Church of Agios Dimitrios
This is the most famous temple of Thessaloniki as one of the most important Byzantine monuments. Housed in the old city of Thessaloniki on the street named after it, this is a five-aisled basilica with narthex and a transept with a crypt beneath the sanctuary and the transept and annexed to the south – eastern corner lies the chapel of Agios Efthimios. Originally it was a small temple, built by the Thessalonians in 324 AD in honor of the Martyr Agios Demetrios when at this time Christianity was made the state religion by Constantine the Great. But then the temple converted into a worship center to welcome the many visitors who came to heal themselves with myrrh, which they believed sprang from the grave. In 1493 it became a mosque with the name “Kasimie Mosque” and remained so until the liberation of the city in 1912. In 1917 the church was burnt down and the only surviving relics of sculpture and painting depict the various stages of its history. The fire was followed by restoration work that lasted until 1949 after some holidays and finally it reopened in 1949. A tour of the church of St. Demetrios will offer you unforgettable memories. You can make the tour with your rental car, which you rent at very affordable prices from the Thessaloniki airport.
