The World Heritage churches in Thessaloniki (2023)

It was in about 50 AD, just a handful of decades after Jesus is said to have lived, that Paul the Apostle arrived in Thessaloniki.

Back then, the Greek city was part of the Roman Empire and an important trading centre on the roads between modern-day Turkey, Italy, and the Balkans. Its location and significance were among the reasons why Paul chose to come here.

Paul the Apostle (or Saint Paul, as he came to be known) was on his second missionary journey to spread the word of Jesus and try to convert people to the new religion of Christianity.

For three weeks, he went to the main synagogue of Thessaloniki on the Sabbath and preached. Some people believed him and became followers. Some chased him out of town, as others had done in cities across the region.

But in Thessaloniki, just like many other places Saint Paul visited on his missionary journeys, the seeds had been planted. The Greek city would become one of the first centres of Early Christianity, laying the groundwork for the famous churches of Thessaloniki.

When you visit Thessaloniki these days, almost 2000 years after Saint Paul did, you’ll find an incredible collection of Christian churches.

None is from the time of Paul, but some of them are from some of the earliest centuries of the Christian era. Others are from the Byzantine period, while others came a bit later.

Collectively, the Thessaloniki churches are one of the most important things to see in the city, tracing the development of Christianity and the history of the culture here. They have even been inscribed as a World Heritage Site.