Architecture of Greece. Must see and must visit landmarks

» The Sasanid’s victory over the Persian Empire is represented by the monument in the form of the arch doorway. It was constructed upon the order of Emperor Galerius.
»  The triumphal construction date back to the late 3rd-early 4th century. The arch linked galleries that led to the mausoleum and the palace.
»  There are embossed scenes of battles on all the walls of the brick pedestal. Wide panels of the four-tier canvasses depict the great defeat of the enemy.
»  Canvasses are separated from each other by a chain decorated with flowers and leaves. The upper cornice is decorated with sculptural chamomiles.
»  The solid molded picture depicts figures with improper proportions, for example, horses look smaller than riders. This style is called “narrative composition”.
»  According to the inscriptions, the sculpture was created by Greek masters.
»  It depicts battles, forgiven captives, and parts of city constructions. Figurines of elephants and camels represent battles held in the East.
»  The preserved part of the wall is 29 m long.
»  The arch of the early Christian and Byzantium architectural style gained the status of the guarded cultural object.

» The Arch of Hadrian is the triumphal arch built in 131AD in honor of the Emperor Hadrian.
» The height of the arch is 18 meters.
» Two inscriptions can be seen on the arch. One inscription on the part of the acropolis, says, "This is Athens, the ancient city of Theseus", and on the opposite side facing the Adrianople has the inscription, "This is the city of Hadrian, and not of Theseus."
» The arch was built without cement or mortar, entirely of marble quarried on the nearby Mount Pentelikon using clamps to connect stones.

» The Cathedral of Athens is the biggest church in the city; that's the most important Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Archbishop of Athens and all Greece.
» Construction of the cathedral began on the Christmas of 1842 and lasted 20 years. Consecration of the Cathedral in honor of the Annunciation took place on May 21, 1862 in the presence of the King and Queen of Greece.
» Marble of 72 destroyed churches was used for construction of the Cathedral.
» The Cathedral of Athens is the seat of the bishop of Athens and an important spiritual center of the Greek Orthodox Church.
» Today the temple is the venue for official ceremonies, coronations, weddings and funerals.

» The Choragic Monument of Lysicrates is the monument erected in 334 BC close to the Acropolis.
» The monument was erected by wealthy Athenian Lysicrates, who was the sponsor of many theatrical performances in the Theater of Dionysus, to commemorate the award-winning play that he had sponsored.
» The monument is mounted on a six-meter high rotunda pedestal with Corinthian columns. Above the columns there is the frieze with scene from Dionysus’s life, the transformation of the pirates who kidnapped the god into dolphins.
» The 6-meter high monument is crowned by a stone flower, on which stood a bronze tripod, an award of the theater festival of Dionysus.
» Even though the tripod was connected to the flower by bronze chains, it hasn't survived to our days.

Location on the map:   Interesting facts: » There is a beautiful brick building near the Arc de Triomphe. It is called Panagia Dexia.
»  The modern church was built in 1956. It replaced the Byzantium Hypatius’s Church.
»  The facade of the religious building is decorated with columns placed near the central portal. The House of God is built of light blocks. The altar is faced with patterned tiles. Wall panels are covered with the bright art painting. It depicts saints and Biblical stories.
»  Pilgrims are attracted by the Icon of the Kikk's Mother of God. It is also called the Merciful as the Virgin begs Christ for preserving the human race. There is a belief that the Holy Scripture made by the Evangelist Luke was blessed by the Mother of God. It is considered that it is her in-life portrait.
»  The name of the church derives from Kykkos.
»  The miraculous painting traveled a lot until it found refuge on the island of Cyprus. It had been in the Orthodox community in Egypt and in Constantinople.
»  The picture depicts the Virgin holding the baby on the right (Dexia), which contradicts the tradition.

» The Church of the Holy Apostles is one of the oldest Christian churches in Athens built in the 10th century.
» The Church of the Holy Apostles has paramount importance as it's the only monument of the Athenian agora (town square of Athens), which remained completely in its original form.
» The Church of the Holy Apostles consists of four columns supporting the dome over the cruciform building. Apart from the main temple, the church has two of the porch completed later making the shape of the church almost U-shaped.
» The northern narthex houses a sarcophagus, where the patron of the parish was probably buried; following the Byzantine tradition he and his relatives had the right to be buried in the temple.
» Other burials were found by archaeologists in the vestibule and on the yard of the church.

» Erechtheion is one of the main temples of ancient Athens situated in the Acropolis. The construction of the temple dates back to 421-406 BC.
» Erechtheion is dedicated to Athena, Poseidon and the legendary Athenian king Erechtheus.
» The temple has an unusual asymmetric plan caused by significant drop in height of the soil because of two inner sanctuaries. The temple has two entrances, north and east.
» The eastern part of the temple, which is a little higher, was dedicated to Athena.
» The western part of the temple was dedicated to Poseidon and Erechtheus.
» On the south side of the temple there is the famous Porch of Caryatids owing its name to six 2.1-meter statues of women, which replaced columns supporting the architrave.

» There is a church near the sea. It was first constructed here in the 3rd century.
»  After five centuries of existence, natural disasters, and reconstruction, we can see the building preserved since that time. The church doesn’t differ from traditional Greek religious constructions that characterize the middle Byzantium period.
»  Orthodox services resumed in 1912. There had been a mosque since 1430.
»  The House of God is distinguished by a dome with a cross surrounded by stars and signs in the form of intertwined letters in honor of benefactors. The vault is decorated with an inlaid picture depicting Christ’s accession to Heaven. There are 12 followers of Christ, the Mother of God, and the angels around it. The arch depicts the Virgin holding the baby.
»  The temple is named after St. Sophia the Wisdom of God.
»  The first written reference date back to 795.
»  The square temple is divided by columns. Their top protruding part is crowned by the leafy ornament.
»  The walls seem marble due to plaster covered in a certain way. It is decorated with a floral pattern.
»  The hall (porch) is decorated with mosaics and frescoes. They were created in the 11th century.

Location on the map:   Interesting facts: » The quadrangular Christian basilica was built on the site of Roman baths. The ruins of ancient thermae are still present here.
»  The building is named after the Great Martyr Demetrios, an officer of the Roman army who was tortured to death here.
»  The construction survived numerous fires and an earthquake.
»  During the Turkish rule, the building served as a mosque.
»  In the early 20th century, Christian services were resumed in the church.
»  During restoration works, the entrance to a dungeon with tombs was discovered. A capsule with the apostle’s relics was walled up under the altar stand. According to legend, they had been there since 306.
»  Some of the mosaics and frescoes (5th and 7th centuries) remained intact on the walls of the church.
»  There is a marble vessel surrounded by columns. The sacred oil oozing from the remains of Demetrios was collected there. Nowadays visitors leave coins in the bowl making a wish.
»  There’s a museum of archeology in the crypt. The items of ancient Greek origin – kitchen utensils, coins, mosaics – found during the excavations are on display here.
»  The patron saint’s five-aisled basilica is protected by UNESCO.

» There is a fortification in the Old Town.
»  Its Ottoman and Turkish name is Yedikule. It is translated as “Castle of the Seven Towers”. Actually, there are ten towers. Each one has its Turkish name. Later, three objects became separate fortifications.
»  Ancient walls are made of boulders. The building was first mentioned at the beginning of the 13th century.
»  You can see the preserved Ottoman inscription (1431) on the outer side of the main gate. It meant that the acropolis was in the position of Turkish troops.
»  In Heptapyrgion, the garrison superiors and 300 soldiers met. The command deployment had been established until the 19th century. Then, the building came to prison guards.
»  All the criminals - men and women - were detained here despite their age, the gravity of the offense, or political reasons. Prisoners were also tortured in the building. Decades of people were executed here. This continued until 1989 when the prison was moved outside the city.
»  Heptapyrgion became part of the Ministry of Culture. Archeological investigations were started to be held in the fortress.

Location on the map:   Interesting facts: » Lycabettus Theater is the open air venue that is the most popular music scene of Athens.
» Lycabettus Theatre was built in 1965 on the initiative of outstanding Greek drama actress and politician Anna Sinodinu.
» The theater was built in an abandoned quarry on the model of ancient buildings; it could serve 3,000 spectators.
» Lycabettus Theatre was built on the hill of the same name proudly towering over the capital of Greece and offering wonderful view of the city.
» In summer the theater hosts concerts and theatrical performances, as well as many events of Greek and foreign artisans.

» The National Archaeological Museum of Athens is the largest and one of the most interesting museums in Greece.
» Its permanent exhibition consists of more than 20 thousand items of different eras; its collection of ceramics and sculptures is considered one of the richest in the world.
» The museum's prehistory collection include vessels, figurines, ornaments, tools and weapons made of clay, stone and bone. These findings date back to 6800-3300 BC. In addition, there are museum exhibits of the Early and Middle Bronze Age.
» The collection of objects found during archaeological work on the island of Santorini, in particular in excavations of the ancient city of Akrotiri on Thera Island, is notable; the city was destroyed during an eruption of the volcano in the 14 century BC.
» The collection of sculptures includes single statues, sculptural groups, sarcophagi, busts and altars found in Greece and dating back to different historical epochs.
» The bronze collection includes statues, weapons, jewelry, pottery, working pieces, religious and funerary objects.

» Construction of the National History Museum of Greece was completed in 1871.
» The Greek Parliament occupied the museum in the period from 1875 to 1932, and therefore the building is now often referred to as the Old Greek parliament.
» The museum houses a collection of the Historical Society of Greece. The exhibition includes items relating to the period from the fall of Constantinople in 1453 to World War II.
» Particular attention is given to Greek revolution and the further development of the modern Greek state.
» The museum features weapons, and personal memorabilia of famous historical figures, historical paintings by Greek and foreign artists, manuscripts, as well as a large collection of traditional costumes from different regions of Greece.

Location on the map:   Interesting facts: » The citizens are proud of their cultural district with the OTE Tower. The City Salonika TV Tower is a local attraction.
»  The observation platform of the 76-meter white construction has a picturesque panoramic view of many narrow streets, squares, historic buildings, and parking areas. You can use a lift here.
»  It was built in 1966. The TV Tower served as an antenna receiver of TV and ultra-short waves for mobile communication.
»  At the same time, the first black-and-white TV show was broadcast here.
»  After the restoration, the building looks more modern. There is a restaurant at the upper level. It turns around its axis. You can observe landscapes from all sides within 40 minutes.
»  Different official visits and business meeting are held in the OTE Telecom Tower. There is a Greek flag, the symbol of nationhood, in the front of the skyscraper.
»  ОТЕ is the name of the Greek leading telecommunication company. Due to the crisis in 2010, the company management intended to sell their share fraction for €560 million.