Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens (Mitropoli)
Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens (Mitropoli) is one of the narrated stops on the self-guided Athens audio walking tour in Gingerguide. Plan about ~30 min here. Press play at the spot for its two to three minute story, or ask the AI guide anything about it.
- Type religious
- Suggested visit ~30 min
- Athens Athens guide
About Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens (Mitropoli)
Athens' great nineteenth-century cathedral was raised from the marble of seventy-two demolished churches, and it stands cheek by jowl with the tiny, spolia-covered 'Little Metropolis', a thousand years its senior, on one crowded square.
The Metropolitan Cathedral of the Annunciation, known as the Mitropoli, is the cathedral church of the Archbishopric of Athens and All Greece, dedicated to the Annunciation of the Mother of God. Its foundation stone was laid by King Otto and Queen Amalia on Christmas Day 1842, and construction took about twenty years, being completed and dedicated in May 1862. Three successive architects worked on it, beginning with Theophil Hansen. Its walls were built using marble taken from seventy-two demolished churches, and it measures roughly forty metres long, twenty wide and twenty-four high.
The cathedral holds the relics of two martyrs, Saint Philothei, martyred in 1589 and kept in a silver reliquary, and Patriarch Gregory V, hanged on Ottoman orders in 1821. Immediately south stands the much smaller 'Little Metropolis', a Byzantine church of about 7.6 by 12.2 metres whose walls are built entirely of reused ancient and Byzantine marble. Its date is disputed.
Did you know? The cathedral's walls were assembled from marble salvaged from seventy-two churches demolished across Athens. Three architects worked on it in succession over roughly twenty years, from the foundation stone in 1842 to its dedication in 1862.
How long should you spend at Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens (Mitropoli)?
Plan about ~30 min at Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens (Mitropoli). That is enough to take it in and hear its narrated story; stay longer if it grabs you. The tour is self-guided, so there is no rush.
Is Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens (Mitropoli) worth visiting?
Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens (Mitropoli) is one of the 35 sights the Gingerguide team researched and narrated in Athens, so it earns a place on a self-guided walk. Its story explains why it matters, and you can ask the AI guide anything the story leaves open.
Nearby stops in Athens
Day 2 of the Athens in 2 days itinerary →Day 3 of the Athens in 3 days itinerary →
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Hear the story of Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens (Mitropoli)
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