Thessaloniki Church of Agios Gregorios Palamas

Location: Egnatia

The church of Agios Gregorios (Saint Gregory) Palamas serves as the Metropolitan church of Thessaloniki and is dedicated to the city’s Archbishop from 1347 to 1359, who was later sanctified. It opened in 1914 and is a stunning representation of eclecticism with Byzantine elements.

The church’s architectural plan was created by the renowned Ernst Ziller, with Xenophon Paionidis completing it after making some changes. Nikos Kessanlis was in charge of the frescoes during the construction of the church, yet the restoration that took place after the earthquakes of 1978 resulted in their destruction. A group of hagiographers from Mount Athos are the artists responsible for the new frescoes, painted in the 1980s.
A 15th-century three-aisled church dedicated to Agios Dimitrios, Thessaloniki’s patron saint, used to lie in the seaside area, but, unfortunately, it was destroyed in the large fire of 1890.

Inside the church, a special chapel hosts a carved urn retaining the saint’s relic.
In addition, a crypt of the Macedonian Struggle was discovered under the church after the earthquakes of 1978, now serving as an exhibition space featuring historical photographs.

The saint's feast day is November 14th, when pilgrims from all over the city pay the church a visit.