Church of Agios Vasilios, Byzantine Orthodox church in Methoni, Greece

The Church of Agios Vasilios is a small Byzantine church standing freely in the plain north of Methoni, within olive groves. It shows the transitional style from a three-aisled basilica with a dome to the cross-domed church, and closes to the east with a three-apse arrangement. Its stones were probably taken from the early Christian burial site of Agios Onoufrios a few hundred metres west.

The Greek monuments service dates the Byzantine church to the 10th/11th century. It was built in the transitional style between the three-aisled basilica with a dome and the cross-domed church, and its stones were probably taken from the early Christian burial site of Agios Onoufrios a few hundred metres to the west.

The name Agios Vasilios refers to Saint Basil, to whom the church is dedicated. Archaeological research has shown that the interior was once entirely covered with frescoes; in the altar area, fragments of Saint Eustathius, Saint Irene and a floral decoration can still be identified.

The church is accessible via the main road connecting Methoni and Pylos and sits in the countryside of the Peloponnese. Visiting in the early morning offers the best light for seeing the Byzantine architectural details.

The construction used materials from the underground burial chambers of Saint Onoufrios, an early Christian cemetery nearby. This reuse of materials shows how older structures were incorporated into new sacred buildings.