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Religious Sites in Athens
One of the first things that strikes the visitor to Athens is a multitude of religious sites the city contains. Indeed, there seems to be a church or cathedral around every corner - whether ancient or modern, large or small, majestic or modest – and many remain in fine condition. A number of churches in Athens were built using stone, marble columns and other remains from ancient buildings. Little Greek Orthodox churches, in particular, deserve a visit for their beautiful interiors, richly adorned with icons and brass fixtures. Of great historical and architectural interest are about a dozen Byzantine churches scattered around the city, most of which date back to the 11th and 12th Centuries.
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Agios Dimitrios Loumbardiaris
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Address: Philopappou Hill
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Set on Filopappous Hill, this site is but a tiny chapel, boasting exceptionally scenic surroundings. Dedicated to St Dimitri the Bombardier, it owes its fame to a legend going back to the late 17th Century. The story refers to a certain St Dimitrios Day, when worshippers traditionally gathered without knowing that an Ottoman squad was ready to set fire on them with the cannons of Propylaea. Still, at the very moment the firing commenced, the canons were struck by lightning, devastating the Propylaea and exterminating all Ottoman soldiers. The church, otherwise, represents a humble stone and wood structure, with its chapel being a frequent site for wedding ceremonies.
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Byzantine Little Metropolis
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Address: Ermou Street
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Located near the Cathedral of Athens, this smallish Byzantine chapel dates back to the 12th Century. Boasting exquisite marble walls, and incorporating portions of older structures, this site also has an important facade frieze, depicting the months with their corresponding zodiac symbols. The site is dedicated to Panagia Gorgoepikoos, which literally translates as 'Out Lady of Urgent Requests', and bears direct reference to the Eleutho cult, the godess of childbirth. The pejorative 'Little Metropolis' comes from the chapel's location close to the grand cathedral.
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Church of the Holy Apostles of Solakis, by Melissa Dollman
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Church of the Holy Apostles of Solakis
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Address: Ancient Agora
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Among the few existing ancient Byzantine structures in the city, this 10th-century church was erected on the site of the Ancient Agora during the Medieval period when this particular stretch of land was covered with residential property, thus losing its initial functions. Once inside, one can marvel the excellently preserved frescoes and the air of ambience.
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Tzistarakis Mosque
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Address: 1 Areos, Monastiraki Square
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Sitting on Monastiraki Square, this 1759 mosque has been transformed into a ceramics museum. A plaque topping the entrance states that the the edifice was erected by Mustafa Aga Tsisdarakis, a local official during the Ottoman period. The structure is known by many different names, most notably 'The Mosque of the Lower Fountain', as it used to contain a fountain, 'The Mosque of the Lower Market', and 'The Mosque in Monastiraki Square'.
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Agios Georgios
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Address: Mont Lycabettus
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Metochi Tou Panayiou Tafou, a tiny monastery, is property of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. Its main church, Agios Georgios, is a 17th-century structure. If climbing Lycavittos Hill from the Sarantapichou Metro, you can see the white corpus of Agios Georgioss at the top. Accessable both on foot and by the funicular, this church was erected on the site of a temple dedicated to Akraios Zeus. Under the Franks, the site received a tiny chapel of Prophetis Elias, which was later transformed into the present-day Agios Georgios. Although the year of its construction remains unknown, the church has been here from the 17th Century onwards. The church bell is a bequest by Queen Olga, and its main icon is believed to possess miraculous powers.
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Agios Eleftherios
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Address: Leoforos Ionias
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Byzantine art flourished in the 11th and 12th Centuries and experienced its most lucis period of innovation and creative approach. Athens has had the greater part of its important religious structures erected exactly during those two centuries. And yet, Sotira Lykodimou Church remains the city grandest Medieval structure. In the period 1031 – 1701, it operated as part of a Catholic monastery, which was subsequently demolished. Further on, the church was renovated in the 19th Century under the aegis of Russian Tsar Alexander II. After 1850 it officially started to operate as a Russian Orthodox church, serving the needs of the local Russian congregation. Often referred to as Mikri Metropoli, which literally translates as 'Little Cathedral', this structure can be found on Plateia Mitropoleos in Plaka next to the large Cathedral of Metropolis.
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Church of Panaghia Gorgoepikoos
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Address: Metropoleos Square
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This church, set right next to the Cathedral of Athens, is a structure of the late 12th Century and the successor of a Greek temple to the goddess Eileithyia. Originally known as the Little Metropolis, the site was dedicated to Saint Gorgoepikoos and was part of Athens' episcopal property.
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Agia Ekaterini
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Address: at the crossing of Chairefontos, Lysicratous, Galanou and Goura Street
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The successor of a 11th Century basilica, this site underwent a serious restructuring in the late 17th Century, having been declared the metochion of the Sinai Monastery. Basically a structure of the cross-in-square type, the building had its original facade modified, with a plethora of additional structures blurring the initial architectural features. In terms of layout, the building is characterised by a cross-shaped roof, while its decorations vastly constitute the typical brick patterns. Towards the late 19th Century the church remained idle and was not restored to its function as a parish church until 1882. Saint Catherine underwent a serious restructuring in 1927. Its interiors currently preserve many holy objects, mostly donated by Asian refugees.
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