Dedicated to the Annunciation of the Mother of God, the three-aisled, domed basilica of the Athens Metropolitan Cathedral sits a short distance from Syntagma Square. Constructed between 1842 and 1862, the church enjoyed the participation of many prominent architects, including Hansen, Zezos, Boulanger and Kalkos.
The decorative aspects are no less impressive, incorporating pieces from derelict Byzantine churches and churches razed for archaeological reasons. The Cathedral also houses marble shrines containing the holy relics of Agia Filothei and the Patriarch Gregorius V.
Since opening, the Athens Metropolitan Cathedral has hosted a number of significant ceremonies, from royal weddings to funerals of important political and social figures. After the massive earthquake that shook Athens in 1999, the Cathedral began a series of maintenance and restoration projects. Services are temporarily being held in the Church of St. Dionysius, in Kolonaki.
More Churches & Monasteries
Alimos Basilica
Alimos, South SuburbsThis sixth-century Christian basilica sits inside the grounds of the Zoodochos Pigi church....
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....
Dafni Monastery
Chaidari, West SuburbsThe Dafni Monastery is rumoured to have been built at the site of the ancient temple of Apollo Dafnaios....
Omorfoklissia (St. George)
AthensOn Veikou Street in Galatsi stands the elegant Church of St. George, widely known as Omorfoklissia, or ‘the beautiful church’...
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....