Throughout history, Greeks have always been and always will be fascinated by religion – from traditional forms to paganism and superstition, from fanaticism to idolatry. Proof of that is the stunning number of public and private churches & monasteries built on Greek soil, many of which are in Athens & in Attica. Evolving from mythological gods to Christian monotheism, religion remains at the forefront of everyday life in Greece. During the 1st century AC, the era of Paul the Apostle, ancient Athenians began converting to Christianity. Places of worship for the new religion operated in secrecy until the Roman empire officially recognized the religion in the 4th century. Many ancient temples were converted into Christian churches. New Christian basilicas were built beginning in the 5th century; remnants of these churches & monasteries can be found throughout Attica & Athens. Many of the prized churches and monasteries were built during the 11th and 12th centuries, the golden age of Byzantine art in Athens. In Attica the churches of Kapnikarea, Agioi Theodoroi, Agios Elefterios, Pantanassa, Agioi Assomatoi and Agios Nikolaos Ragavas, as well as the monasteries of Daphni, Kaessariani and Asteriou stand proud to this day.
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Agia Aikaterini
AthensLocated in Plaka, the church of St. Aikaterini was built in the mid-11th century....
Agioi Isidoroi
AthensThe church of Agioi Isidoroi is an old, single-aisle basilica with a wooden roof....
Agioi Theodoroi
AthensConsidered one of the most important Byzantine monuments in Athens, the church of Agioi Theodoroi is located on Evripidou Street in Klafthmonos Square....
Agios Elissaios
Athens, MonastirakiThis simple, single-aisle basilica on 14 Areos Street in Monastiraki was built in the mid-17th century on the gardens of a mansion owned by the Athenian Homatianos-Logothetis family....
Agios Georgios Karytsis
AthensOwned by the Athenian Kariki family since the Middle Ages, Agios Georgios Karytsis was nearly destroyed during the Revolution of 1821....
Agios Ioannis Kynigos Monastery
Agia Paraskevi, North SuburbsThe Agios Ioannis Kynigos (St. John the Hunter) Monastery is located on the northern side of Mount Hymettus, above the suburb of Agia Paraskevi....
Agios Ioannis Theologos Monastery
North Suburbs, PapagouThe Agios Ioannis Theologos Monastery lies on the western slope of Mount Hymettus, just above the Papagos cemetery....
Agios Nikolaos Lemonion Monastery
SalaminaBuilt on the pine-covered slopes of Mount Stavros in Salamina, the Monastery of St. Nikolaos Lemonion stands next to a small, 10th-century church...
Alimos Basilica
Alimos, South SuburbsThis sixth-century Christian basilica sits inside the grounds of the Zoodochos Pigi church....
Asteriou Monastery
AthensAbove the Kessariani Monastery is another convent, the Monastery of the Taxiarchs, popularly known as the Asteriou Monastery....
Athens Metropolitan Cathedral
AthensThis landmark has hosted many significant ceremonies, from royal weddings to funerals of important political and social figures....
Church of Saints Constantine and Eleni
Glyfada, South SuburbsDedicated to Saints Constantine and Helen, the Cathedral of Glyfada is located near the old City Hall....
Dafni Monastery
Chaidari, West SuburbsThe Dafni Monastery is rumoured to have been built at the site of the ancient temple of Apollo Dafnaios....
Evangelical Church
AthensBuilt in 1871, the Evangelical Church of Athens is located opposite the Columns of Olympian Zeus at the intersection of Lyssikratous Street and Amalias Avenue....
Glyfada Basilica
Glyfada, South SuburbsThis fifth-century Christian church, though in need of repair, stands proudly on Poseidonos Avenue near Glyfada Square....
Kaisariani Monastery
AthensOverlooking the Kaisariani district from a hill a short distance from Hymettus, the Kaisariani Monastery stands some 350 metres high....
Melidoni Street Synagogues
AthensTwo synagogues, both located on Melidoni Street in Thission, serve the needs of Athens’ thriving Jewish community....
Omorfoklissia (St. George)
AthensOn Veikou Street in Galatsi stands the elegant Church of St. George, widely known as Omorfoklissia, or ‘the beautiful church’...
Our Lady Chrysokastriotissa
AthensBuilt in the 12th century, this vaulted basilica was nearly destroyed during the Revolution of 1821....
Our Lady Chrysopolitissa
AthensThe Church of Our Lady Chrysopolitissa on Eolou Street is one of Athens’ most historically relevant churches....
Panagia Faneromeni Monastery
SalaminaThe Panagia Faneromeni Monastery, named for its location in a pine grove in Faneromeni, stands opposite the narrowest point of the Megarida Gulf....
Panagia Gorgoepikoos
AthensThe 12th-century church of the Virgin Mary Gorgoepikoos is also known to Athenians as Agios Eleftherios, or the small cathedral....
Panagia Grigoroussa
AthensBuilt sometime in the 11th or 12th century, the original structure of this church was almost entirely destroyed during the Revolution of 1821....
Panagitsa Church
AeginaVisible from the coast of Aegina, the magnificent church of Panagitsa is located just outside Aegina’s marina....
Pantanassa
AthensLocated on Monastiraki Square, the Church of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary, or Pantanassa, was once called the Great Monastery, and today is known commonly as Monastiraki....
Penteli Monastery
North Suburbs, PenteliFounded in 1578 by bishop Evripos Timotheos, a local saint of Attica, the all-male Penteli Monastery was built amid the lush greenery at the foot of Mount Penteli....
Petraki Monastery
North Suburbs, PenteliThe church of the Saints Asomatoi, is located near the Evangelismos Hospital, within the complex housing the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece....
Religious Museum of Hydra – Cathedral
HydraKnown simply as ‘the monastery’ by locals, the Cathedral of Hydra is located near the centre of the city’s promena...
Russian Church
AthensKnown to Athenians as the Russian Church, the Holy Church of Lykodemos Sotira is one of the oldest Byzantine churches in Athens, and also the largest....
Saint Nikolaos Ragavas
AthensBuilt in the 11th century, the church of Agios Nikolaos Ragavas in Plaka is based on the simple four-aisled, cross-in-square design....
Saint Paul’s Anglican Church
AthensLocated at the end of Filellinon Street, this neo-Gothic Anglican church was built in the early 1840s of Hymettus marble and limestone brought in from the Corinth Canal....
Saints Asomatoi Church
AthensA short distance from the temple of Hephaestus in Thission, the church of Saints Asomatoi is a simple, cross-in-square church with a narthex and Athenian-style dome, supported by four columns....
St Zonis and St. Spyridon Church
AthensDedicated to two martyrs, this small church is believed to have been built in the 17th century....
St. Demetrius the Bombardier
AthensDedicated to St. Demetrius the Bombardier, this small church lies on the Dionysiou Areopagiti pedestrian area at the foot of Philopappos Hill....
St. Fotini
AthensBuilt in 1872 near the banks of the Ilyssos River, the church of St. Fotini served the local parish....
St. George Lycabettus
AthensThis single-aisle, domed basilica perched atop Lycabettus Hill was built in the late 18th century....
St. Marina Church (Thission)
AthensConstructed between 1924 and 1927 on Observatory Hill in Thission, the Holy Church of Agia Marina was based on plans by Achilles Georgiadis....
St. Nektarios Monastery
AeginaDuring the first decade of the 20th Century, Nektarios, bishop of Pentapolis, came to Aegina to become a monk....
St. Nicholas the Sailor
AeginaFittingly, visitors catch their first glimpse of this beautiful white church dedicated to Saint Nicholas the Sailor while approaching the port of Aegina by boat....
The Church of Agia Dynami
AthensAgia Dynami (‘holy power’) is a small church whose origins date back to the 16th century....
The Crypt of St. Philothei
North SuburbsDiscovered accidentally in 1934 during quarrying, the Crypt of Agia Philothei is a small natural cave, converted into a chapel by Rigoula Venizelou....
The Holy Church of St. Irene
AthensThe Holy Church of St. Irene on Nikodimou Street in Plaka, is also known as "Rinaki of Plaka" (Little Irene of Plaka)....
The Metamorphosis, Sotira Kottaki Church
AthensThe Church of the Transfiguration of the Saviour is located on Kydathineon street in Plaka, the old Alikokkou neighbourhood of Athens....
The Metochion of the Holy Sepulchre
AthensThe 17th-century church of Agioi Anargyroi originally opened as a convent, believed to have been owned by the prominent Kolokinthi family....
The St. Dionysius Metropolitan Church
Kythera & AntikytheraThe St. Dionysius Metropolitan Church was constructed in the early 19th century with funding from the Holy Monastery of Chryssoleontissa....
Theotokos Kecharitomeni Monastery
PorosA short distance south-east of the village of Troezen lies the Theotokos Kecharitomene Monastery....
Zoodochos Pigi of Kalavria Monastery
PorosLocated on a lush green hillside, this peaceful monastery is one of Poros’ main attractions....
