Church of the Holy Apostle Philip, Athen

After a well deserved lie in we started reacquainting ourselves with Athens. While the Monastiraki and Plaka districts are still relatively the same, other parts have grown making the area quite expansive. In our wanderings we came across a church we hadn’t visited on our previous visit and of course we had to check it out.

We love the Italian churches for their architecture and art and the Greek churches are so different but just as impressive. They are beautifully covered with colourful frescos, walls and ceilings, not a surface not covered. They are also dark and solemn which disappointing makes them hard to photograph, but perfect for worship.

The Church of the Holy Apostle Philip was built in 1866 on the remains of an older church which had undergone a massive attack during the siege of the city of Athens (1826-1827) and had dated back to the 9th century. The writings and drawings of various travelers give information about the original church. The church suffered from several damages through the years and in the year 1961 a major restoration of the church building took place. This restoration included the removal of all modern interventions of the past years and the return of the building to its original basilica shape. While very simple in the outside the interior was such a pleasant surprise.Read more