Greece Travel Guide

The Achiropiitos Church as well as the church of Agia Sofia and of St Dimitrios are the most important early Christian monuments of Thessaloniki. The name Achiropiitos (=not made by hand) comes from an icon of Virgin Mary, that used to be in the church, and was believed to be made by miracle, without the intervention of human hand. It was built on a roman bath, part of its mosaic floors can be seen today, and it is believed to be one of the important public roman buildings of Thessaloniki. Achiropiitos is the first church of Thessaloniki which was converted into a mosque after the city was taken by the Turks in 1430, as it is commemorated by an inscription curved on one of the church’s columns. In 1988 the church was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.