Omorfokklisia, Byzantine church in Galatsi, Greece.
Omorfokklisia is a Byzantine church located in the Galatsi municipal area north of Athens. The structure displays characteristic medieval features such as domes and stone arches typical of this architectural period.
The main church is dated to the 11th century (other estimates place it in the second half of the 12th) and was built on earlier foundations, as palaeochristian sculptures and walls show; it replaced a Christian temple that had itself stood over a pagan one. A chapel was added in the 13th or 14th century and the narthex in the 15th or 16th. Greek antiquities and ancient human remains found around it suggest a cemetery once lay nearby.
The name Omorfokklisia means "beautiful church," a popular label earned by the wall paintings that led the building to be called a "museum of hagiography." The frescoes, painted in the last quarter of the 13th century, show scenes from the life of Saint George and the Old Testament, with Christ on the ceiling.
The church stands in Galatsi, northeast of central Athens, near the coordinates 38.0289, 23.7638, and a metal fence runs in front of the facade. A Line 4 metro station was proposed here in a development study, but the area is currently served by bus lines. The interior is covered in wall paintings, so allow time to look closely at the frescoes.
The church is also called Omorfokklisia, "beautiful church", a name it earned from its wall paintings, which were made in the last quarter of the 13th century and led it to be called a "museum of hagiography". The frescoes show scenes from the life of Saint George and the Old Testament, with Christ on the ceiling.
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