Biblical Guided Tour of Corinth, Isthmia and Cechriae
Full Day Tour
Biblical Guided Tour of Corinth, Isthmia and Cechriae
In the footsteps of Paul
An ancient city accessed by a narrow entrance named Isthmus, surrounded by fertile plains, blessed with natural springs and topped by an Acropolis hill overlooking two seas: The Aegean and the Ionian. The city holds a significant place in Greek history for its strategic location, prosperous trade and influential culture.
If you are of the Christian faith, then you certainly have heard of Paul's Letters to the Corinthians. Paul stayed there for 18 months and was dedicated to the convertion of the Gentiles by taking advantage of the religious events celebrated at Isthmia. As soon as he accomplished his mission, he left the city and departed from the port of Cenchriae.
The city welcomes its visitors to offer them both a historic and religious experience.
The mythical founder of the city was King Sissphus famed for his punishment in Hades, where he was made to forever roll a large boulder up a hill. Sissyphus was succeeded by his son Glaukus and his grandson Bellerephon, whose winged horse Pegasus became a symbol of the city and a feature of Corinthian coins.
The ruins of ancient Corinth sit at the base of Acrocorinth, a massive rock formation that rises 300 feet above sea level. It was fist inhabited in the Neolithic period sometime between 5000 and 3000 B.C.
Corinth grew into a great commercial power in the 8th century B.C due to its geographical position near the Isthmus. Using the ship road known as Diolkos and the city’s two ports, it could control trade both on land and the sea. Corinthians were sailing to the Ionian and the Adriatic Seas, they founded colonies, such as Corfu and Syracuse, and thus dominated the market places of the Mediterranean.
An additional attraction of the city was the celebration of the Isthmian Games, a Panhellenic religious festival of athletic and musical competitions in honor of Poseidon, held every two years at his sanctuary at Isthmia.
In Roman times, the Roman consul Lucius Mummius destroyed the city in 146 B.C. It was one century later when the city was re-planned as a Roman colony by Julius Ceasar.During this flourish of Corinth, new temples, streets framed by porticos and shops, fountains, private benefactions, and so on, were built to fulfill the needs of a multi-ethnic society constituted by Greeks, Romans and Jews.
This cosmopolitan city was the one that Paul the Apostle visited around 50-52 A.D. It was an ideal place to establish a Christian Community, for its numerous connections would assure the rapid propagation of the new religion.
The city enjoyed some prosperity under Byzantine rule but declined in the later European Middle Ages. After the Turkish conquest in 1458, it was reduced to a country town.
Visit
- Ancient Corinth with the temple of Apollo
- Peirene Fountain
- The Bema of Paul
- Erastus Inscription
- Ancient ruins of Isthmia
- The temple of Poseidon
- Roman Baths
- Museum
- Cenchriae port
Day Trip
Our journey starts…
Get a tour about death and life in ancient times.
Start your day with a ride at the 2023 culture capital of Europe where the Eleusinian Mysteries took place every autumn. See the Telesterion, the Roman Court, the Greater Propylaea and many more.
Drive back to Athens and get a lunch break in the Old Town of Athens..
Enquiry Form
What is included
Free WiFi onboard
English speaking driver
Luxury vehicle
Fuel & tolls
Pickup service
Bottled natural water
All taxes & fees
What is not included
- Entrance fees to archaeological sites
- Entrance fees to museums
- Professional licensed guide (ask for one)
- Personal expenses
- Meals (lunch or dinner)
- Other beverages
- Tips and gratuities (optional)
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date
May 26, 2023