Metropolis of Filippoi, Neapolis and Thasos The Metropolis of
Filippoi, Neapolis and Thassos is located in Greek Macedonia.
The Metropolis is one of the metropolises of the New Lands in
Greece that are within the jurisdiction of the Church of
Constantinople but de facto are administered for practical
reasons as part of the Church of Greece under an agreement
between the churches of Athens and Constantinople. As recorded
in chapter sixteen of the Acts of the Apostles (16:11), it was
in Neapolis that the Apostle Paul and his disciples Silas,
Timothy, and Luke first arrived in Europe. In the year 49 in
Philippi, Paul preached for the first time in Europe and
established the first European Christian community.
Subsequently, he visited the city again in 56 and 57. The first
church attested in Neapolis was a small building that was
probably originally a small prayer house. Around 343, a basilica
dedicated to Paul was built, as identified by a mosaic on the
pavement. During the later centuries, the town possessed a