The Byzantine Footprint in Plaka

Hidden among Plaka's neoclassical houses are tiny 1,000-year-old Byzantine churches — cross-in-square, with brick ornament and ancient marble reused in their walls. A 1.5-hour walk through medieval Athens.

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Stops

1. ⛪ Kapnikarea
The emblem of Byzantine Athens — 11th c., in the middle of Ermou St.
2. ⛪ Mary the Gorgoepicous and Saint Eleutherius
The 'Little Metropolis' — built entirely from ancient & Byzantine reliefs.
3. ⛪ Agioi Theodoroi
A rare 11th-c. cross-in-square with Kufic ornament.
4. ⛪ Transfiguration of Christ
A Byzantine church woven into Plaka's urban fabric.
5. ⛪ Panagia Pantanassa
Pantanassa at Monastiraki — remnant of a medieval monastery.