Church
Church of S Demetrios
Saint Demetrius, or Agios Dimitrios, (208 AD-303
AD) is the patron saint of Thessaloniki. He was the son of a wealthy military
commander of Thessaloniki and received a good education as a child. He also
joined the army and became an officer.When his father died, the Roman emperor Maximian
ordered him to chase and kill the Christians of Thessaloniki. Dimitrios refused
to do so and revealed his faith. He was asked to change his religious beliefs
but refused once again and expressed his disgust for idolatry. Therefore, he
was put to prison, was tortured and died for his God. Before he died, he
donated all his wealth to the poor. His bravery and sacrifice made him an
orthodox saint.When the emperor Constantine the Great ended the prosecution of
the Christians (324 A.D.) and made Christianity the official religion of the
Byzantine Empire, people built a small church on the place of the martyrdom of
Agios Dimitrios, close to the Roman baths. His grave was said to be miraculous
and thousands of pilgrims were coming every year to pay their honors.
In 413 AD, a bigger three-aisled basilica was founded by the
eparch Leontios, which was burnt down two centuries later, in 634 A.D. Shortly
afterwards, an even bigger five-isled basilica was built, which remains till
today and constitutes the largest church of Greece. In 1493, during the Turkish
occupation, the church was converted into a mosque and in 1912, when the city
was liberated, it became a Christian church again. In 1917, it was once again
destroyed by a fire and rebuilt according to the original plans. It started to
function again in 1949.
The crypt of the saint, accessed by a staircase
behind the sanctuary, is said to be the site where the saint was killed by the
Roman soldiers and buried. His crypt was converted into an exhibition area in
1988, hosting articles that survived the 5th century fire, like sculptures,
vessels and other decorative items. Agios Dimitrios became the patron saint of
the city in 1912
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