St. Panteleimon

The village of Old Panteleimon turned out to be cut off from here and now. Let the labyrinth of ancient streets take you farther into the enchanted world and you’ll found yourself in a fairy tale and the reality will go into the background.
This is the fabulous world of knights and princesses, stray musicians and squat dwarfs, wise cats and talking plane trees. And all this is a village of Old Panteleimon. It sheltered behind one of the slopes of the mighty Olympus, and it seems that the gods themselves are guarding peace and serenity in its cobbled streets. Panteleimon is a village from old fairytales. While time in the district inexorably ran forward, turning nearby cities turned into centers of modern industrial life, but the village of Old Panteleimon lived by its own time. This village was abandoned by the inhabitants in the last century and has found a new life with an endless stream of travelers.

This settlement in our time is like a piece of the Middle Ages. But not the gloomy Middle Ages glorified by bloody wars and the Inquisition but the Middle Ages which was described by Andersen's pen, preserved in the tales of the Grimm Brothers and proclaimed in Pushkin creations. The village of Old Panteleimon invites the traveler to look into every corner. It’s covered with small two-story houses, dotted with bright flower beds and running away by dozens of cobbled paths. Sometimes it seems that the next turn will open a cozy courtyard where Kai plays with Gerda. Sometimes there is clearly heard the clatter of seven gnomes running behind the back. In this place every adult always remembers favorite tales and transfers to the tens of years ago when life was easy and carefree.

One of the streets winding between the squat taverns and coffee houses will lead the traveler to the heart of the village - the church of St. Panteleimon. For several centuries this temple has served as an invisible defender of the inhabitants of the village. The atmosphere of peace and serenity will meet the traveler behind the church doors: a quiet crackling of burning candles, dancing flames and a silent whisper of prayers – locals and numerous guests come here for the restoration of spiritual forces. And St. Panteleimon equally welcomes both local and distant travelers because this is the patron of this lost village among the slopes of Olympus.

The church is located in the center of the village and cozy tables of local taverns are scattered around it. The heady scent of coffee creeps across the whole area and making everyone passing by enjoying an incredible flavored air. No traveler could resist the temptation to restore his strength by turbid Greek coffee cooked directly on the coals. The hospitable Greeks serve delicious oriental delicacies together with a cup of coffee and leave the traveler to enjoy the fresh mountain air, the rustle of foliage of centuries-old plane trees and the caressing sounds of Greek speech. A wanderer tired of the road can forget about everything here and plunge into pleasant thoughts. And when the time comes to say goodbye, the blue wave of the Termaikos Bay will be smiled to you.