The Greek Ministry of Culture is expected to submit a nomination proposal to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) aimed at having the Archaeological site of Philippi placed on the list of World Heritage Sites. The area is an important site in east Macedonia that features monuments of the Hellenistic, Roman and Early Christian periods.
The regional governor of Eastern Macedonia – Thrace Georgios Pavlidis said that the site needs to be on the list because it meets all the requirements necessary to be a World Heritage Site. Specifically it is deeply connected to Greek history during the Macedonian era, it is associated with a battle that judged the future and course of the Roman Empire in 42 B.C. and it is the place where the first Christian Church of Europe was established in which Paul the Apostle baptized the first Christian woman.
The International Council on Monuments and Sites and the World Conservation Union will evaluate the nomination when it meets to determine the places of “outstanding universal value” that should be on the World Heritage List.
