Greece - Thessaloniki, Church of Saint Demetrius

The church of Saint Demetrius is named and devoted after the patron saint of Thessaloniki: Saint Demetrius or Agios Dimitrios. It is by far the most important church of the city for religious, historical and artistic reasons.

The first chapel on the current spot was constructed in the early 4th century AD, replacing a Roman bath. A century later this little chapel was replaced by a larger, three-aisled basilica. Repeatedly gutted by fires, the church eventually was reconstructed as a five-aisled basilica in 629–634; the form of the church much as it is today.

During the Ottoman occupation of Thessaloniki the church was turned into a mosque. Frescoes were plastered, which were again revealed after the 1913 Greek reconquest of the city. Due to a great city fire in 1917 it took decades to restore the church. After restoration, the church was reconsecrated in 1949.

Nowadays the cathedral is still a fine sample of Byzantine religious architecture. It is one of the largest – if not the largest - churches in Greece. Since 1988 the church is - with other Palaeochristian and Byzantine Monuments in Thessaloniki - on the list of World Heritage Sites by UNESCO.