This church dates from the Byzantine Times and it has been built on the site when Saint Demetrius actually martyred. In fact, the basement of the church is the place where the saint was tortured for his faith and died.
It is not known exactly when this church was originally built, probably in the 4th century BC but since then, it has been destroyed and rebuilt many times. Particularly famous for its beautiful Byzantine frescoes, this church is located on Agiou Dimitriou st, 97.
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 The Church of Agia Sofia |
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The church of Saint (Agia) Sophia is located in the centre of the town, on Agias Sofias and Ermou streets. This church, along with the churches of Agios Dimitrios and of Acheropoietos, are the most important paleo-Christian monuments of Thessaloniki.
It is not known where exactly the church of Saint Sofia was originally built. The most possible is that it was constructed after the Church of Saint Sofia in Constantinople, as they have many similarities in the architectural style. Some actually believe that the two churches were built by the same architect, Anthemios. |
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In the 16th century, Saint Sofia was made a mosque, till 1912 when the town was set free from the Truks and it turned into an Orthodox church again.
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| The Church of Panagia Acheropoietos |
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This name of this church actually means the "Virgin Mary Not Made by Human Hands" in Greek. It is one of the most important paleo-Christian monuments in Thessaloniki and one of the oldest churches in Greece.
The construction of the church started in the 5th century AD on the remains of a Roman bath. Along its history, though, it has been reconstructed many times.
This church was the first Ortodox chapel to be converted into a mosque, when the Ottomans consquered the town in 1430 AD. Many frescoes and parts of the church were damaged that time, till 1930 when it was made a Christian church again.
The church of Panagia Acheropoietos suffered an earthquake in 1978
and since then, many works for its restoration have been undertaken. These works continue till today. |
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of the saint's death, and on the second Sunday of the Lent.
| The Church of Panagia Chalkeon |
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At Aristotelous and Egnatias streets, on the south west of the archaeological site of Roman Agora, there is the Byzantine church of Panagia Chalkeon. Its name means "Virgin Mary of Cooper Workers" in Greece, as there were cooper workshops in the area, that survive till today.
A sign at the entrance of the church informs us that it was constructed in 1208 by Christophoros Protospatharios and his family. In fact, the grave of the founder is located on the northern side of the yard.
The style of this church looks like a cross with a dome, a typical architecture of the churches in Constantinople that time. There are many beautiful frescoes inside and works for their restoration are carried out today.
| The Church of Agios Nikolaos Orfanos |
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Located in Ano Poli, this small church is one of the oldest in Thessaloniki. It was built in the 14th century and contains valuable frescoes from the Byzantine times.
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