A magical journey through the Sanctuaries of Veria
I never thought that the pilgrimage is so interesting and impressive. I think that many now do not even think about how certain miracles happen. There is simply a fact that has happened, but no one can explain where it came from. Believe me, when I first went to Greece, I could not even imagine that the Holy Places would impress me so much, not to mention all the other riches of this country.
This time I went on a trip to the Holy places of Veria and the surrounding area. I had to get up early in the morning, but it was still worth it. The path started from the city of Thessaloniki. I really love this city, although many people say that there is nothing special about it. I do not agree. One White Tower is worth something, and the Church of St. Demetrius of Thessalonica with its miraculous relics... Here, it seems to me, there is no place that would not admire with its beauty. But I will not delve into the sights of Thessaloniki, because we were going to Veria.
The first stop is the Church of the Apostle Paul. Firstly, this is an insanely beautiful temple. It is located at the top of the city, so from there you can see an amazing landscape of the Thermal Bay, the White Tower and a huge embankment, on the way to which you will see a huge number of small houses with red roofs cascading down to the sea. It seems to me that the photo will not convey that beauty, but, nevertheless, you can try to imagine how beautiful it really is there. Our guide, Mother Neonila, said that a particle of the relics of the Apostle Paul is kept in this temple. I think for those who are interested, it will be very valuable information. Let me just say one thing, this Saint, one might say, introduced Christianity to Greece. He named Thessaloniki the "Golden Gate" of Christianity to Europe.
After visiting this temple and the fascinating story of the guide, we went to Veria. It was here that the Apostle Paul preached after he left Thessaloniki, and in this place temples were located in which the parishioners prayed in secret from the Ottomans, so as not to renounce their faith, but to stay alive. We drove for about an hour to the first stop at the skete of John the Baptist. Along the way, you can observe beautiful landscapes, and when the bus goes uphill, you can see magnificent estuaries and rivers that descend from the mountains below. Feelings are indescribable. It really needs to be seen with your own eyes.
We drove up to the skete and immediately went into the cave where St. Dionysios of Olympus labored many years ago. Walking to this cave is not so easy, but there are steps, and you seem to be making your way through the forest, and on the right, pictures of the flora and fauna of Greece open up. By the way, don't be surprised if you see peacocks here. They are everywhere, and their voices simply fill the entire monastery with their loud sound. Why all the same precisely peacocks? It is believed that these birds are a symbol of resurrection. After the death of pvalins, their bones never rot, which means that at any moment the bird can resurrect and, as it were, be reborn. Therefore, here peacocks are very revered and are a talisman. Especially for us, they brought out a huge number of relics of the saints, which are stored here. Among them was even part of the right hand of John the Baptist. Believe me, leaning against these relics, you feel so happy that you simply forget about all the problems, which, unfortunately, are many. The priest of this monastery talked to us, about the tragic fate of which the guide told us along the way. 10 years ago there was a major car accident in Greece. The bus with schoolchildren who went on an excursion overturned. Many of them died, but this priest remained alive. He prayed for a long time and asked God why he survived, because it is impossible to live with these memories forever. And then, he himself came to the answer to this question. Everything happens for a reason. He realized that he was called to serve God and pray for all people. And to this day, every day, the priest prays for the souls of these children - his classmates and asks for help for all the living. This story really impressed me. And the conversation with the priest, I think, gave a lot to our entire group, because we are all students and understanding of some important things does not always come when it is necessary.
Then we went to the next monastery - Our Lady of Dovra. It has been in existence since the 12th century. After the invasion of the Turks, it was destroyed, and then rebuilt again. Today it is a completely new monastery. A lot of miraculous relics of the Saints are kept here. Many of them are given "at home" to heal seriously ill people. Indeed, most recover and return to normal life. A piece of the relics of St. Luke the Healer, the Wonderworker of Simferopol is kept here. They are also taken out to pilgrims along with many others.
We left this monastery and went to the church of Anthony of Veria, the patron saint of the city. At the place where the sermon of the Apostle Paul sounded, there is now a mosaic with his image. You can also approach her, bow and receive a blessing. We were here for a short time. After visiting this place, we went to the last stopping point of our trip - the Sumel Monastery in the village of Kastanya. Here is an ancient miraculous image of the Virgin, thanks to which a huge number of miracles occur to this day. We were told that the Mother of God helps not only in the healing of diseases, but also in personal happiness. Small tin plates with images of saints are brought here, which are thrown into a special window near the icon, and after that, they say that the request will be heard for sure. In this monastery, you can collect oil, which also heals many diseases.
I completely forgot to tell you that in the three monasteries we visited, you can collect holy water and bring it home. Of course, there are a lot of impressions left, in one story it is impossible to describe everything that we saw, heard and felt. The only thing I want to note is that this trip is absolutely not tiring. There are no liturgies here. Perhaps this will upset someone, but I think that people who are really very devout and deeply religious usually go on long pilgrimage tours. And such a one-day trip will help to get a little closer to the Shrines of Greece and learn more about them. After all, Hellas is the pinnacle of Orthodoxy, and it is here that you need to go to enrich yourself spiritually.
