Agii Anargyri (Athens)
Ágii Anárgyri (Άγιοι Ανάργυροι) Church , also known as Metochion of the Holy Sepulcher , is located in downtown Athens, on the northern slope of the Acropolis , at the intersection of Erechtheos and Prytaneiou streets . It is consecrated to the martyrs Kosmas and Damian , called the saints “without money” (anárgyri) , because as doctors they helped people without being paid for it. The church was built in the 17th century on the site of an earlier temple of Aphrodite. The graves of the Palaiologos family were already on the site before a monastery was built .
history
The priest Dimitrios Kolokinthis, member of an important Athenian family, owned this property, on which he founded a convent in 1651 after the construction work was completed. The monastery has not been inhabited since the siege of the Acropolis by Admiral Francesco Morosini (1687). From 1700 there was a male monastery here.
In 1760 the Exarch of the Holy Sepulcher, Archimandrite Iakovos, acquired the building. Since then, this Athens church has been under the control of the Greek Patriarch of Jerusalem . The simple monastery cells were the residence of the Archimandrite until 1858. In 1858 the church was renovated and was given its present form; this applies particularly to the interior decoration and the addition of a porch. From 1972 to 1973 the ephorate for Byzantine antiquities restored the facade of the church.
Building description
The church is a single-nave basilica with a porch and a women's gallery. It is a typical example of the Ottoman architectural style in its Athenian form. The roof design of Islamic public buildings in particular takes on the design of the roof. The small marble roof turret with bells comes from a later time. Spolia from older buildings were built into the walls, and ancient finds are exhibited in the inner courtyard, shaded by citrus trees, which bear witness to the long history of this place.
From the previous monastery there are still a number of cells and a well.
Incidentally, a historic Athens gas lantern has also been preserved in this courtyard.
Religious meaning
The Church of Agii Anargyri has a special meaning for the Orthodox Athenian population, on the one hand through the Good Friday procession with a replica of the Holy Sepulcher through the alleys of the Plaka , but above all because of the holy fire that emerges from the Holy Sepulcher Aedicula on Easter Vigil is produced. It comes to Athens by plane, is received like a state guest and then escorted to the church of Agii Anargyri. Here it is offered to the crowd waiting with candles.
Web links
- Greek Patriarchate of Jerusalem: extraterritorial possessions, including in Greece
- Orthodox Archdiocese of Athens: Agii Anargyri (Saints Cosmas and Damianos), monastery property of the Holy Sepulcher
- Archeology of the City of Athens: Ναός Αγίων Αναργύρων (Αγιοταφίτικο Μετόχι)
- Athens Info Guide: Agii Anargyri Kolokinthi
Coordinates: 37 ° 58 ′ 22.6 ″ N , 23 ° 43 ′ 41.6 ″ E