Churches in Greece

Greece is a profoundly religious country and the Greek population is composed of a 97% of Greek Orthodox Christians. Peoples' faith is daily expressed. This faith is expressed by the presence of many churches, which always impress the visitors who travel to Greece. The churches in Greece are everywhere: in the village's streets, squares and parks or on top of the hills. They are parts of Greek's every day life. The Greek churches contain a passionate character even for non-Christians.

Churches & Architecture: The churches are characterized by their particular domed architecture and heavy decorated interiors. The architecture depends on the chronology and the region of the church. For example, the churches located in the Kyclades, Greece's most famous churches, have the particularity to be white with blue-painted domes whereas in most other regions, the churches are made of stones.

Two of the most famous churches are:

• The Church of Panagia Ekatontapiliani Our Lady of Hundreds Gates. It is located in Paros and it is considered as one of the most important Byzantine churches of Greece. According to history, the church was built on the order of Agia Eleni, the mother of the first Christian Emperor Konstantine the Great, during her travel to the Holy Land. Many consider the church as miraculous and thousands of pilgrims visit it every year on the 15th of August, the day of its celebration.
• The Church of the Evangelismos Theotokou The church is located in the Kyclades island of Tinos and is considered as a sacred Christian area of same importance as Lourdes in France or Fatima in Portugal. The church was built on top of a hill, on the site where the Icon of the Virgin Mary was found, after the vision seen by the nun Pelagia. The church houses the miraculous icon and thousands of pilgrims get in Tinos every year to visit it especially for the 15 August, the day of its celebration and for the 30 January, the anniversary of the discovery.

Famous Monasteries in Greece.

Meteora and the hilltop monasteries This area, over the village of Kalambaka in the region of Thessalia, is considered as one of the most beautiful and unique areas in mainland Greece. The monasteries and their churches are perched on huge smooth iron gray pinnacles and offer fantastic view over the area.

The Monastery of St. John It is a medieval Monastery of St. John is located on the island of Patmos, in the Aegean. The Monastery was built like a fortress to withstand pirates. The Monastery is also well known for the cave of the Apocalypsis were St. John wrote the Book of the Revelation, the last book of the Christian Bible.

The region of Agion Oros (Mount Athos) is the easternmost peninsula of Halkidiki. It is an autonomous state, which comprises 20 Orthodox monasteries and hundreds of churches and has a population of 1400 Orthodox monks. The existence of the community is dated to 883 AD. Female are not authorized on these lands and even female animals are not allowed on the region. One can arrive at the port of Agion Oros = Dafni on a ferryboat taken from Ouranoupolis. From Dafni by bus you are taken to Karies, the main village of the region where the administration building (Protaton) is based.

Since 24 Jan. 2010