Agioi Pantes, Ampelokipoi, Orthodox church in Ampelokipoi, Greece
Agioi Pantes is a small 11th-century Byzantine church on Anastasiou Tsocha Street in Ampelokipoi, built in the cross-in-square plan with an octagonal dome. Its masonry incorporates ancient architectural members, many bearing inscriptions, and the windows and openings keep carved decoration. The church sits below the level of the modern street, surrounded by apartment blocks.
Built in the 11th century on the ruins of a temple of Urania Aphrodite, Agioi Pantes served as the main church of the Byzantine Monastery of Omologites, as archaeological finds and letters of Michael Choniates indicate. It stood semi-ruined until restored in 1957 by Orlandos, Fintikakis and Stikas. Today it is a dependency of the Petraki Monastery.
The church stands on the site of an ancient sanctuary of Urania Aphrodite, where a sacred grove with a spring and an altar served the festival of the Arrhephoria; the altar is still visible to the left of the building. In the 11th century the church was built over the ruins of the goddess's temple, and it is now a dependency (metochion) of the Petraki Monastery.
The church is located at Anastasiou Tsocha 39 in the Ampelokipoi district and is easily accessible by public transportation. As an active place of worship, visitors should dress respectfully and observe quiet behavior when entering.
The church sits below the level of Tsokha Street because it belongs to an earlier phase of the city. Ancient architectural pieces with inscriptions are built into its walls, and the altar of Urania Aphrodite survives to the left of the church.
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