Profiti Ilia - Προφήτη Ηλία, small chapel on the mountain in Glyfada

Read this post in Swedish: Den lilla kyrkan på berget i Glyfada

From Glyfada you can see a tiny white spot up on the mountain of Ymittos. It's easy to understand it's a small church as you often see churches at difficult locations in Greece.

There's a pathway up to the small chapel, dedicated to the Prophet Elias, which starts behind this church-like store house in the picture to the right. 

How to go there?
You drive/walk/bicycle to the end of the road Γεννηματά - Gennimata in Ano Glyfada.
Turn left after the school on Dragoumi (Δραγούμη Ιώνος)street,
then right at the first crossing: Megalo Spilaiou street.
The "road" in the picture above is the continuation of "Μεγάλου Σπηλαίου".






The beginning of the pathway.

As you walk you have wonderful views! Here you can see all the way from Aigli (Ano Glyfada)to Piraeus. The road in the middle is Gennimata.

In the area there is a huge limestone cave, about 35 meters deep, with just a small opening at the top, so mind your step!!!

I don't know exactly where it is, but it's quite close to the Profiti Ilias church. You need special equipment to enter the Profiti Elia cave.

Photo from the cave: Sotiris Baliakos

Almost there! There are 7 built benches like this one along the pathway. It's about a 30 minutes walk. At this tree it's a little bit difficult to see where the path continues, it's to the left of this bench.

At Απαντα Ορθοδοξίας I found the story behind Naos Profiti Ilia:
It was built by one man only,  Mr Sarantos, who was a builder. He was also a believer and one night he had dreamt that the prophet Elias told him to find his icon at the mountain. This was 1950.

After some searching he found the icon of the prophet. At this spot he afterwards built the church, with help of his loyal donkey.

Every year since then, at the nameday of Prophet Elias, the 20th of July, church service is being held. The 19th and 20th the pathway is lit up after dark and many people are walking up to the little picturesque church - see picture by Kostas Z.

This is certainly a nice small outing you can do if you're visiting Glyfada!
Or what is your opinion?
Isn't Profiti Ilia well worth a visit?!

More pictures in my photoblog Greece in my Heart: Profitis Ilias

Maybe of interest:
Read about the big cave in Greek at AetosGlyfadas.gr
About the mountain Ymittos with its many caves, in Greek.

Pictures from the cave 1/5 2010 by George Portokaloglou at the blog Fysiolatres: Φυσιολάτρες..: Σπηλαιοβάραθρο Προφήτη Ηλία - Υμηττός (Again in Greek)

Old black and white picture from Ναοί της Ορθοδοξίας στη Γλυφάδα.