Only a few weeks left before Eleusis be officially declared the new European Capital of Culture for 2023, and things are moving fast.

Among the priorities is an ambitious plan: to establish a maritime connection between Elefsina and Piraeus through 7 municipalities, which will “carve out” a new “marine Sacred Way”.

This is an initiative of the Piraeus Port Authority (OLE) and Elefsina 23 Capital of Culture which, as emphasized by OLE CEO Apostolos Kamarinakis and Michael in APE-MBE Marmarinos, General Artistic Director of Elefsina 23 Capital of Culture, will create new added value in the city of Elefsina and will give a powerful impetus to the development of tourism. In fact, Mr. Marmarinos is talking about the creation of a “second memory” next to the historical earthly Sacred Path of the Mysteries of ancient Greece.

Part of the route, for example, in front of the maritime area where the historic naval battle of Salamis took place, and the straits from Aspropyrgos to Eleusis, will also be the highlight of the cultural events planned for the maritime Sacred Way.

“One sea 7 cities”

This original concept will be implemented on open-type ships. It will start from Piraeus (probably from Pasalimani), pass through the historic straits of Salamina, cross Keratsini, Perama, Haidari and Aspropyrgos, and end at the port near the archaeological site of Eleusis.

“It will be a cultural route. The richness of culture,” highlights Mr. Marmarinos at APE-MPE, and continues: “With brilliant inspiration, Deputy Mayor for Culture, Mr. Tatakis subtitled this gesture: “Seven Cities and One Sea.”

“Each of these cities through which cultural wealth will flow has a cultural reserve to offer along the way, not to mention exciting and fundamental, such as this wealth passes through the Straits of Salamis, it passes through the history of the navy. fighting in the same waters,” emphasizes Mr. Marmarinos to APE-MBE.

For his part, Mr. Kamarinakis explains the maritime Sacred Way, of which he performs all the operational functions: “We believe that we give a new breath not only to the cultural capital that will be Elefsina, but I think that to be a heritage in order to become something -something new. Something innovative and optimistic. In other words, let’s see something new and encouraging in the Western Attica area. It will be a route with cultural events at every stop of the ship.”

Numerous benefits

Mr. Kamarinakis emphasizes that the potential benefits of this action will be great.

“Now we are building a trunk. The highway will also have various branches that will go to the city-municipalities where the maritime Sacred Way will pass. Therefore, we give the opportunity to come to representatives of the municipalities, who, with the help of a guide or various events, will tell about the local characteristics of each municipality.”

For his part, Mr. Marmarinos believes that “when accessibility increases, so does the possibility of access to the city, its internal potential for economic development.”

It should be noted that today there is no sea communication between Piraeus and Elefsina, except for merchant ships. According to Mr. Kamarinakis, the “Sacred Sea Route” will also serve as an incentive for tourists who arrive in Piraeus on cruise ships or by other means to visit Elefsina along the cultural route.

Combination of maritime and terrestrial culture Holy Road

This new activity could also be combined with the earthly Sacred Way in a cultural trek. Many times in the past, the head of the archaeological excavations and museums of Western Attica, Mrs. Kalliopi Papageli, emphasized the great interest in the axis of the Sacred Way and accurately described how the cultural route could be traversed.

“This is a finished product of cultural interest. Imagine that you are telling strangers to come and walk the steps of the Mysteries and follow the Sacred Path. Start with the archaeological site at Keramikos. Cross the ancient Eleon, the remains of which you will see in the garden of the Agricultural University. Pass by the post-Byzantine church of Saint Savvas with built-in reliefs at the top. Pass metro stations where excavations have taken place and sections of the Sacred Way have been discovered. Head to the garden of Diomedes, where you can really combine nature and traces of the sacred path. See the Byzantine monastery of Daphne with exceptional mosaics that can only be seen in an equivalent monastery in the country, where in ancient times there was a sanctuary of Daphne of Apollo. Pass through a narrow valley and the Temple of Aphrodite, an archaeological site that has been preserved and belongs to our tax office. Transition from Lake Riton to Lake Komunduru. Pass by the medieval castle of Aspropyrgos, which was built with marble from funerary monuments along the Sacred Way and was white in color, hence the name Aspropyrgos. Finally, reach the entrance to the current city of Elefsina and there, at the intersection with the ancient lodge of Kifissos, you will see a Roman bridge, one of the best examples of Roman bridge building. And, finally, to be at the site of the archaeological excavations of Elefsina.

Memory will be updated

“At the moment, the earthly sacred Odos that we know is completely degraded,” notes Michael Marmarinos for his part and adds: “We are historically lucky that he still retains his name. And we must fight to maintain and maintain that name, because that is how we awaken consciousness and perception so that this Sacred Path continues to be a walking experience, at least as a possibility.

The cultural capital in one of the processions that will end where we are, has the title of 21 kilometers and in some way supports this institution … with tourist-routers they wish Eleusis.”

“The connection with the maritime Sacred Way,” concludes Mr. Marmarinos, “is accidental in the sense that many parts of the land flow towards the sea. And from some point forward they move parallel to it. The connection lies in the fact that the monuments of the Sacred Way can refer to the sea route, which should emphasize other points, especially sea ones.

OLE work

With regard to operational actions, Mr. Kamarinakis tells APE-MPE, referring to the work of OLE SA on the implementation of the project, that all competent authorities have expressed their interest and support, most notably the Ministry of Shipping and Island Policy, which has placed the Holy Sea Route under its patronage .

“The opening of the Sacred Sea Route is planned to take place at the Athenian trireme Olympias, and OLE SA has provided a place for its safe docking at the historic port of Elefsina. At the same time, with the artistic reconstruction of the building on the pier of the former American base, in the immediate vicinity of the old Olive Mill, where cultural events take place, a complex of buildings is being created that will become a reference point for Culture. on the banks of Elefsina,” says Mr. Kamarinakis.

The goal is for the project to continue beyond 2023, the OLE CEO emphasizes.