According to folklorists, the worship of the prophet Elias on the mountain tops is considered a remnant of the ancient Greek religion.
Written by Theodoros Dimitriadis
This important prophet of the Old Testament and saint of Christianity was identified with the Sun, with which he bears a sound resemblance in name, and the Sun was partly identified with Zeus, who, as the god of meteorological phenomena, was worshiped on mountain tops.
Let’s go now to see two Greek chapels, in Lemnos and on Olympus.
We all know Panagia Kakaviotissa, the highest chapel of Lemnos, at an altitude of 260 meters, without a roof, inside the rock, with an amazing panoramic view. But which is the tallest chapel in all of Greece?
It is the Prophet Elias, it is located at the top of Olympus, that is, where according to ancient Greek mythology the twelve gods lived, and in fact it is the highest Orthodox chapel in the world, at an altitude of 2,803 meters.
In this chapel, the faithful usually light their candle on ice, which never melts, due to the very low temperature! It, too, has a sensational view that takes your breath away. It is all stone, while the wooden roof is also based on stones. It was restored about five years ago as it had fallen down.
The weather up there on top of Olympus, unlike Lemnos (which is always good), is no joke. In winter it is heavy and the snow is heavy and often covers the top of the mountain even in summer.
Its interior is simple, with few images of saints, such as Osios Dionysios of Olympus, who is said to have built the chapel in the middle of the 16th century, on the ruins of an ancient building. Saint Dionysios is even said to have been an ascetic there from time to time.
Every year on July 20, many believers climb from Litochoro but also from all over Pieria to participate in the divine service, since, with a little patience, appropriate clothing and mountaineering capabilities, the path to get there is relatively passable. Of course, the climb is not only 20 minutes (as in Lemnos to Panagia Kakaviotissa), but the whole route to Olympus compensates the climbers.
This beautiful chapel also has “high” precentors. Last summer it was visited by a Christian prince from Jordan. He had the ambition to carry up there two stones from the Jordan River, the place where Jesus was baptized and which is at the same time one of the lowest points on earth. He did it symbolically as a sign of union and love, to send the message that peoples have nothing to separate and that they can have solid relationships “like stones”, not only of Christians, but also of all people, regardless of religion.
(The video of Panagia Kakaviotissa is by Chris Tzimopoulos)
