Join the Curator of the Icon Museum and Study Center, Dr. Elliot Mackin, and travel expert Ilya Gotlinsky, for an in-depth tour of Northern Greece. Over the course of this 10-day exploration led by an expert in Byzantine religious art, see for yourself the artistic, cultural, and historic heritage of Northern Greece's churches, monasteries, archaeological sites, monuments, and museums.

Upon arrival at Thessaloniki International Airport, you will be met and transferred to your hotel in Thessaloniki. Founded in 315 BC and later becoming the second most important city of the Byzantine Empire after Constantinople, Thessaloniki has served for centuries as a major spiritual, cultural, and artistic center of the Orthodox world. Its strategic position along key routes of the Balkans has made it a meeting point of civilizations, reflected in its remarkable density of early Christian and Byzantine monuments. Depending on arrival time, a gentle orientation walk may introduce the historic center and seafront. In the evening, a welcome dinner at the hotel offers the first gathering of the group and marks the beginning of the pilgrimage.

This day is devoted to the Upper City (Ano Poli) of Thessaloniki, where winding streets preserve the atmosphere of the Byzantine and Ottoman past. We begin at the Rotunda of Galerius, constructed in the early fourth century under Emperor Galerius and later converted into a Christian church. Inside, fragments of fifth century mosaics survive, representing some of the earliest monumental Christian imagery in the Mediterranean world. Nearby stands the Church of Hosios David (Latomou Monastery), dating to the late fifth or early sixth century, famous for its rare apse mosaic depicting Christ as Emmanuel within a visionary composition of exceptional theological depth.

The exploration continues with the Church of Saint Nicholas Orphanos, a masterpiece of the early fourteenth century adorned with one of the most complete surviving fresco cycles of the Palaiologan (Late Byzantine) period. The nearby Church of the Holy Apostles, built in the early fourteenth century, reflects the architectural refinement of late Byzantine Thessaloniki, with its domed cross-in-square plan and layered decorative program. We also encounter the Church of Saint Elias, a mid-fourteenth century monastic structure rising above the city, and the Church of Saint Catherine, which preserves important late thirteenth century fresco fragments associated with the city’s post-reconquest artistic revival.

We continue our exploration of Thessaloniki, this time focusing on its lower and more ancient urban fabric. The centerpiece is the Church of Saint Demetrios, dedicated to the city’s patron saint, a Roman soldier martyred in the early fourth century for his unwavering Christian faith. The present basilica, largely shaped by seventh century reconstruction, preserves important mosaics and a crypt traditionally associated with the martyrdom of Saint Demetrios, forming one of the most important pilgrimage sites in the Orthodox world.

Not far away stands the Panagia Acheiropoietos, a mid-fifth century basilica of remarkable preservation, offering a rare glimpse into the spatial clarity and liturgical function of early Christian architecture. The nearby Church of Hagia Sophia, built in the late eighth century and adorned after Iconoclasm, preserves its celebrated ninth century dome mosaic of the Ascension, a monumental expression of restored Orthodox iconography.

We continue with the Church of Panagia Chalkeon (1028), an elegant example of middle Byzantine architectural harmony, followed by the Church of the Transfiguration, which preserves fragments of fourteenth century fresco painting characteristic of the late Byzantine artistic revival. The day concludes at the Byzantine Museum of Thessaloniki, one of the most important institutions of its kind, where rare and high-quality icons, mosaics, sculpture, and liturgical objects from the fourth to the fifteenth centuries provide essential context for the monuments visited throughout the city.

We depart Thessaloniki and travel to Pella, the fourth century BC capital of Macedon and birthplace of Alexander the Great. The site is renowned for its extraordinary Hellenistic mosaics, created around 300 BC, which demonstrate remarkable technical refinement and narrative sophistication.

We continue to Vergina (Aigai), the ancient royal capital of Macedon, where the tombs of the dynasty were discovered intact in the 20th century. The tomb of Philip II (336 BC) remains one of the most significant archaeological discoveries in Greece, preserving royal burial goods and offering an unparalleled glimpse into Macedonian ceremonial life.

In the afternoon, the landscape shifts as we enter the mountainous region of Metoera. We arrive in Kalambaka, nestled beneath the towering rock formations crowned by monasteries for an overnight.

The monasteries of Meteora, founded primarily between the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries, represent one of the most dramatic expressions of Orthodox monasticism in the world. We begin with the Great Meteoron Monastery, established around 1340 by Saint Athanasios the Meteorite, the oldest and most significant of the foundations, with frescoes largely dating to the sixteenth century.

We continue to the Varlaam Monastery, completed in 1541 and decorated in 1548 by Frangos and Georgios Kontaris, whose fresco cycles exemplify the artistic maturity of post Byzantine painting. We also visit the Monastery of Saint Stephen, originally founded in the fourteenth century and later rebuilt, and the Monastery of Saint Nicholas Anapafsas, where the frescoes painted in 1527 by Theophanes the Cretan represent one of the masterpieces of the Cretan School.

In Kalambaka, we also visit the Church of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary, a twelfth century monument preserving the only surviving free standing ambo in the Christian world, an extraordinary liturgical survival of exceptional historical importance.

We depart Meteora and travel toward Arta, the historic capital of the Despotate of Epirus in the thirteenth century. The city is dominated by the Church of the Parigoritissa (c. 1290), a masterpiece of Byzantine architecture distinguished by its complex domed structure and surviving traces of late thirteenth century mosaics.

We continue to the Church of Saint Demetrios Katsouris (10th century) and the Church of Saint Theodora, dedicated to Queen Theodora of Arta. The day concludes at the Monastery of Panagia Blacherna (13th century), where well preserved frescoes reflect the artistic traditions of the Despotate of Epirus.

The journey continues through Epirus toward Ioannina, a city set on the shores of Lake Pamvotida that served as the capital of Epirus during the Ottoman period.

From Ioannina, we ascend into the mountains to the Church of the Taxiarchs in Kostaniani (Kato Pedina), a secluded church surrounded by tranquil natural scenery.

Continuing toward Kastoria, we stop at the Church of Saint George in Omorfokklisia

(13th century), renowned for its extraordinary relief icon of Saint George in over life-size form.

We devote the day to Kastoria, one of the most important centers of in-situ Byzantine art in the world. The program begins at the Byzantine Museum of Kastoria, which preserves a exceptional collection of icons dating from the twelfth to fifteenth centuries.

We continue to the Church of Panagia Koumbelidiki (9th–10th century), followed by the Church of the Taxiarchs, the Church of Saint Nicholas Kasnitzis (12th century), and the Church of the Holy Anargyroi (11th century). Together the frescos of these churches are exemplary of the middle Byzantine iconographic renaissance.

We also visit the Church of Saint Stephen (9th century), before concluding at the Monastery of Panagia Mavriotissa (11th century), set in a serene environment on the shores of Lake Orestiada with an impressive fresco program and carved iconostasis.

We depart Kastoria and travel to Veria, an important early Christian center with deep apostolic associations. We begin at the Byzantine Museum of Veria, which offers a valuable overview of regional sacred art and iconography. We continue to the Old Metropolis (11th century), a key episcopal monument reflecting the city’s long continuity as an ecclesiastical center. We also visit the Church of the Resurrection of Christ, where frescoes painted in 1315 by Georgios Kalliergis represent one of the high points of the Palaiologan Renaissance. We then return to Thessaloniki, where a farewell dinner brings the journey to a close. Overnight in Thessaloniki.

Transfer to Thessaloniki International Airport for departure, concluding the pilgrimage through the sacred monuments, monasteries, archaeological sites, and museums of Northern Greece.