Altar of Saint Paul (Stasidi tou Apostolou Pavlou)
Sightseeing
A monument near Palaiopoli marking where the Apostle Paul is said to have spent a night on his way to Europe, with a candlelit service every 28 July.
- Sightseeing
Saint Paul's stop on Samothraki
The Acts of the Apostles (16:11) tell how Paul sailed from Troas straight for Samothrace, stayed a night and went on to Neapolis, today's Kavala. It was his first landing on the way to preach in Europe, around the year 50. Tradition says he rested on the north shore, at Palaiopoli. In 1938 archaeologists of the American School of Classical Studies found the ruins of an early church in the ancient city, near the Gattilusi towers, thought to have been built in memory of his visit.
The monument
The Altar of Saint Paul was built in 2007 and 2008: a semicircle of six columns under a red-tiled roof, with the story of the visit written in several languages and four large mosaics of the journey.
Visiting
It is about 7 km from Kamariotissa on the road to Therma, near the Palaiopoli towers. There is no sign: look for a car park on the right and a metal gate; a short paved path leads to the monument. Please close the gate behind you. On the evening of 28 July, the eve of the saint's feast, the Bishop of Alexandroupoli leads a service here from about 21:00 to midnight, attended by many islanders. On a beach close by, locals point out a stone jetty they say is where Paul came ashore.
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