Kavala the second path of st Paul

When Apostle Paul was in Troas, he dreamt of a tall impressive Macedonian man who stood in front of him and begged him to “come to Macedonia and help them”. This dream was deciding for his journey and inaugurated his great, wonderful and saving relationship with Greeks. He had already begun his tour aiming to increase and boost the construction of Churches. In the winter of the year 49, Apostle Paul lands on European land for the first time. The place he first came after travelling for two days was Neapoli . Seven years later when he came to Neapoli for the second time it took him five days to cover the same distance.Apostle Paul arrived in Agios Nikolaos area and after following Via Egnatia he reached Philippi, 12 km from Neapoli. He was accompanied by Silas, Timothy, and Luke the doctor, Evangelist and writer of “Acts of the Apostles”
In Krinides of Kavala, near the ancient city of Philippi, is the unique, monumental pilgrimage of the Equal-to-Apostles Saint Lydia of the Philippians, a modern monument, inspired by the important presence of Apostle Paul in the area.
He visited the place where the few Jews gathered every Saturday, at the banks of the river Zigaktis. Here, for the first time that women heard him preach, among them Lydia from Thyateira in Asia Minor, a merchant of purple dye for textiles. Lydia was the first Greek woman and the first European who was baptized a Christian by Paul together with her family and then she herself helped spread Christianity.At the banks of the river, at the location where according to tradition Lydia was baptized, there is an outdoor baptistery, shaped as a cross, like the ones surviving at the Early Christian basilicas at Philippi. Here, every year, on the 20th of May, day of celebration of the memory of Agia Lydia, they baptize adults.