, the monastery became a focal point of the Serbian religious and cultural life. It is regarded as the historical Serbian monastery on Mount Athos, traditionally inhabited by Serbian Orthodox monks. After the visit departure with minivans to the monastery Konstamonitou. 

The monastery was founded in the mid-11th century. Its history during the Byzantine period is obscure, and until the 14th century it appears to have been a moderate establishment. After it was destroyed in a fire in the 1420s and restored and attracted many monks from the South Slavic Lands, and experienced a century of prosperity. The monastery's present buildings date to the 18th and 19th centuries. The monastery has about 40 working inhabitants and that makes it one of the more populated monasteries on the Athonite peninsula. 

Our last visit of the day will be to the Dohiariou Monastery. The origins of Dochiariou Monastery can be traced to the tenth century. The circumstances of its founding are varied and it is likely that originally it was found at a different site. The monastery went into decline shortly after its founding, probably plundered by pirates during the years of Frankish occupation of Mount Athos after the Latin conquest of Constantinople in 1204. The surviving monks then began the present monastery. During the fourteenth century Dochiariou received support from emperor John Paleologos V and Stephen IV of Serbia. The katholikon, which was built on the foundation of an earlier church, is dedicated to the archangels Ss. Michael and Gabriel. 

Arrival to Karyes (Capital of Mount Athos). Accommodation. Dinner. Overnight. 

The first visit of the day will be to the Protaton, also known as the Dormition of the Theotokos Church) which is the main church of Karyes. It also serves as the ecclesiastical seat of the Protos the primate of the monastic community of Mount Athos. It was founded in the early 10th century AD, prior to the completion of the Great Lavra in 963. The Protaton is known for its various frescoes, paintings, relics, and icons, particularly the Axion Estin (it is Truly Meet) icon. Many important manuscripts and historical documents, including the various historical typikons of Mount Athos are also kept in the Protaton. Next visit will be to the Koutloumousi Monastery. Its was founded in the 11th century by Kallistos Koutloumous, an orthodox monk from the city of Iconium in Asia Minor. The first benefactor was the byzantine Emperor Alexios I Komnenos who appreciated the piety of Kallistos and strengthened the Monastery. 

The skete (a smaller, dependent monastic house) had its origins when Patriarch Athanasius II of Constantinopole  retired to Mount Athos in the mid fifteenth century after the Fall of Constantinople and settled in a Monastic House on the site of the old Monastery of Xistrou that was dedicated to St. Anthony the Great This house later became the foundation of the skete. In 1761, Patriarch Seraphim II of Constantinople  also retired to Mount Athos and replaced the old house with a new building that he dedicated to the Apostle Andrew as well as St. Anthony.  The skete was called that way because the customs and statute of Mount Athos precludes the establishment of new monasteries besides those of the Byzantine era. With the continued growth of the skete in monastic numbers, a central church, dedicated to Saint Andrew, was built in 1867. The church is the largest on Mount Athos and is amongst the largest in the Balkans.

Our last visit of the day will be to the Philotheou monastery.  Founded by St Philotheos in the last quarter of the tenth century, it was obscure until Serbian and Bulgarian monks  settled there between the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries. As the Slav monks left, the monastery again became obscure; until the eighteenth century, when the Greek princes of Moldavia and Wallachia made grants to the monastery, with which the brotherhood had guest quarters, cells and chapels.  

Return to Karyes. Dinner. Overnight. 

After the Divine Liturgy and some nourishment, we will travel the Pantocrator monastery was founded around 1360 and is dedicated to the Transfiguration of our Lord.  Due to a paucity of space the katholikon is small. It is of Athonite style and has frescos painted by artists of the Macedonian school. 

The existence of a Stavronikita monastery confirmed in the first half of the 11th century. According to archaeologists this means that the Stavronikita monastery was one of the monasteries that were founded or built during the first years of organized monastic life on Mount Athos. Stavronikita is the smallest of all athonite monasteries. Important sights of the monastery are its characteristics, the tower at the entrance, its aqueduct, as well as its centuries old cyprsee outside the western corner of the complex. The catholikon of the monastery is dedicated to St. Nicholas  and is the smallest catholicon among its other Athonite counterparts. It was built during the 16th century above a church that existed before and was dedicated to Theotokos. The catholicon is decorated with frescoes and an  by the famous icon-painter Theophanes of Crete and his son Symeon. 

Just before returning to the Karyes we will stop at the Scete dedicated to the Prophet Elias.  It was founded in 1759 by St Paisus Velichkovky, a Ukrainian monk from Poltava. Paisius perceived that spiritual life must be grounded in the study of the patristic ascetic texts. He began to collect and painstakingly copy out the writings of the ancient Holy Fathers using them as a guide in the spiritual life. His teachings attracted a number of disciples desiring guidance in the practice of unceasing prayer. His efforts contributed to a dynamic renewal of hesychastic monastic life in 18th century Orthodoxy, and on into the present era.  

Time permitting: a visit to the Iviron monastery.  The monastery was built under the supervision of two Georgian (Iverian or Iberian) monks between AD 980–83 and housed Georgian clergy and priests. It was founded on the site of the former Monastery of Clement. John the Iberian was appointed as the abbot of the newly founded monastery in 980. In Greek, Iviron literally means "of the Iberians".  The holy and wonder-working icon of the Virgin Portaitissa that is treasured at the monastery is the oldest on Mount Athos and the one most venerated by monks and pilgrims alike. 

Return to Karyes. Dinner. Overnight. 

After breakfast we will visit the Xenofontos monastery. In the 6th century, there was a small Christian community dedicated to Saint Dimitrios on the current site of Xenophontos Monastery. There, the chapel of Saint Dimitrios, which still survives today, was built by Saint Xenophon the Senator (6th century). The monastery was first mentioned in documents from the late 10th century. At the time, major benefactors of the monastery included the Byzantine emperor Alexios I Komnenos, who also gifted mosaic icons of Saint George and Saint Dimitrios that are still venerated at the monastery today. It was built in the tenth or eleventh century. The older katholikon (main church) was dedicated to Saint George by Xenophon, the abbot. An icon of Saint George dating from the 9th century is currently kept in the main katholikon. According to monastic tradition, it was originally in Constantinople during the iconoclast period. The iconoclasts had tried to unsuccessfully destroy it by fire and sword, and was then thrown into the sea and finally reached the monastery around the 10th century. The katholikon is dedicated to this icon of Saint George. Our next stop will be at St. Panteleimon Monastery. The monastery was founded by several monks from Kievan Rus'in the 11th century, which is why it is known as "Roussikon". It has been inhabited by mainly Russian monks in certain periods of its history. It was recognized as a separate monastery in 1169. The original monastery is known as Old Russik. The construction of the present monastery on a new site, closer to the seashore, was carried out during the first two decades of the nineteenth century. Russian monks numbered  more than 2,000 by 1913, likely the largest ever population of a single monastery in the history of Mt. Athos. After the visit to the Panteleimon monatery we will embard the boat for a return to Ouranoupolis. Drive to Thessaloniki. Accommodation in the hotel. Overnight. 

Breakfast at the hotel and departure from the Thessaloniki Airport Makedonia (SKG)