Greece has made a submission to the World Heritage Committee, which is currently in session in Istanbul, to have the archaeological site of Philippi listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Greece currently has a total 17 monuments on the UNESCO World Heritage list ranging from the prehistoric, Classical, Byzantine and post-Byzantine period whilst another 15 sites are on a short list.
The submission for Philippi was made to UNESCO with the support of the Regional Authority of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, the Municipality of Kavala, the local archbishopric, and the local community.
“Officials at the Culture Ministry, with help from the Kavala Municipality, have carried out extremely important work. We have successfully completed a demanding evaluation process, we have a positive recommendation by the competent advisory body and we are looking forward to a positive result for the site as well as the country,” said Dr Eugenia Gerousi, head of the Directorate of Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Antiquities at the ministry.
The archaeological site of Philippi contains also the oldest Neolithic settlement in Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, and one of the largest in the Balkans. Saint Paul founded the first Christian Church on European soil at Philippi in 49 CE whilst since 1957 the ancient theatre of Philippi has been host to Greece’s second oldest festival after that at Epidaurus.
