About Church of St. Demetrios

Devoted to the patron saint of the city, the Church of St. Demetrios is one of the most important early Christian churches of Thessaloniki. Several different architectural styles applied to the basilica make it unique in terms of religious art and inscribed in the UNESCO list.

History of Church

The first church was a small oratory built on the ruins of a Roman bath in the 4^th century A.D. More than a century later, it was replaced by a three-aisled basilica which was burnt down in the 7^th century. Shortly thereafter, the five-aisled basilica was erected. The Ottomans turned the church into a mosque and was restored to Christian worship after the 1912 Greek reconquest. It was again destroyed in the great fire of 1917, rebuilt and reopened in 1949.

St. Demetrios

Demetrios was the son of a wealthy military commander. He also joined the army and became an officer. He was put to death around 303 A.D. at this former Roman bath site by order of Emperor Galerius, infamous persecutor of Christians. St. Demetrios became the patron saint of the city in 1912 during the First Balkan War when the Greek army entered the city of Thessaloniki on his feast day (26^th October) and delivered the city from the Turks.

Underground Ancient Crypt

According to the Christian tradition, Demetrios was imprisoned and died here. The relics of St. Demetrios is in the silver reliquary. The crypt is restored as a museum exhibiting the older mosaics that survived the city’s fire of 1917.

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