Church of Panayia Halkeion
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Paleochristian and Byzantine Monuments of Thessalonika Church of Panayia Halkeion* |
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| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
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| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | i, ii, iv |
| Reference | 456 |
| Region† | Europe and North America |
| Coordinates | |
| Inscription history | |
| Inscription | 1988 (12th Session) |
| * Name as inscribed on World Heritage List. † Region as classified by UNESCO. |
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The Church of Panayia Halkeon is a church in the Greek city of Thessaloniki. It is located north of the Via Egnatia that bisects the city, where it crosses with the Via Aristotelous that leads to the Aristotelous Square.
[edit] History
The church was build in the eleventh century by a protospatharios (a senior officer in the imperial guard of the Byzantine Empire) by the name of Christophoros on top of an ancient temple dedicated to Hephaestus [1]. This Christophoros is also buried inside the church.
The ground plan is that of a classic "cross-in-square-form", and the church is most notable for its frescoes in the cupola and the elegant brick walls.
The church is named after the area of the city it is in, the Halkadika or coppersmith part of the town. During the Ottoman times, the church was a mosque dedicated to the coppersmith guild.
[edit] References
- ^ "Thessaloniki History - Arhaeology - Tourism", by Rekos Ltd, ISBN 960-7167-66-X
[edit] External links
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