Marathon

There are times when mother nature teams up with the human spirit (when of course the latter does not attempt to destroy the first) that little miracles, such as the Lake Marathon, can be created. A miracle that one can just sit in a corner and enjoy!

The artificial lake of Marathon - the benchmark of the city for decades - was created in 1931 and served as the primary water supply for Athens. It was formed from the construction of the Marathon Dam at the junction of Charadros and Varnavas Torrents near the town of Marathon. Varnavas was the main water reserve of the Greek capital until 1959.

The monastery of St. Ephraim in Nea Makri is a place of pilgrimage of a saint who was known for his miracles and nowadays it attracts thousands of believers every year, especially people looking to cure diseases.

St. Ephraim of Nea Makri or St. Ephraim of Mount Amomon who, as believed, had lived from 1384 to 1426, is venerated as a martyr and miracle-maker Saint by many Greek Orthodox Christians in Greece. His status as a saint is controversial, as there are no sources testifying his existence as an historical person. Believers regard him as a "newly revealed" saint, whose existence is a matter of divine revelation rather than historical proof.

The Archaeological Museum of Marathon is situated in Vranas and is characterized as an historic heritage gem of the city. However, the birth of this museum resembles to an incredible jigsaw puzzle constituted by short human stories, starting in 1969.

Marathon was, then a small village and the few inhabitants were involved in agriculture. The Boukouvala family lived in Tsepi, and its members were searching daily to find underground water to cover their needs.
One day, while they were digging at a depth of about five meters, they discovered a small cave that caused them a great impression. They started to dig out ... strange rocks, they called relatives and friends and after a few hours they realized they had discovered an ancient tomb.

"Marathon as the emblematic symbol of European cultural heritage belongs to us all. It is the trophy of the supremacy of human values, spirit and democracy. It is a utopia, it is mainly a place of historic and influential archaeological sites. The safekeeping and preservation of it, constitutes the highest obligation?.
With these words the General Director of Antiquities and Cultural Heritage of the Hellenic Ministry of Culture, Dr. Vivi Vassilopoulou, signed, in 2008 the publication of "MARATHON Museum and archaeological sites?, wanting to capture vividly the historical significance of the findings, found in the region. And she is correct...

Marathon visitors can be guided to monuments and artifacts through which, a unique period of 5000 years of civilization, is unfolded, from the Neolithic Age to the Roman era. From life in the cave of Oenoe and  the early Helladic cemetery in Plasi, to  the battle of Marathon in 490 BC and later until  the works of Herodes Atticus and the Temple of the Egyptian gods in Brexiza.