Near the summits of

Mount Olympus Mount Olympus (, , ) is an extensive massif near the Thermaic Gulf of the Aegean Sea, located on the border between Thessaly and Macedonia (Greece), Macedonia, between the regional units of Larissa (regional unit), Larissa and Pieria (regional ...

lies the chapel of the Prophet Elias (

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

: εξωκκλήσι του Προφήτη Ηλία). The

Eastern Orthodox Church The Eastern Orthodox Church, officially the Orthodox Catholic Church, and also called the Greek Orthodox Church or simply the Orthodox Church, is List of Christian denominations by number of members, one of the three major doctrinal and ...

celebrates the saint on July 20.

Location

The peak of Profitis Ilias (Προφήτης Ηλίας) is located near the highest peaks of Mount Olympus (Mytikas and Stefani). The closest mountain huts are the Apostolidis Hut (430 meters away) and the Christos Kakkalos Hut (around 600 meters away).

History

Saint Dionysius, founder of the Monastery of the Holy Trinity (nowadays known as Monastery Agios Dionysios), also founded the chapel of the Prophet Elias in the 16th century. It was built on the ruins of an ancient structure. Dionysus, who practised an ascetic life, is said to have lived in the church at times. The chapel is the highest ecclesiastical building of the Orthodox Church worldwide.

The building

The chapel was built on the top of Mount Profitis Ilias; the main building materials were the surrounding stones. The floor of the chapel is covered with stone slabs, the outer walls are made of layered stones, without further connecting material. Covered with stone slabs, the roof is supported by a solid wooden construction to support the snow load. An atrium is protected on the eastern and southern sides by a natural stone wall, which has an entrance on the north side. The low entrance to the chapel is on the south side of the building. Inside hang some

icons An icon () is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, in the cultures of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Catholic, and Lutheran churches. The most common subjects include Jesus, Mary, saints, and angels. Although especially ...

; a small altar, framed by icons depicting saints of the Orthodox Church, gives believers the opportunity to light a candle.

References

{{coord, 40.097966, 22.364606, type:landmark_region:GR, display=title Mount Olympus Buildings and structures in Pieria (regional unit)