Monastery of St. Patapia and the temple of the Apostle Andrew the First-Called

The tour program is developed with each customer individually.

Excursion programme: In the lobby of the hotel you are met by a guide and a tour begins; the road to the Monastery of St. Patapia (Lutraki) and the temple of the Apostle Andrew the First-Called (Patra); a visit to the Monastery of St. Patapia (Lutraki) and the temple of the Apostle Andrew the First-Called (Patras); return to Athens.

Monastery of St. Patapia

It celebrates two main dates: December 8 – Prep. Patapia and May 29 – Holy Patience. The road to the monastery runs parallel to the coastline of the Aegean Sea, 1.5 hours from Athens. Climbing the mountains to the monastery of St. (or Blessed) Patapia, located at an altitude of 700 meters, offers a picturesque view of the surroundings of the town of Loutraki and at the same time two seas - the Aegean (Saronic Gulf) and Ionian (Corinth Bay). The pilgrim will have to climb 144 steps. Believers say that by overcoming each of the steps, you are cleansed of one of the sins. Near the parking lot, local honey and herbs are usually sold. The monastery was founded only in 1952, but on this site there was a cave, in which there was a church with rock frescoes of St. Patience (Agia Ipomoni). In 1904, it was decided to expand the cave, and legend says that the day before the work began, the abbot had a dream in which Saint Patapius asked to work carefully, because in this cave he himself was buried. Indeed, the relics of a saint were found in the cave. They're on display in the cave right now. Rock frescoes have also been preserved. What is also impressive about the cave is that the entire ceiling is covered with lamps, you can imagine what the cave looks like when they are all lit.

Temple of the Apostle Andrew the First-Called

On the territory of the Cathedral there are two temples of the patron of the city, Andrew the First-Called - the old temple and the new one. They are a place of worship not only for the Greeks, but for the whole Christian world.

The Old Church of St. Andrew was built in the period from 1836-1843 on the place where the Apostle Andrew was crucified. In front and right of the temple, next to the holy Altar is the marble tomb of the apostle. In the middle of the 4th century, in 365 by the efforts of Emperor Constantine, the relics of St. Andrew were transported to Constantinople, to the Church of the Holy Apostles. When the Franks conquered Constantinople in 1208, the relics were taken to Italy, where they rested in the church of the Apostle Andrew. In the fifteenth century they were transported to Rome. On September 26, 1964, the relics and fragments of the cross on which Saint Andrew was crucified returned to the city of Patras. With the support of Pope Paul, the Orthodox Church and the citizens themselves, the shrine was transferred to the Christians of Greece.

The new church of St. Andrew was inaugurated in September 1974 by Archbishop Seraphim of Athens. In the cathedral, the central place is occupied by the throne, where the silver ark is located. It is in this ark that the honest head of St. Andrew the First-Called is kept. There is also a cross on which the apostle was executed. Fragments of the cross are interspersed in a large cross placed behind the throne. Work on the painting began in 1985 under Metropolitan Nicodemus, but was suspended for 13 years. In 2006, on the initiative of Metropolitan Patrinsky, Chrysostomy, were resumed. The new church of St. Andrew is the largest in Greece: 60 meters long, 52 meters wide and 46 meters high. The central dome, crowned with a five-meter cross and 12 bell towers, by the number of apostles, rises above the city. The total area of the temple is 2500 square meters. m. Its capacity is designed for 8 thousand people. What comes in

guide or accompanying (at your choice), vehicle, professional driver.

What's not in

Entrance tickets, food, drinks.

Useful information Entrance to the monastery is free.

Notable places on the route Monastery of Blessed Potapia