Agios Andreas (Patras)

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Agios Andreas ( Greek Ιερός Ναός Αγίου Ανδρέα Πάτρα ) is a neo-Byzantine church in Patras near the port about the height of the lighthouse of Patras .

history

Two churches were consecrated one after the other in Patras to the local patron Andreas . The first was built between 1836 and 1843 on the place where, according to tradition, Andrew died as a martyr. The architect of the classical building was Lysandros Kaftanzoglou , the ceiling paintings were created by Dimitris Hatziaslanis ( Byzantios ). Next to the church there is a spring with supposedly miraculous water, at which St. Andrew is also venerated, but which was important as an oracle spring for the Demeter sanctuary in Patras in ancient times .

The second St. Andrew's Church in Patras, which is in the immediate vicinity of the first, was donated by King George I in 1908 and inaugurated in 1974. It is one of the largest Greek Orthodox church buildings on the continent. The plans came from the architect Anastasios Metaxas , who died in 1937. Georgios Nomikos continued his work after Metaxas' death.

The dome of the church is about 50 meters high. She carries a five meter high golden cross. Twelve smaller crosses surround this on the secondary domes. They symbolize Jesus and the apostles.

The dome shows Jesus surrounded by his twelve apostles. The patron Andreas can be seen on a mosaic. Elements of creation such as plants, birds, fish and mammals are depicted on the floor.

Agios Andreas can accommodate 5500 people.

Relics

Cross relic and reliquary of the head of St. Andrew the Apostle

Patras houses a relic of the skull of St. Andrew, which was brought to Constantinople in the middle of the 4th century , from where it was brought to Italy after the Frankish invasion. In 1964 the relic was returned to Patras. It is kept in a marble grave.

There is also the great Christian sanctuary, the cross, on which the apostle Andrew the First Called, one of the disciples of Jesus Christ, was crucified upside down. This cross is a witness of the agonizing end of the first of the apostles. The cross itself was badly damaged in the years of the French Revolution - it was thrown into the fire. However, the sanctuary has been preserved to this day.

photos

Web links

Commons : Agios Andreas (Patras)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. Wissen.de: Patra ( Memento from March 12, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
  2. http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=463214

Coordinates: 38 ° 14 ′ 32.5 "  N , 21 ° 43 ′ 41.1"  E