What I can see

The importance of this church lies in its innovative architectural design, as well as in obvious interventions made by different architects. Its Byzantine elements have been upgraded and simplified to blend in with the ancient Greek elements. Its architecture is innovative for its attempt to stress the grandeur of Byzantium rather than its mystical side. The church’s lateral arched walls are one more innovative stroke.

What I can't see

The church replaced a smaller church also devoted to Chrysospiliotissa, which was almost fully destroyed during the Greek Revolution. The former church was a basilica with buttresses on the side walls. The name Chysospiliotissa (of the Golden Cave) probably comes from a local cave. The land was purchased by Spyridon Pavlidis, the well-known chocolate maker. Among the distinguished donors of the fund-raising effort toward the construction of the church was Theodoros Kolokotronis, a leading figure of the Greek Revolution. The project’s designer, Dimitrios Zezos, died two years before an application for a construction permit was made. The supervision of the construction works (with the exception of the belltowers) was consequently undertaken ​​by Panagis Kalkos, who died before the project’s completion and was replaced by Ernst Ziller, who modified the dome’s design, causing considerable uproar. The then mayor and civil engineer Dimitrios Soutsos, mitigated the reactions by stepped in and designing the dome that we see today.

Info

• Address: 62 Aeolou St.

Bibliography