Today we will travel out of Bitola for a day trip to a town of Prilep. Prilep is one of the oldest cities in our country, situated in the central part of Northern Macedonia. The incredible pieces of spirituality and art put in the frescoes, iconostases and building’s architecture in the monasteries and churches on the nearby hills and mountains with beautiful location and breathtaking views. 

St. Nicolas church - village Manastir. The original church was built in 1095 by Alexius, who was a cousin of the Byzantine Emperor Alexius Komnenos. In 1266, the abbot Ioannikios name has built the current church, which later, in 1271, was painted by John the deacon.  

The Monastery of Treskavec dedicated to the Dormition of the Mother of God is a monastery situated on the rocky Mount Zlatovrv, some 5 miles North of Prilep. Originally it was built in the 12th century, and still possesses a large number of Byzantine frescoes. The oldest remaining date from the 15th century.

In addition to these two important monuments, we will visit Church of St. Nicholas from the 13 century and Church  of St. Demetrius of Thessalonika from the 14 century in the village of Varosh.  

This morning we will leave Bitola and will drive to the town of Kastoria in Greece. On our way we will make a detour, to see the ruins of the basilica of St. Achillios on Prespa lake. The Agios Achilios Basilica was built by the Bulgarian Czar Samuel at the end of the tenth century. It was dedicated to the early Christian martyr St. Achilios. A tomb preserved in the church is thought to have contained the relics of Agios Achilios. During the Byzantine epoch, Agios Achilios was an important religious center, and soon after the area passed into the hands of Byzantium, it became the seat of the Byzantine diocese until the 15th century. The island has several others ecclesiastical edifices and among them the Panagia Porfira monastery is the most interesting as it has frescoes in its catholicon.

Kastoria, although small, is a very well-known destination for any lover of the Byzantine Art and Architecture. We will start our day with the most fascinating Byzantine museum of Kastoria with an smaller, but incredible collection of Byzantine icons. From here on we will continue with a walking tour of Kastoria, visiting a few Medieval monuments. Actually, there are several dozen (!) of the Byzantine and post-byzantine churches and chapels in this lovely town, however, the most interesting of them all are Panagia Koumbelidiki a small triconch church dated to the 10th century, has become the emblem of Kastoria; churches of St. Nicholas Kasnitzis and Unmercenary healers, both painted by an incredibly gifted iconographers that worked at the end of the 12th century. The church of St. Stephen is one of the oldest and most beautiful in Kastoria, with most of the frescoes dating back to the 12th or the early 13th, and some that likely date to the 9th or 10th century, which make them incredibly rare. Even more interest added by the fact, that some of these most ancient murals were left unfinished which led to the speculations that original decoration were never completed due to the military invasion. For a bit of a break and reconnection with the most beautiful nature we will travel to Monastery of Panagia Mavriotissa (if accessible), which may have existed on the site ca. 1000. The exterior of the church was frescoed in 1260’s, and the interior of the church has frescoes from mid 16 century, but of great quality and interest. Later in the afternoon, time permitting, we will make a short stop at St. George Church at Omorfoklessia famous of its highly unusual carved wooden statue of St. George of great size and venerable antiquity.  

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 six functioning communities in Meteora. It will be difficult to visit them all, as some of them are reachable only by a very long and steep set of stairs. However, we will try to visit the most important and accessible ones. At least one monastery, that of St. Stephen is reachable quite easily as it is located on the same level as adjacent parking lot.  

This morning we will transfer to town of Veria (ancient Berea) known as one of the places where Apostle Paul preached the Good News (Acts 17:11). Of particular interest to us are two magnificent monuments. One, the Old Cathedral of Veria was built at the end of the 11th century. It is a magnificent Byzantine Basilica and is one of the greatest temples of the middle Byzantine period. The frescoes of the interior are multilayer, but all of high quality and date back to the 12th through 14th century. Restoration of the monument was completed in 2016 and the Sacred could be seen in all its splendor. Another interesting monument is a small church of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is one of the most famous Byzantine monuments of the early 14th century in Greece. It was built in 1315 and about at the same time decorated with the exquisite sacred images by the iconographers Georgios Kallergis. Although not as well preserved, frescoes are very refined and are of the greatest quality. The last visit in Veria, and ultimately during our trip will be at the Byzantine Museum of Veria. This newer museum housed in a former mill contain a great collection of the Byzantine Antiquities, ranging from the earliest Christian tombs and mosaics, ending with very fine Post-Byzantine icons. The icon collection on the exhibit is one of the largest if not the largest in all of Greece.

Today we will explore the second largest city of Greece - Thessaloniki. We will start our day with a visit to the Basilica of St. Great Martyr Demetrius of Thessalonica, heavenly patron of the city. Its foundation dates back to the 7th century, and its undercroft incorporates even earlier Roman elements. Nearby, there is Basilica church of Acheiropoietos, dated to the second half of the 5th century. It is certainly among the earliest churches in Thessaloniki. The Rotonda of Thessaloniki is the most important Roman monument in Thessaloniki in 306AD as a grave of Roman tetrarch Galerius. However, the plan was never realized and sometime in the 4th century AD, Rotunda was converted it into a Christian church and adored with splendid mosaics, part of which is preserved until the present day. Our last stop before lunch will be at the church St. Sophia. The current church was built in the early seventh century on the site of an earlier church. The massive domed building is very imposing, and in the interior, you could see precious mosaics from the ninth century. In the afternoon we will visit the Church of Panagia Chalkeon built in 11th-century. Frescoes of the interior date back to the 11-14th centuries. Not far from the Panagia Khalkeon, there is a beautiful church of St. Panteleimon. It is a beautiful testimony of the Byzantine Architecture, even as very few of the original wall-paintings survive. Overnight in Thessaloniki. 

Breakfast at the hotel and group transfer to the  Thessaloniki Airport "Makedonia"  [Airport code: SKG].