Cathedral Basilica of St. Dionysius the Areopagite, Minor basilica at Panepistimiou Avenue, Athens, Greece.
The Cathedral Basilica of St. Dionysius the Areopagite is a neo-Renaissance, three-aisle basilica on Panepistimiou Avenue at Omirou Street. Its white facade has three arched entrance porches with metal gates, a balustrade, three arched windows and a triangular pediment topped by a cross. Inside, 12 green Tinos marble columns with Pentelic marble capitals line the nave, which has a coffered ceiling and a floor of Pentelic marble.
The land on Panepistimiou Avenue was bought in 1847 with money collected among Greece's Catholics, and the nave rose from 1853. Leo von Klenze drafted the neo-Renaissance plans for King Otto, modelled on St Boniface's Abbey in Munich; Lysandros Kaftanzoglou modified them and directed the work without pay. The church was inaugurated on 4 August 1865.
The interior walls display frescoes depicting the four Evangelists and Christ Pantocrator, while artistic glass windows scatter colored light throughout the space. These artworks shape the visual impression visitors receive upon entering.
The interior is spacious with open access throughout the building, allowing free movement through the church. Visitors should maintain respectful behavior, especially during Sunday services.
Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria visited the basilica in November 1869 on his way to the opening of the Suez Canal. He donated the two marble pulpits that stand to the right and left of the chancel.
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