Filippoi

Filippoi Φίλιπποι
Municipal unit
Filippoi Location within the regional unit
Coordinates: 41°1′N 24°17′E
Country	Greece
Administrative region	East Macedonia and Thrace
Regional unit	Kavala
Municipality	Kavala
Area
• Municipal unit	238.8 km^2 (92.2 sq mi)
Elevation	78 m (256 ft)
Population  (2021)[1]
• Municipal unit	10,133
• Municipal unit density	42/km^2 (110/sq mi)
• Community	796
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)
Postal code	640 03
Area code(s)	2510
Vehicle registration	ΚΒ

A modern Greek Orthodox outdoor chapel on what is said to be the site where Lydia was baptized.

Filippoi (Greek: Φίλιπποι, Philippi), is a village and a former municipality in the Kavala regional unit, East Macedonia and Thrace, Greece built on the Via Egnatia. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Kavala, of which it is a municipal unit.^[2] The municipal unit has an area of 238.751 km².^[3] The 2021 census reported a population of 10,133 for the municipal unit and 796 for the village.^[1] The ruins of ancient Philippi are located in the municipal unit.

Cultural Sites

The most important cultural event of the town is its annual festival, held since 1957. It takes place in the Ancient Theatre of Philippi during the high season with ancient and modern performances, ballets and concerts by theatrical troupes, orchestras and bands.^[4]

This ancient Greek theatre dates to 357 BC, possibly built King Philip II.^[5] It was first restored in 1957 by Dimitris Lazaridis with a view of holding the festival.^[4]

The town has an Archeological Museum with two floors of exhibition space and houses four major collections from pre-historic to Early Christian.

On the outskirts of the town at the riverside is an outdoor Baptistery, built on the site where it is believed the purple merchant, Lydia of Thyatira, and her household were baptised by the Apostle Paul around 49/50 AD.

Twin cities

• Čačak, Serbia^{[citation needed]}

References

1. "Αποτελέσματα Απογραφής Πληθυσμού - Κατοικιών 2021, Μόνιμος Πληθυσμός κατά οικισμό" [Results of the 2021 Population - Housing Census, Permanent population by settlement] (in Greek). Hellenic Statistical Authority. 29 March 2024.
2. "ΦΕΚ A 87/2010, Kallikratis reform law text" (in Greek). Government Gazette.
3. "Population & housing census 2001 (incl. area and average elevation)" (PDF) (in Greek). National Statistical Service of Greece. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-09-21.
4. "Festival of Philippi (Φεστιβάλ Φιλίππων)". Archived from the original on 2011-07-13. Retrieved 2009-07-14.
5. "Ministry of Culture and Sports | Philippoi".