At 39 Tsochas street, in Ampelokipoi, behind the Panathinaikos football stadium, one can see the wonderful little church of Agioi Pantes (All Saints), surrounded by tall buildings, which replaced the vineyards and the gardens, which gave the name to this district.
The church dates from the 11th century and it has been erected over the ruins of the sanctuary of Aphrodite Ourania. According to the sources, in the 12th century it was the catholicon of the Monastery of Agioi Omologites, which belonged in the then municipality of Alopeke. The church was preserved in ruins until 1922, when excavations took place in the area, and until the 1950s they made mass outdoors, mainly around the refugee settlement that was formed in the surrounding area. The monument was restored in 1956-1957 by the Monastery of National Education and Religion. In its restoration they used architectural members from the ancient sanctuary and the ruins of the Byzantine monastery, which demonstrate the long history of the site. The steeple has a stone with an inscription that stated the boundaries of the ancient sanctuary, and another with a relief small cross. The inauguration of the church took place on the Sunday of Agioi Pantes in 1858.
Architecturally it is a cross-in-square church, with an octagonal dome supported by two columns made of marble from Karystos and its walls are built according to the pseudo-cloisonne style of masonry. Under the narthex there are three tombs (arcosolia), which are accessible through steps, while there are other tombs under the main church and on the western side of the courtyard. Among the latter is the tomb of prior Theophilaktos from the 12th century. At the courtyard one can discern ancient and Byzantine architectural members, while at the entrance of the narthex there is an ‘Agiasma”, that is a “sacred spring”, where according to the tradition lived a large snake with a dragon’s head.
Nowadays the church is a dependency of the Petraki Monastery and celebrates on Sunday of Agioi Pantes.
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Date:
11th century
Season:
Byzantine
Celebrates:
All Saints' Sunday
Holy Metropolis:
Archdiocese of Athens
Address:
Tsocha 39, Ampelokipoi 11521
Access:
Metro Ampelokipoi Station
