Agios Dimitrios ( Saint Demetrios - Αγιος Δημήτριος)

Agios Dimitrios is the patron saint of Thessaloniki. The church of Agios Dimitrios dedicated to him occupies pride of place among all the churches in this city. The church has had an eventful history. It was first built just after 313 AD atop the remains on an ancient Roman bath and was essentially a small chapel. Around the 5th century, Bishop Leontios refurbished it into a large basilica with three aisles. This was burnt down somewhere between 626 AD and 634 AD. Before long, another basilica with five aisles was constructed, but in 1493 it was made into a mosque! In 1912, it was returned to the Christians only to be razed to the ground by a big fire in 1917. It was built again and resumed functioning from 1949.

Today the church of Agios Dimitrios lies above the ruins of the Roman Forum and the agora and it is a basilica with five aisles, a transept and a narthex. The crypt lies under the transept and the sanctuary. There are some catacombs under the ground, among which is the prison chamber of Saint Demetrios. Apart from a museum and three chapels on the side, there is a small church of Agios Euthimios (Saint Euthymios) at the south eastern corner of this church. Once upon a time, the church was embellished with beautiful sculptures, wall paintings and mosaics, most of which were destroyed by the devastating fire in 1917. There are a few remnants which tell the story of the monument's life and times.