Where is Cenchrea located in the Bible?

Cenchrea was the eastern seaport of Corinth, located in the region of Greece. It is mentioned in the New Testament in Romans 16:1 and Acts 18:18.

What happened in Cenchrea in the Bible?

The apostle Paul had his hair cut off there because of a vow he had taken (Acts 18:18). The church in Cenchrea was also significant, as Paul commends its deaconess, Phoebe, to the church in Rome (Romans 16:1).

Why is Cenchrea significant in the Bible?

It highlights the spread of the early church into major Greek ports and demonstrates the active role of women like Phoebe in leadership. Its mention connects Paul's missionary journeys to practical local church support.

Cenchrea

cityNew TestamentGreece2 verses

Today KechriesCountry GreeceCoordinates 37.884, 22.997

Cenchrea is an ancient city mentioned in the New Testament, located in the region of Greece in modern-day Greece. Known today as Kechries. It appears across 2 verses in Scripture.

Paul's Second Missionary Journey · Stop 10 Open the Biblical Atlas

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Biblical History

Cenchrea was the eastern port of Corinth on the Saronic Gulf, serving as the city's gateway to the Aegean Sea and the eastern Mediterranean. It appears in two notable New Testament passages. In Acts 18:18, Luke records that as Paul left Corinth after his extended ministry there, he "cut his hair at Cenchrea, for he was under a vow", a detail that reflects Paul's observance of Jewish practice even amid his Gentile mission, and suggests he may have taken a Nazirite vow. The geographical notation places Paul at Cenchrea prior to his voyage to Syria and Ephesus. The second reference is in Romans 16:1, where Paul commends to the Roman church "our sister Phoebe, a deaconess of the church at Cenchrea," asking the Romans to receive her in a manner worthy of the saints and assist her in whatever she needs. Phoebe is widely regarded as the carrier of Paul's letter to Rome, and the existence of a church at Cenchrea, a commercial harbor town, illustrates how Christianity spread through the trading networks of the Roman world, taking root in the busy port communities that connected the empire.

Archaeological & Historical Notes

Modern Kechries (or Kenchreai) lies on the eastern coast of the Corinthian isthmus, approximately 10 km southeast of ancient Corinth. Underwater and land excavations conducted by the American School of Classical Studies and Ohio State University (1960s–1970s) revealed extensive harbor installations now submerged due to land subsidence, including warehouses, a temple precinct (possibly dedicated to Isis), and several opus sectile glass panels of extraordinary quality, possibly intended for a building that was never completed due to the earthquake of 375 CE. The visible remains confirm a thriving first-century commercial harbor consistent with the Pauline references.

Verse Appearances (2)

Acts

Acts 18:18

Rom

Rom 16:1

References

Orr, J. (ed.) (1915) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago: Howard-Severance Company. [Public Domain]
OpenBible.info (n.d.) Bible Geocoding. Available at: https://www.openbible.info/geo/. [CC BY 4.0]
Bagnall, R. et al. (eds.) (n.d.) Pleiades: A Gazetteer of Past Places. Available at: https://pleiades.stoa.org. [CC BY 3.0]
Church of England (1769) The Holy Bible, Authorized (King James) Version. [Public Domain]

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