Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens and Holy Church of Virgin Mary Athens Greece (Athens Panagia Kapnikarea church).

In between the squares of Syntagma and Monastiraki in Athens lies the Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens - or Mitropoli Athinon as locals refer to it.
Dedicated to the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary, it’s also known as the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Annunciation.
Its groundbreaking took place in 1842, and the building was completed in 1862.
Since then, it has been considered one of the most important landmarks of Greece’s modern history. It also constitutes a spiritual center of Greek Orthodoxy.

The Church is located in the middle of the city’s most lively and crowded downtown street, Ermou Street, which connects Syntagma with Monastiraki Square.
It is a renowned Athenian monument, one of the oldest churches in Athens and, admittedly, one of the most significant Byzantine edifices.

Sources conclude that it was built in the early 11th century (around 1050 AD) on the former location of an ancient temple that was dedicated either to the goddess Athena or the goddess Demeter, following the tradition of other early Christian churches.

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