Religious sites in Greece

Tzistarakis Mosque

Tzistarakis Mosque was built in 1759, by the Ottoman governor of Athens, Mustapha Agha Tzistarakis. According to tradition, Tzistarakis used one of the pillars of the Temple of Olympian Zeus to make lime for the building, although it is more likely that he used one of the columns of the nearby Hadrian"s Library. This act led to his dismissal as the Turks considered it a sacrilege which would cause vengeful spir ...

Founded: 1759 | Location: Athens, Greece

Fethiye Mosque

The Fethiye Mosque is located on the northern side of the ancient Roman Agora in Athens and was built on the ruins of a Christian basilica from the middle Byzantine period (8th/9th centuries). The Christian church was converted into a mosque in 1456/58, soon after the Ottoman conquest of the Duchy of Athens, to coincide with the visit to the city by Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror in 1458. Only a fragment of the� ...

Founded: 1668-1670 | Location: Athens, Greece

Saint Spyridon Church

Saint Spyridon Church is a Greek Orthodox church built in the 1580s. It houses the relics of Saint Spyridon and it is located in the old town of Corfu. It is a single-nave basilica and its bell tower is the highest in the Ionian Islands. In the 1580s, after the demolition of the private church, the Saint Spyridon remains were moved to their present location in a new church which was built within the city fortifications ...

Founded: 1580s | Location: Corfu, Greece

Suleymaniye Mosque

The Suleymaniye Mosque was a mosque originally built after the Ottoman conquest of Rhodes in 1522 and reconstructed in 1808. It was named by the Sultan Suleiman to commemorate his conquest of Rhodes. This mosque was the first mosque in the town of Rhodes, built soon after Ottomans besieged it and captured it in 1522. In 1808 the current building of mosque was built through the reconstruction of this first mosque. ...

Founded: 1522/1808 | Location: Rhodes, Greece

Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens

The Metropolitan Cathedral of the Annunciation construction began on Christmas Day, 1842 with the laying of the cornerstone by King Otto and Queen Amalia. Workers used marble from 72 demolished churches to build the Cathedral"s immense walls. Three architects and 20 years later, it was complete. On May 21, 1862, the completed Cathedral was dedicated to the Annunciation of the Mother of God by the King and Queen ...

Founded: 1842 | Location: Athens, Greece

Church of Panagia

Situated on the left of the road heading up to the Acropolis at Lindos, the church of Panagia (Our Lady) is an enchanting sight and an obligatory stop for all visitors. Surrounded by high walls and a small courtyard, this old church was originally built in 1300 but has since been submitted to numerous reconstructions. The most important was ordered by the Grand Master Pierre d’Aubusson (1476 to 1503) of the Knights of R ...

Founded: c. 1300 | Location: Lindos, Greece

Cathedral of St. James and St. Christopher

The old cathedral was located in the Old Fortress of Corfu and was dedicated to the apostles Peter and Paul. This temple was one of the oldest monuments of the old fortress and was originally an Orthodox Cathedral which from the 13th to the 17th century was the cathedral of the city"s Catholics. Originally the church was a basilica and beside it was a chapel dedicated to Saint Arsenius, first bishop of Corfu (876-952 ...

Founded: 15th century | Location: Corfu, Greece

Church of Saint Panteleimon

The Church of Saint Panteleimon is a late Byzantine church in Thessaloniki and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The church lies in the eastern part of the old city, near the Tomb of Galerius, at the junction of Iasonidou and Arrianou streets. Its current dedication to Saint Panteleimon was given to the church after the end of Ottoman rule in 1912, and its original dedication is therefore disputed. In Ottoman times, it was c ...

Founded: 13th century | Location: Thessaloniki, Greece

Hagios Demetrios

The Church of Saint Demetrius, or Hagios Demetrios, is the main sanctuary dedicated to Saint Demetrius, the patron saint of Thessaloniki. It is part of the site Palaeochristian and Byzantine Monuments of Thessaloniki on the list of World Heritage Sites by UNESCO since 1988. The first church on the spot was constructed in the early 4th century AD, replacing a Roman bath. A century later, a prefect named Leontios replaced ...

Founded: 629-634 AD | Location: Thessaloniki, Greece

Kahal Shalom Synagogue

The Kahal Shalom Synagogue in La Juderia, the Jewish quarter of the city of Rhodes, is the oldest synagogue in Greece today. There has been a Jewish presence in Rhodes for 2,300 years. They were, at times, persecuted by Romans, the Knights Hospitaller, and other rulers of the islands. During Ottoman rule, however, the Jews of Rhodes prospered, and many expelled Sephardim settled there, particularly in the city of Rhodes, ...

Founded: 1577 | Location: Rhodes, Greece

Monastery of Great Meteoron

The Monastery of Great Meteoron is the largest of the monasteries located at Meteora, though in 2015 there were only 3 monks in residence. The Great Meteoro Monastery was founded in the mid-14th century by Saint Athanasios the Meteorite who was the first founder of the monastery and the systematic organizer. For this reason, the foundation of this monastery is considered to be a turning point, or even better, the begi ...

Founded: c. 1350 | Location: Kalabaka, Greece

Church of the Saviour

The Church of the Savior is one of the 15 Paleochristian and Byzantine Monuments of Thessaloniki that were included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1988. Archaeological investigation and restoration work following the 1978 earthquakes, in which the church was badly damaged, have brought to light new evidence that has led to a radical review of our knowledge of the structure. The original position of the holy altar h ...

Founded: 14th century | Location: Thessaloniki, Greece

Saint Titus Church

Saint Titus church is one of the most important monuments in Heraklion. In 961, Nicephorus Phocas drove the Arabs from Crete, bringing the island back under the wing of the powerful Byzantine Empire. This is when the first Orthodox church of St Titus must have been built, to rekindle the Christian faith and tradition in Crete, which had declined due to the corsair conquest of the island. Saint Titus was a disciple of th ...

Founded: 16th century | Location: Heraklion, Greece

Church of Panagia Chalkeon

According to the founder's inscription above the west entrance, the The Church of Panagia Chalkeon was built in 1028 by the protospatharios Christopher, katepano of Longobardia, and his wife, son, and two daughters. The ground plan is that of a classic 'cross-in-square-form' typical of Macedonian-period architecture, with four columns and three domes, one central and two over the narthex. The entire building is built ...

Founded: 1028 | Location: Thessaloniki, Greece

Hagia Sophia

The Hagia Sophia in Thessaloniki is one of the oldest churches in the city still standing today. It is one of several monuments in Thessaloniki included as a World Heritage Site on the UNESCO list. Since the 3rd century, there was a church in the location of the current Hagia Sophia. In the 8th century, the present structure was erected, based on the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople (present-day Istanbul, Turkey). In 1205, ...

Founded: 8th century AD | Location: Thessaloniki, Greece

Paleokastritsa Monastery

The monastery of the Holy Theotokos, also known as Paleokastritsa Monastery, is one of the oldest in Corfu, dating to 1225. The reasons for visiting this monastery are two-fold. Set on the top of the cape, the views from the monastery are stunningly dramatic and indescribably beautiful. Perhaps the most visited of the island’s religious sites, due to its amazing position, it is also steeped in history. It is built on t ...

Founded: 1225 | Location: Corfu, Greece

Varlaam Monastery

The Holy Monastery of Varlaam is the second biggest monastery in Meteora. It is located opposite of the Great Meteoron Monastery and it was founded in the mid-14th century by the exercitant Hosios Varlaam. The elegant monastery Katholikon (main church) was built in the honour of Agioi Pantes in 1541-42, by two brothers from Ioannina, the priest-monks Hosioi Theophanes and Nectarios the Apsarades. The main church was d ...

Founded: 14th century | Location: Kalabaka, Greece

St. Paul's Anglican Church

Built in a neo-gothic style, St. Paul's Anglican Church is a listed building and a landmark in the cityscape of contemporary Athens. Consecrated on Palm Sunday of 1843 on what was then the city's outskirts, it is now part of the Athenian historical centre, situated between Syntagma Square and the Areopagus at the foot of the Acropolis where St. Paul first addressed the Athenians. Its austere lines hide a musical jewel, a ...

Founded: 1843 | Location: Athens, Greece

Vlacherna Monastery

The Holy Monastery of Blachernae (Vlacherna) was built in the 17th century. In 1799, it belonged to the Halikiopoulos-Mantzaros family and for years functioned as a nunnery until 1980. The building is distinguished by its unusual shaped, tiled roof and intense white walls that sharply contrast with the lush landscape and the brilliant blue of the sea. After crossing the pedestrian bridge you will find yourself in the co ...

Founded: 17th century | Location: Corfu, Greece

Ancient Theatre of Lindos

The ancient theatre of Lindos lies at the foot of the west slope of the rock of the Lindos acropolis. It had 19 rows of seats, most of them carved into the rock although somewere built, as were the endmost cunei and the side retaining walls, which do not survive. Today only the rock-carved sections are preserved: the circular orchestra, the three central cunei of the lower cavea and parts of the two neighbouring ones, ...

Founded: 4th century BCE | Location: Lindos, Greece