Church of Saint Irene of Athens, Orthodox church in central Athens, Greece

The Church of Saint Irene of Athens is a long three-aisled basilica with a dome and two neoclassical bell towers, combining Renaissance and Byzantine features. Its wooden roof, columned narthex and Mount Athos-style dome sit above side double naves; the south niche holds Spyridon Hatzigiannopoulos's mural of Paul teaching on the Areopagus, the north one Ath. G. Vassiliou's Christ teaching in Jerusalem.

A Byzantine church on this site belonged to the Penteli Monastery by the early 18th century and served as the main gathering place for Athens' Greek Christians under Ottoman rule. Burned in 1821, it kept only its facade; after Athens became the capital in 1832 it was the official cathedral, repaired from 1835. Lysandros Kaftantzoglou rebuilt it from 1846, inaugurated in 1850, with interior decoration finished in 1879–1892.

The church sits on Aeolou Street, a busy pedestrian road, and draws people who stop briefly to light a candle before continuing their day. Inside, the golden icons and the scent of incense give the space a sense of daily devotion rather than a museum-like stillness.

The church stands on Aeolou Street, a pedestrian road in central Athens that connects Monastiraki Square to Omonia Square, making it easy to visit on foot. Visitors should dress modestly and time their visit to avoid active services if they want to look around freely.

The gilded iconostasis inside was given as a gift by Nicholas I of Russia in 1850, pointing to the close ties between the Russian and Greek Orthodox churches at that time. It is one of the few original furnishings from the year the church opened that can still be seen today.