Saint Paul Anglican church
The St. Paul's Anglican Church is a basilica with side aisles and mild Gothic elements, adapted to the Attic landscape.
Modern and Contemporary era (1821 - )
1836 The American and English communities of Athens held a fundraiser, financially assisted by the British Government and the British Embassy in Athens.
1838 Beginning of the construction.
1843 Completion of the construction.
1901 The church instrument, the oldest in Greece, was placed.
Ottoman era (1453- 1821)
Byzantine era (331 AC- 1453)
Roman era (30 BC- 330 AC)
Hellenistic era (322- 31 BC)
Classical era (478-323 BC)
Archaic era (800-479 BC)
Geometric era (-1100- 800 BC)
Prehistory (-1100 BC)
What I can see
The building essentially constitutes a basilica, with short side-aisles. The arcs – one on each side of the building – are in gothic style. The rest of the gothic elements are milder, adapted to the Attica landscape. The walls are made of marble from Mount Hymettus and the cornices are sculpted on Isthmus limestone. The architect managed to truly deliver what is a marvellous architectural sample, without failing to meet the natural scale, which can be observed at the opening of the pointed arches in its interior, a combination of spaciousness and a modest size. The interior arches have also been emphasized by a number of streaks. The stained-glass windows are dedicated to the memory of Richard Church, an Irish philhellene who served in the British Army.
What I can't see
It belongs to the Anglican Church and is dedicated to Saint Paul. Built to serve the religious needs of Protestants in the American and English communities of Athens, it is now used for cultural purposes as well. The competition for the project had attracted several architects. The winner was Henry Ackland but his design was not materialized. The question of who was eventually appointed to make the architectural drawings of the church remains unanswered. The rumoured names include, among others, Stamatis Kleanthis, Charles Cockerell and Christian Hansen. The church once came close to being demolished. That was the plan of the British embassy, later abandoned.
Info
- Address: 27 Filellinon St.
Bibliography
Papanikolaou-Christensen Α., (1993), Χριστιανός Χάνσεν: Επιστολές και σχέδια από την Ελλάδα [Christian Hansen: Letters and drawings from Greece], Athens
Biris K. H. (1966), Αι Αθήναι από του 19ου εις τον 20ον αιώνα, [Athens from the 19th up to the 20th century], 5th edition 2005, Athens, Melissa
Filippidis D., (1984), Νεοελληνική Αρχιτεκτονική [Neohellenic Architecture], Athens
Open House Athens, (2018), Αγγλικανική Εκκλησία Αγίου Παύλου, [St. Paul’s Anglican Church], OHA
