THE APOSTLE PAUL IN CEPHALONIA
There had always been a lot of questioning related to the Christianization of Cephalonia especially because the Christian community of the island is referred as the only and oldest between Greek Mainland and Italy. The prevailing opinion supported that Christianity was brought to the island by Cephalonian merchants.
In 1987 the German researcher Dr. Heinz Warnecke, in his thesis «Apostle Paul's real voyage to Rome» submitted at the University of Bremen, supports that the island which is called Meliti in the Acts (ch.27,28) is not Malta but Cephalonia and consequently it was Apostle Paul who christianized the island.
Six international conferences followed – in 1993, 1996, 1999, 2005, 2009 and in 2013 – in which a lot of heterogeneous both historical and natural facts were presented proving that Cephalonia is indeed Meliti of the Acts and Pessada ("Agios Sostis" Port) is the place of Apostle Paul's shipwreck and rescue.
This scientific opinion is gaining ground. Lots of foreign Protestant and Catholic publishing houses consider Cephalonia as Meliti of the Acts in the publication of the New Testament.
On 17th August 1996, the new Apostle Paul's church was built in Pessada in order to be the continuity of the two Paleochristian churches that were built there in honour of Apostle and in commemoration of his rescue and stay on the island. In 1999, within the framework of the third conference, the church was consecrated by the then Archbishop of Greece Christodoulos.
The church celebrates two times a year. On the 29th June in memory of Apostle Paul and on the 17th August in commemoration of the
re-establishment of the church with Great Vesper.
In the north-west corner of the church there is a small museum with relevant data.
