✦ Catholic Tourist

Apostles · Scripture · early Church · living Catholic witness

Across the sea,
the Gospel took root.

Greece and Türkiye hold an extraordinary Catholic pilgrimage landscape: Paul’s missionary cities, the communities addressed in Revelation, the memory of Mary and St. John at Ephesus, ancient martyr shrines, and small Catholic communities still worshipping today.

See all places on the mapBuild a pilgrimage
25 pilgrimage places2 countries3 geographic chapters
Catholic significance does not mean Catholic ownership

This guide includes active Catholic churches and sacred places shared across ancient Christian traditions. Orthodox-custodied churches are labeled as shared Christian heritage, archaeological sites remain archaeological sites, and every visitor should honor the worshipping community or public custodian responsible for the place.

Our terminology →

One region, two kinds of encounter

Pray with the living Church. Walk through the early Church.

The collection deliberately holds both together without confusing them.

3 Catholic anchorsLiving Catholic communitiesCathedrals and shrines where pilgrims can meet today’s local Church and verify current worship directly.Identified as Catholic
20 shared placesApostolic and early-Christian heritageScriptural landscapes, ruins, and Orthodox-custodied holy places important to Catholics and other Christians.Custodianship stated clearly

Three geographic chapters

Build separate journeys around the Aegean.

This is an editorial guide, not a continuous walking route. Greece, western Anatolia, and southern or central Türkiye each deserve a focused journey.

Philippi · Thessaloniki · Athens · Corinth · Patmos

Paul’s Greece and the Aegean witness

Move from Paul’s first European mission through the Areopagus and Corinth, then cross the Aegean to the island associated with St. John and Revelation.

  1. Stop 1Archaeological Site of PhilippiArchaeological Site · Philippi, Greece
  2. Stop 2Basilica of St. DemetriusHistoric Church · Thessaloniki, Greece
  3. Stop 3Ancient Agora and Areopagus of AthensArchaeological Site · Athens, Greece
  4. Stop 4Cathedral Basilica of St. Dionysius the AreopagiteCathedral · Athens, Greece
  5. Stop 5Ancient Corinth and the BemaArchaeological Site · Ancient Corinth, Greece
  6. Stop 6Cave of the Apocalypse and Monastery of St. John on PatmosMonastery · Patmos, Greece
Izmir · Ephesus · Pergamon · Sardis · Laodicea

Ephesus and the Seven Churches

Use Izmir’s living Catholic cathedral as a base for Ephesus, Marian and Johannine tradition, and the early communities addressed in Revelation.

  1. Stop 1St. John’s Catholic CathedralCathedral · Izmir, Türkiye
  2. Stop 2Church of St. PolycarpHistoric Church · İzmir, Türkiye
  3. Stop 3Ephesus Ancient CityArchaeological Site · Selçuk, Türkiye
  4. Stop 4House of the Virgin MaryShrine · Ephesus, Türkiye
  5. Stop 5Basilica of St. John and the Apostle’s Traditional TombArchaeological Site · Selçuk, Türkiye
  6. Stop 6Pergamon and the Red BasilicaArchaeological Site · Bergama, Türkiye
  7. Stop 7Sardis Archaeological Site and Early ChurchArchaeological Site · Sart, Türkiye
  8. Stop 8Thyatira Archaeological SiteArchaeological Site · Akhisar, Türkiye
  9. Stop 9Church of St. John at Ancient PhiladelphiaArchaeological Site · Alaşehir, Türkiye
  10. Stop 10Laodicea Archaeological Site and Early ChurchArchaeological Site · Denizli, Türkiye
  11. Stop 11Martyrium of St. Philip at HierapolisArchaeological Site · Pamukkale, Türkiye
Antakya · Tarsus · Perge · Pisidian Antioch · Cappadocia · Niğde

Antioch, Paul, Thecla, and Cappadocia

Follow the southern and inland landscape of mission, early discipleship, martyr tradition, and churches carved into Cappadocia’s rock, including Gümüşler’s preserved Byzantine monastic complex.

  1. Stop 1Church of St. PeterArchaeological Site · Antakya, Türkiye
  2. Stop 2St. Paul WellArchaeological Site · Tarsus, Türkiye
  3. Stop 3Aya Tekla (St. Thecla) Archaeological SiteArchaeological Site · Silifke, Türkiye
  4. Stop 4Perge Archaeological SiteArchaeological Site · Aksu, Türkiye
  5. Stop 5Pisidian Antioch Archaeological SiteArchaeological Site · Yalvaç, Türkiye
  6. Stop 6Miletus Archaeological SiteArchaeological Site · Balat, Türkiye
  7. Stop 7Göreme Open-Air Museum and Rock ChurchesArchaeological Site · Göreme, Türkiye
  8. Stop 8Gümüşler MonasteryHistoric Site · Gümüşler, Türkiye

The complete foundation

Every destination

01
Ancient Corinth and the BemaArchaeological Site · Ancient Corinth, Greece · Shared Christian
→02
Ancient Agora and Areopagus of AthensArchaeological Site · Athens, Greece · Shared Christian
→03
Cathedral Basilica of St. Dionysius the AreopagiteCathedral · Athens, Greece · Catholic
→04
Cave of the Apocalypse and Monastery of St. John on PatmosMonastery · Patmos, Greece · Shared Christian biblical pilgrimage under Greek Orthodox custody
→05
Archaeological Site of PhilippiArchaeological Site · Philippi, Greece · Shared Christian
→06
Basilica of St. DemetriusHistoric Church · Thessaloniki, Greece · Shared Christian
→07
Thyatira Archaeological SiteArchaeological Site · Akhisar, Türkiye · Shared Christian
→08
Perge Archaeological SiteArchaeological Site · Aksu, Türkiye · Shared Christian
→09
Church of St. John at Ancient PhiladelphiaArchaeological Site · Alaşehir, Türkiye · Shared Christian
→10
Church of St. PeterArchaeological Site · Antakya, Türkiye · Shared Christian
→11
Miletus Archaeological SiteArchaeological Site · Balat, Türkiye · Shared Christian
→12
Pergamon and the Red BasilicaArchaeological Site · Bergama, Türkiye · Shared Christian
→13
Laodicea Archaeological Site and Early ChurchArchaeological Site · Denizli, Türkiye · Shared Christian
→14
House of the Virgin MaryShrine · Ephesus, Türkiye · Shared Christian
→15
Göreme Open-Air Museum and Rock ChurchesArchaeological Site · Göreme, Türkiye · Shared Christian
→16
Gümüşler MonasteryHistoric Site · Gümüşler, Türkiye · Shared Christian
→17
St. John’s Catholic CathedralCathedral · Izmir, Türkiye · Catholic
→18
Church of St. PolycarpHistoric Church · İzmir, Türkiye · Catholic
→19
Martyrium of St. Philip at HierapolisArchaeological Site · Pamukkale, Türkiye · Shared Christian
→20
Sardis Archaeological Site and Early ChurchArchaeological Site · Sart, Türkiye · Shared Christian
→21
Basilica of St. John and the Apostle’s Traditional TombArchaeological Site · Selçuk, Türkiye · Shared Christian apostolic tradition; public archaeological custody
→22
Ephesus Ancient CityArchaeological Site · Selçuk, Türkiye · Shared Christian
→23
Aya Tekla (St. Thecla) Archaeological SiteArchaeological Site · Silifke, Türkiye · Shared Christian
→24
St. Paul WellArchaeological Site · Tarsus, Türkiye · Shared Christian
→25
Pisidian Antioch Archaeological SiteArchaeological Site · Yalvaç, Türkiye · Shared Christian
→

A companion, not a duplicate

Keep St. Paul’s journey as the sacred story.

The St. Paul collection follows one apostle’s narrative across the Mediterranean. This regional guide answers a different pilgrim question: “I am traveling in Greece or Türkiye—what sacred places should I understand and visit?”

Follow St. Paul’s journey →