Vlatadon Monastery

The Vlatadon Monastery sits on a slope above Thessaloniki, recognizable by the medieval cisterns and the small Byzantine church at its center. According to local tradition, the Apostle Paul preached from a large stone near this site while fleeing from his opponents in the city. Byzantine officials founded the monastery in the fourteenth century, filling it with frescoes and manuscripts that survived the Ottoman conquest. Even now, the monks maintain a quiet courtyard where they continue their ancient prayers despite the surrounding urban expansion.