Church of Agioi Asomatoi

The church of Saints Asomatoi is located at the district of Thission, at the end of the most commercial street of Athens, at Ermou Street. Access is easy since it is located next to the station of the Electric Railway. The church of Saints Asomatoi is a characteristic example of an Athenian church of the 11th century. It belongs to the type of the simple cross-in-square church supported by four columns. As most of the churches in Athens it has undergone a lot of aesthetic interventions. The monument’s initial form was altered in around 1925, when it became a parish church and the need was created to receive a larger congregation. Initially, it was expanded to the east and west, resulting in the demolition of the three conches of the altar, the narthex and part of the side walls. At a second stage it was expanded towards the north and south. The present-day form of the church is the result of restoration works that took place in 1950 by the Department of Restorations of the Ministry of Culture. The church externally has the usual Byzantine masonry (cloisonné), while in the lower part of the walls large stone crosses are formed. The dome is of the “Athenian” style with double-light windows. Over the windows of the dome, someone can admire the characteristic brick work decoration of the churches of the second half of the 11th century which mimics the Arab alphabet (cufic elements). Fragments of three clay plaques with relief decoration, which were found in an excavation next to the church, were considered to belong to the church and were walled-in on its western side. At the southern wall of the narthex a shallow vault is formed, in front of which there is a tomb. Among others it is worth noticing that during the restoration works parts from wall paintings and a silver reliquary containing the relics of an unknown saint.