What I can see

The church is dedicated to the Nativity of the Virgin Mary. It is a stone-built three-aisled basilica of the Ottoman times and the aisles are separated by wooden columns. The masonry includes architectural members of older buildings and the church has a special space for women. The belltower is not integrated into the church. There are many relics inside, such as icons and in particular, the 16^th century icon of Virgin Mary with later silver plating. These relics are evidence of a pre-existing Byzantine church. Furthermore, there has been a scientific hypothesis that the church is identified with the “vasilikon” monastery, as described in Byzantine sources of the 12th, 13th and 14th centuries.

What I can't see

It is called Panagouda or Mikri (Little) Panagia or the church of Panagia Gorgoepikoos. It was the centre of the homonymous Christian quarter during the Ottoman times. The size of the church exceeded the size limit allowed by the Turkish authorities at the time. In the Museum of Byzantine Culture, we can admire a masterpiece of embroidery art, the embroidered epitaph of the 14th century.

Info

• Address: Konstantinou Palaiologou St.

Bibliography