Holy Apostles - Old School

Where the paths separate one kilometer south of Pyrgos (1 heading to the monastery of the Prophet Elias and 4 to Episkopi), we find the church of the Holy Apostles (Agii Apostoli), a dependency of the monastery of the Prophet Elias (Profitis Ilias). The location (Martinous) is historic because it is where the Old School of Pyrgos was built (in 1803, and opened in 1806). By order of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, it was decreed that the School would be called Patriarchal and the source of the cross “forever and by everyone.” The school was open until 1845, making a significant contribution to the cultivation of Greek culture. Today a few dilapidated buildings provide evidence of its existence, and the new church of the Holy Apostles stands inside the courtyard where the old classroom used to be. (The original church was in a cave outside the school yard.)