Our Lady Gorgoepikoos

What I can see

It is a four-column, cruciform, inscribed church with an octagonal dome. The narthex is divided into three parts, the central part being higher than the other two. It is made ​​entirely of marble, the dome being the only part of the church built in the typical brick- enlcosed technique and the best surviving example of Athenian type in Athens. A total of 90 ancient Greek, Roman, early Christian and Byzantine reliefs have been used to create the church’s frieze, part of which contains symbols of the worship of the goddess Demeter from Eleusis. Unlike most Byzantine churches, this seems to have appreciated the art of the ancient world. The church is adorned in its upper half. The frescoes were created in the 20th century.

What I can't see

The church is devoted to Our Lady Gorgoepikoos, namely Our Lady οf Prompt Assistance. The same church has been devoted to other saints as well and is known by more than one name: “Holy Savior,” given to it to offer thanks for a failed assassination attempt against Queen Amalia in 1861; “Little Metropolis” because it is adjacent to the Cathedral; and “Agios Eleftherios”, on the occasion of the expulsion of King Otto and because Agios Eleftherios was a patron of women during pregnancy (the church was built on top of the ancient shrine of Eileithyia, the goddess of childbirth). Following several ups and downs, including the cancelation of a planned demolition, the church is now the chapel of the Cathedral.

Info

• Address: Mitropoleos Sq.

Bibliography