The church of Agios Demetrios

The church of Agios Demetrios

Set in the main square of Afitos, the church of Agios Demetrios was built in 1858 on the ruins of an early Christian church.

The Basilica of Agios Demetrios was built with locally quarried stone and is the largest Eastern Orthodox Christian church with a dome in Halkidiki. The church is open all day and the locals regularly attend services.

The church was built over the ruins of an older church, also dedicated to the same saint and was destroyed in 1821 during the Holocaust of Kassandra along with the entire village. It is a three-aisled basilica with a dome, a a built-in bell tower, narthex and courtyard.

It was built by artisans from Northern Epirus along with the villagers’ help.

Worth it to see:

  • Of particular artistic value is the stone-framed representation of the founders on the south wall of the temple, as well as the stone dove in the bell tower.
  • The carved wooden iconostasis of the church is decorated with floral paintings and icons of the 19th century crafted by Georgios Athanasiou from Galatista.
  • In the central aisle, there is the icon of the Virgin Mary of Afitos crafted in Constantinople in the 14th century.

Don’t miss it!

Visit the Folklore Museum of Athitos which is housed in a traditional listed building
dating to 1889 in the central square of the village.

Nearby

select and discover

follow us

join us in social media

Partners

X