Church of Panayia Halkeion

Infobox World Heritage Site
Name = Paleochristian and Byzantine Monuments of Thessalonika Church of Panayia Halkeon


State_Party = GRE
Type = Cultural
Criteria = i, ii, iv
ID = 456
Link =
Region = Europe and North America
Coordinates = coord|40|38|N|22|56|E
Year = 1988
Session = 12th
Extension =
Danger =

The Church of Panaghia Halkéōn 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. Salonicans commonly call it "Kókkini Ekklisiá" (the Red Church).

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 ["Thessaloniki History - Arhaeology - Tourism", by Rekos Ltd, ISBN 960-7167-66-X] . 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.

References

External links

* [http://odysseus.culture.gr/h/2/eh251.jsp?obj_id=6973 Hellenic Ministry of Culture]