Around 8:45, we headed toward the Catholic Cathedral of St. Dionysios for Mass. As we passed the Syntagma Square around 9:00 am, we were surprised to see the changing of the guard ceremony taking place, since our guidebook seemed to say only that it took place around 11 am every Sunday.
Sunday, August 11, 2019, 9:07 AM – Athens: Syntagma Square - changing of the guard in front of Parliament building, as three Évzones soldiers approach the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, with two previous guards standing at left and right.
Plateía Syntágmatos (Syntagma Square, also called Constitution Square) is the central square of Athens and is named after the Constitution that Otto, the first King of Greece, was obliged to grant after a popular and military uprising in 1843. The square was designed and constructed in the early 19th century, shortly after King Otto moved the capital of the newly-born Greek Kingdom from Nafpilo to Athens in 1834. The name Syntagma alone also refers to the neighborhood surrounding the square. The square is located in front of the 19th-century Old Royal Palace, which has housed the Greek Parliament since 1934, and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
The Old Royal Palace is a neoclassical building surrounded by the extensive National Gardens. Work for the construction of the Old Palace to the north of Syntagma Square started in 1836 and lasted until 1843. Thus, the square's first name was "Palace Square." After suffering fire damage in 1909, the palace entered a long period of renovation. Some of the royal family continued to reside there until 1922. After a 1924 referendum abolished the monarchy, the building was used for many different purposes. In 1929, the government decided that the building would permanently house Parliament. After more extensive renovations, the Senate convened there in 1934, followed by the Fifth National assembly in 1935. Although the monarchy was restored that same year, the building has housed Parliament ever since. The building is also called the Vouli building, since vouli is the Greek word for parliament.
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, beneath the main façade of the Parliament building, is decorated with an evocative relief depicting a dying Greek hoplite warrior. Unveiled on March 25, 1932 (National Independence Day), the tomb is flanked by texts from Pericles' famous funeral oration. The outer walls that enclose the space are covered with bronze shields celebrating military victories since the War of Greek independence began in 1821.
9:08 AM – Athens: Syntagma Square - changing of the guard in front of Parliament building, as three Évzones soldiers stand at base of steps in front of the tomb (accompanied by a "coach" in camouflage uniform and a dog) while two previous guards march toward center.
9:08 AM – Athens: Syntagma Square - changing of the guard in front of Parliament building, as three Évzones soldiers stand at base of steps in front of the tomb (accompanied by a "coach" in camouflage uniform and a dog) while two previous guards pass each other at center, stepping high.
9:08 AM – Athens: Syntagma Square - changing of the guard in front of Parliament building, as three Évzones soldiers stand at base of steps in front of the tomb (accompanied by a "coach" in camouflage uniform and a dog) while two previous guards start to assume positions by the relief, still stepping high.
9:08 AM – Athens: Syntagma Square - changing of the guard in front of Parliament building, as three Évzones soldiers stand at base of steps in front of the tomb (accompanied only by the dog) while two previous guards assume positions on either side of the relief.
9:09 AM – Athens: Syntagma Square - changing of the guard in front of Parliament building, as two of the three Évzones soldiers, stepping high, approach the two previous guards, while one of the three remains at the foot of the steps (accompanied by the dog).
9:09 AM – Athens: Syntagma Square - changing of the guard in front of Parliament building, as two of the three Évzones soldiers, stepping high, approach the two previous guards, while one of the three remains at the foot of the steps (accompanied by the dog) and the "coach" returns, perhaps to retrieve the dog.
9:09 AM – Athens: Syntagma Square - changing of the guard in front of Parliament building, as two of the three Évzones soldiers, assume positions beside the two previous guards, while one of the three remains at the foot of the steps (the dog in gone).
9:09 AM – Athens: Syntagma Square - changing of the guard in front of Parliament building, as two of the three Évzones soldiers, along with the two previous guards, raise their rifles in the air, while one of the three remains at the foot of the steps.
9:10 AM – Athens: Syntagma Square - changing of the guard in front of Parliament building, as two of the three Évzones soldiers remain stationed at either side of relief, while the two previous guards begin to depart, and one of the three remains at the foot of the steps.
9:10 AM – Athens: Syntagma Square - changing of the guard in front of Parliament building, as two of the three Évzones soldiers remain stationed at either side of relief, while the two previous guards begin to approach the one of the three who remained at the foot of the steps.
9:10 AM – Athens: Syntagma Square - changing of the guard in front of Parliament building, as two of the three Évzones soldiers remain stationed at either side of relief, while the two previous guards begin to salute the one of the three who remained at the foot of the steps.
9:10 AM – Athens: Syntagma Square - changing of the guard in front of Parliament building, as the two previous guards salute the one of the three who remained at the foot of the steps (telephoto 105 mm).
MT 9:03 AM – Athens: Syntagma Square - changing of the guard in front of Parliament building, as the two previous guards high-step forward, passing the one of the three who remained at the foot of the steps (mild telephoto 53 mm).
9:11 AM – Athens: Syntagma Square - changing of the guard in front of Parliament building, as the two previous guards march away with the one of the three who had remained at the foot of the steps.
9:11 AM – Athens: Syntagma Square - changing of the guard in front of Parliament building is completed, as the two replacement guards stand their posts to either side of the relief.
The Catholic Cathedral Basilica of St. Dionysios Areopagite, located at the junction of Panepistimiou Avenue and Omirou Street in central Athens, is dedicated to St. Dionysius the Areopagite. It is a three-aisle basilica in the neo-Renaissance style. The land was purchases in 1847 with money collected among Roman Catholics in Greece and the church was built by fundraisers among Catholics both inside and outside the country. The nave was built in 1853 and the inauguration took place in 1865.
St. Dionysius the Areopagite was a judge at
the Areopagus Court in Athens, who lived in the first century AD. As related in
the Acts of the Apostles, he was converted to Christianity by the preaching of
the Apostle Paul during Paul’s sermon on the Areopagus Hill (a prominent rock
outcropping northwest of the Acropolis) in Athens. Acts 17:34: “But some men
joined him and believed, among whom were Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman
named Damaris and others with them.” He was one of the first Athenians to believe
in Christ and was baptized with his family in 52 AD. When he learned that Mary,
the Mother of Christ, lived in Jerusalem, he traveled there to meet her and
attended her funeral. After his conversion, Dionysius became the first Bishop
of Athens. He is venerated as a saint in the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox
churches.
Mass was celebrated by two priests, with an acolyte. The younger, Black priest incensed the altar at the start of the Mass and again at the consecration. the older priest tried to get him to read the Gospel, but he declined, although he later read part of the Eucharistic Prayer. Communion was received on the tongue only. Most of those attending were women. Although this Mass was in Greek, we got a church bulletin in English for "St Dionysios Areopagite Cathedral" with the scripture readings for the Mass in English.
The church’s interior is decorated
with beautiful frescoes. The most beautiful is the fresco of semi-domes of the
triumphal arch, representing the Apotheosis [glorification] of Saint Dionysius
the Areopagite (1890). The pillars that support the triumphal arch represent in
life-size the Four Evangelists (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John). Depicted in
front of the triumphal arch is Christ Pantocrator with the Gospel in hand. In
the adjacent corner on the right is Moses holding a parchment, and on the left King
David playing a harp. Below are St. Gregory the great and St. Augustine. The
nave is supported by 12 columns of green marble from Tinos. The church floor is
paved with Pentelic marble.
After Mass, MT wanted to try to take the Metro to the Acropolis Museum. On our way to the Panepistimio Metro station, we passed the University of Athens.
The northern part of central Athens
has grown since the 1830s, when King Otto made the city the new capital of Greece. When the king’s
architects planned the new, European-style city, they included wide, tree-lined
avenues, such as Panepistimiou, that were soon home to many grand, Neo-Classical
public buildings and mansion houses. Today, these elegant edifices still house
many major banks, embassies, and public institutions, such as the University
of Athens.
Usually referred to simply as the University
of Athens (officially, the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens)
was founded in 1837 by King Otto of Greece. The idea of establishing a
university in Greece emerged alongside the Greek War of Independence. Initially
named “Othonian University” honoring King Otto, it was the first university not
only in Greece but also in both the Balkan peninsula and the Eastern
Mediterranean region. In 1862, it was renamed “National University,” following
events that forced King Otto to leave the country. In 1932, it was officially
renamed National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, in honor of Ioannis
Kapodistrias, the first governor of Greece after the nation’s independence. It remains
one of the largest universities in Europe, with a student body of over 69,000.
The university, which was first
housed in the Neo-Classical residence of Otto’s architects on the northeast slope
of the Acropolis, was moved in 1841 to what is now fine “main building,” the
construction of which began in 1839 and was completed in 1864. That H-shaped
Neo-Classical building was once the only university building but now serves as
a ceremonial hall and rectory. It has an Ionic colonnade and a portico frieze
depicting the resurgence of arts and sciences under the reign of King Otto. The
Sphinx, a symbol of wisdom, is connected with Athens through the Oedipus
legend. Oedipus, who solved the riddle of the Sphinx, later found sanctuary in
enlightened Athens. Other statues on the façade include Patriarch Gregory V, a
martyr of the Greek War of Independence.
Then we arrived at the Panepistimio Metro Station, where we hoped to take the Metro to the Acropolis Museum. We bought Metro tickets for 90 minutes (€1.40 each) and took it two stops (Syntagma and Acropolis) and exited at the latter.
MT 11:09 AM - Athens Panepistimio Metro Station - passengers getting on and off Metro car.
Then
we arrived at the Acropolis Metro Station.
The New Acropolis Museum (NAM) is located on a gentle continuation of the Acropolis Rock’s south slope, off Dionysiou Areopagitou Street. The museum was built to house every artifact found on the Acropolis Rock and the surrounding slopes, from the Greek Bronze Age to Roman and Byzantine Greece. The collections are exhibited on three levels, of which the top level sits askew on the lower levels in order to achieve the same cardinal orientation of the ancient Parthenon temple on the Acropolis. Glass walls on all four sides of the Parthenon Gallery on that level allow natural light to illumine the Parthenon marbles as they do on the ancient temple.
The first museum, completed in 1874,
was located next to the Parthenon on the Acropolis. By the 1970s, however, it had
become obvious that the late 19th-century museum on the Acropolis was
inadequate to accommodate the quantity of artefacts being recovered on the
Acropolis, and the increasing number of tourists placed added strain on the
facilities. In 1976, a new site was identified at the present location in the
historical area of Makriyianni, 300 m southeast of the Acropolis. After a
number of delays and changes (see text below about the archaeological site),
the New Acropolis Museum finally opened its doors in 2007.
Although the focus of the museum is
the collection of artefacts from the Acropolis—the various sculptures of the
Parthenon being the crowning jewel—the archaeological site over which the
museum is built should not be overlooked. Walking off Dionysiou Areopagitou
Street down stairs and on toward the museum, visitors pass over a section of
the walkway made of glass. Here, one can look down onto polychrome mosaic
floors. Farther along the walkway toward the museum entrance, an elliptical
hole in the floor exposes some well preserved remains from the 7th century AD,
The large circular structure, into which visitors throw coins, is the
foundation of a Byzantine hall-tower.
The Acropolis Museum is currently
located over an excavation site of an ancient Athenian neighborhood that
was first revealed in the late 1980s, when construction work was undertaken for
the building of the new museum on the southern slope of the Acropolis.
After this discovery, many groups
felt that the new museum should be relocated. Construction was stopped until
2000, while bids were proposed for taking consideration of the archaeological
remains. The winning design used large pillars to support the new building,
giving the impression of “floating” above the site. Outside the museum, visitors
look down onto the archeological site, while inside the museum glass floors
enable them to see exposed sections of ancient architecture. As visitors walk
down the length of the raised metal walkways that follow the grid pattern of
the main streets below, they are
informed by signs that include floor plans and a short history of the
various houses, public latrines, buildings, and private baths below. At the end
of the 5th century BC, this ancient neighborhood was incorporated within the
walls of the City of Athens. Beginning in the 1st century BC, houses with small
interior courtyards, shops, and workshops occupied the area. In 86 BC, the area
was devastated by the Roman general Sulla, and the site was abandoned for many
years. From the middle of the 2nd century AD, the neighborhood started to
flourish again, with larger houses that had colonnaded courtyards, private wells,
mosaic floors, and private latrines. The richer houses had private baths. When
a northern Germanic tribe ravages Athens in 267 AD, the site was destroyed
again. In the late 4th and early 5th centuries, the area was reorganized with a
variety of smaller houses of the middle class next to larger, more luxurious
houses. By the end of the 8th century, the whole area was abandoned. In the 10th
to 12th centuries, new houses were erected along with workshops that lasted
until the final abandonment of the site in the early 13th century. Although much
of what can be seen today dates to the late antiquity and early Byzantine
periods (7th to 9th century AD), there are still traces of Athens from the 5th
century BC.
Entrance tickets were €10 each. We started on the ground floor (Slopes of the Acropolis exhibit).
"Popposilenos and Dionysos
"The young Dionysos with a theatrical mask in hand, sits on the shoulder of Popposilenos, the elderly Silen who was his tutor.
"2nd cent. BC (NAM 257)" [NAM before the acquisition number, stands for New Acropolis Museum]
"THE...OS APARCHES O
"APHRODITEI OURANIAI
"PROTELEIA GAMO”
Wikimedia Commons description of a photo
of this block identifies it as follows:
“The ‘treasure box’ from the
sanctuary of Aphrodite Ourania, 4th century BC. Museum of the acropolis,
Athens, Pi 66-67. The ancient Athenians sealed their invocations for a happy
and fruitful marriage with the payment of one silver drachma to the sanctuary
of Aphrodite Ourania. This is indicated by an inscription that was carved into
the sanctuary’s marble ‘treasure box’:
“The treasure box of Aphrodite
Ourania for premarital offers.”
“θησα̣υρὸς ἀπαρχε͂ς ὁ̣ Ἀφροδίτει Οὐρανίαι
[Thesaurós áparches ó Aphrodítei Oúraníai]
“προτέλεια γάμο ⋮ 𐅂” [protéleia gámo]
"Dedication to Asclepios
"Asclepios in a temple, with his wife Hepione and their daughter Hygieia, receive the dedications of worshipers. A young slave at the beginning of the procession leads a pig to sacrifice.
"Mid 4th cent. BC (NAM 1377)"
At this point, Don asked a lady guard about taking photos, since many visitors were doing it. She said it was now allowed for the Slopes of the Acropolis but not for the Archaic Period on the next floor.
"Nikai [plural of Nike] (Acr. 6476, 6476a)
."1st - 3rd cent. AD
"Terracotta statues, perhaps architectural ornaments mounted at the apex of the pediment of an edifice on the southern slope of the Acropolis (acroteria)"
12:06 PM – Athens: Acropolis Museum - sign, in Greek and English, for that sculpture on wall next to that terra cotta; English part reads:
"Cult of the Hero on Blaute.
"Dedication
"A male figure, possibly the dedicant Silon, whose name is incised below, is shown on a sandal (blaute). The interpretation of the scene is not certain. Some assiciate it with the cult of the Hero on Blaute on the south slopes of the Acropolis and others with the Sanctuary of Blaute in the west.
"Around the mid of the 4th cent. BC (NAM 2565)"
12:10 PM – Athens: Acropolis Museum - sign, in Greek and English, for that sculpture on wall below that pediment; English part reads:
"Herakles and Triton
"Acr. 36+)"
12:11 PM – Athens: Acropolis Museum - sign, in Greek and English, below that pediment; English part reads:
"Hekatompedos pediment
"It consists of three groups that retain their vivid colors. In the center one, two lions devour a bull. In the left one, the hero Herakles fights against the Triton, the marine monster that was half man and half a fish. The right one, the so-called Three-bodied Daemon, a winged being with human bodies terminating in snake tails, holds in his hands the symbols of the three elements in nature: water, fire and air."
Wikimedia Commons photos identify this as “Ekatompedon West Pediment.”
12:12 PM – Athens: Acropolis Museum – sign, in Greek and English, for that sculpture; English part reads:
“Hekatompedos.
The lioness pediment
“Possibly
from the east pediment of the temple. It represents a lioness devouring a calf.
The lioness is shown with a combination of female (breasts) and male (mane)
characteristics.
“Around 570 BC. Poros (Acr 4+)”
Wikimedia Commons photos of this identify it as a “Metope” with “Lioness devouring a small bull” (or “a calf” or “a deer”) possibly from “Ekatompedon East Pediment” (also spelled Hekatompedos) temple. It also says: “The lioness is shown with a combination of female (breasts) and male (mane) characteristics. Around 560 [sic!] B.C.E. Acr 4+”
Next, we went up an escalator to Level 1 and the Archaic Period, where our guidebook (and the guard) had said no photos were permitted. However, some people were still taking photos. So Don took one, from the hip.
This photo appears in the Wikipedia
entry for “Moschophoros” (A man carrying a sacrificial animal, limestone, c. 560
BC). It says that Moschophoros (Greek for “calf-bearer”) is an ancient Greek
statue of the Archaic Period, also known in English as “The Calf Bearer.” It
was excavated in fragments in the Perserschutt (German term meaning Persian
debris or rubble) referring to sculptures damaged by invading Persians in 480
BC) on the Acropolis in 1864. The statue, dated c. 560 BC, is estimated to have
originally measured 1.65 m (5.4 ft) in height. In 1887, the base was discovered;
its plinth, attached to the right foot of the statue, was dedicated to Athena.
This suggests that the statue’s sponsor was a very rich and prominent citizen
of Attica who offered his own likeness to Athena. He has a calf on his shoulder
that represents the sacrificial offering he is about to give to the goddess.
"Reconstruction of the west pediment of the Parthenon according to a drawing by K. Schwerzek (1896)"
12:35 PM – Athens: Acropolis Museum - sign, in Greek and English, on Level 1; English part reads:
"Athena and Poseidon
"In order to win over the protection of the Athenian territory. Athena had to take part in a contest with Poseidon, who had the same aim. The contest took place on the Acropolis. Poseidon hit the rock with his trident and salty water sprang up. However, the Athenians preferred the olive tree offered to them by Athena - the first olive tree in the world. This legendary battle was represented on the west pediment of the Parthenon, where the two gods held their attributes: Athena a spear and a shield, whereas Poseidon a trident."
"A Day at the Acropolis Museum with the Goddess Athena."
12:42 PM – Athens: Acropolis Museum - sign on floor, in English, for:
"East pediment
"The East Pediment of the Parthenon represents the birth of Athena in the presence of the Olympian Gods as reported by the 2nd cent. AD traveler Pausanias. In the center of the pediment are Zeus and Athena, whose figures have only partially survived. Other gods attending the scene are depicted right and left, standing, seated or reclining so as to fit in the triangular space of the pediment. The chariots of the rising Sun (Helios) and the setting Moon (Selene) complete the composition at its two ends. The loss of the central figures is thought to be related to the construction of the apse of the Christian church into which the Parthenon was converted in the 6th cent. AD."
The
partly visible caption under the drawing at the left reads: “…wing by J. Carrey,
1674” [see note about west pediment below].
However, other sources say, regarding the west pediment: "Help in reconstructing the composition and individual figures is provided by the drawings made by Jacques Carrey in 1674, when most of the sculptures were still in place. However, most reconstructions of the east and west pediments are based on drawings by Karl Schwerzek in 1896.”
On Level 3, we watched a video about the Parthenon, the last part of which was in English (hard to hear with other visitors talking) and Greek subtitles; then the whole thing started again in Spanish (?) with English subtitles.
1:03 PM – Athens: Acropolis Museum - video screen,
with reconstructed center (figures of Athena and Poseidon) of west pediment of Parthenon
on Acropolis, with English subtitle: "Athena with her olive tree and
Poseidon with sea water."
The west pediment of the
Parthenon depicts the contest between Athena and Poseidon for the honor of
becoming the patron of Athens and the victory of Athena. What stood between
them survives only in fragments but may have been either the olive tree, which
Athena with her spear caused to appear, or perhaps the lightning of Zeus. (Vases
that depict the same subject sometimes show an olive tree and sometimes a
thunderbolt.) Zeus is raising his trident to strike the rock. At their flanks,
they are framed by two groups of rearing horses pulling chariots. Help in reconstructing
the composition and individual figures is provided by the drawings made by Jacques
Carrey in 1674, when most of the sculptures were still in place. However, most
reconstructions of the east and west pediments are based on drawings by Karl
Schwerzek in 1896.
The Porch of the Caryatids,
or Porch of the Maidens, at the southwest corner of the Erechtheion on the
Acropolis, has six draped female figures (caryatids) as supporting columns. A
caryatid (Latin form of Ancient Greek: karyatis, plural karyatides) was a
sculpted female figure serving as an architectural support, taking the place of
a column or pillar and supporting an entablature on her head; karyatides
literally means “maidens of Karyai,” an ancient town on the Peloponnese
peninsula that had a temple dedicated to the goddess Artemis. The Erechtheion
caryatids are of the type called cephora (“basket bearer”), representing the
maidens (priestesses) who carried sacred objects used in the feasts of the
goddesses Athena and Artemis.
In 1800, one of the caryatids and
the north column, together with the overlying section of the entablature, were
removed by Lord Elgin and were later sold to the British Museum. Elgin
attempted to remove a second caryatid, but the statue was smashed and its
fragments left behind. It was later reconstructed haphazardly with cement and
iron rods. In 1979, that statue and the other four remaining caryatids were
removed to the Old Acropolis Museum and since 2007 are now displayed in the
Acropolis Museum in Athens, where the reassembled one has now been reunited
with a missing foot found in rubble in the 1980s. The original six statues were
replaced in situ by exact replicas.
1:13 PM – Athens: Acropolis Museum - sign, in Greek and English, for "A Day at the Acropolis Museum with the Goddess Athena," on Level 1 (Archaic Period); English part reads:
"Athena, Goddess of the Parthenon
"In the Parthenon, the sculptor Pheidias constructed a huge statue of the Athena Parthenos, the most splendid work of art on the Acropolis. It was made of gold and ivory and its height reached 13 meters! Athena was armed with a helmet, shield and spear and held a small Nike in one hand. The statue was so famous that it was copied by artists for many years afterwards. Thus, although the gold-and-ivory statue of Pheidias was lost, we know what it looked like from smaller copies, like the marble one shown here."
1:13 PM – Athens: Acropolis Museum - sign, in Greek and English, for that statue of Athena. on Level 1 (Archaic Period); English part reads:
"Statue of Athena
"Marble variation of the gold-and-ivory statue of Athena Parthenos, made by the sculptor Pheidias for the Parthenon interior.
"Second half of the 2nd cent. AD (Acr. 1362)".
1:14 PM – Athens: Acropolis Museum - sign, in Greek and English, for that statue of Athena, on Level 1 (Archaic Period); English part reads:
"Statue of Athena
"The statue represents an original of the 5th cent. BC showing the Goddess in peplos and a slanting aegis.
"Around the mid- 1st cent. AD (Acr. 1337)".
A peplos was a
body-length garment typically worn by women in ancient Greece. It was a long,
tubular cloth with the top edge folded down about halfway so that it draped
below the waist. An aegis (also spelled egis), in ancient Greece,
was a leather cloak or breastplate generally associated with Zeus and was thus
thought to possess supernatural power. Zeus lent his magical breastplate or shield
to his daughter Athena in honor of her role in principled warfare. Athena
adopted the aegis for ordinary dress. The aegis worn by Athena and Zeus as an
emblem of majesty is variously interpreted as an animal skin or a shield. The
aegis of Athena is referred to in several places in The Iliad. The
modern concept of doing something “under the aegis” of someone else means doing
it under the protection or auspices of a powerful, knowledgeable, or benevolent
source.
On our way back out of the museum, we again crossed over the remains of an ancient settlement under the walkway near the museum entrance.
For lunch, we decided to go to the MEATropoleos 3 restaurant, near the Syntagma Square, where we had eaten well on Friday, August 9. MT wanted to take the Metro back north, but we would have gone only one stop (to the Syntagma Station). So, after MT stopped to buy golden laurel headbands (€3 each after bargaining) for our grandchildren, we walked (17 minutes) to the restaurant.
On our way, we passed the Russian Church of the Holy Trinity.
The Russian Church of the Holy
Trinity, located in a small square at the intersection of Filellinon and
Souri streets in the Syntagma district, has been known by a variety of names:
The Russian Church, Church of the Holy Trinity, or St. Nikodemos, a name of modern
origin that is a corruption of its original name Soteira Lykodimou (the
[Virgin] Savioress of Lykodemos”), with Lykodemos” probably the name of the
family (also called Nikodemos) that founded it. Still in use by the Russian community,
it was once the largest church in the city. Built in 1931, it was originally
the katholikon (chapel) of a large convent. During the Frankish
occupation of Athens (1202-1669), the convent was converted into Roman Catholic Benedictine monastery, but
following the Ottoman conquests it was returned to the Greek Church. The church
suffered serious damage from a cannonball during the siege of the Acropolis by
Venetian forces in 1687. It again suffered considerable new damage by an
earthquake in 1701 (or 1705). The rest of the convent was torn down by the Ottoman
Turkish governor in 1778 (or 1780), to use its materials for the new defensive wall
he built around the city. During the siege of the city in 1827, the church received
more damage from Greek shells fired from the Acropolis (other sources say it
was by Ottoman defenders in 1821). After the Greek War of Independence, it was
abandoned and gradually fell into ruin. It remained derelict until the Russian
government under Czar Nicholas I bought the church and restored it to its
original state 20 years later. Excavations prior to the church’s reconstruction
in 1850-55 revealed Roman baths and temple and the foundations of an early
Christian basilica, dating to the 6th century, built over the Roman ruins. The
church was then reconsecrated as the Church of the Holy Trinity.
It is the largest surviving
Byzantine church in Athens, its design a typical middle Byzantine
cross-in-square, with a dome resting on an octagonal base. Its most unusual
feature is the wide dome, 10 m (33 ft) in diameter. The separate bell tower also
dates from the 19th century, its main bell a gift from Czar Alexander II. The cloisonne
masonry is of high quality, with dressed stones separated by double courses of
bricks. The exterior features pseudo-Kufic (Arabic script) decorative designs
in brick.
Then
we arrived at the MEATropoleos 3 restaurant, located at No. 3
Mitropoleos street near the Syntagma Square, where we ate at an outside table.
Dakos consists of a
slice of soaked, dried bread or barley rusk topped with chopped tomatoes and
crumbled feta of mizithra cheese, and flavored with herbs such as dried
oregano. Olives and pepper can also be added.
MEATropoleos 3, amid fast-food
joints in the Syntagma district, is a sleek little restaurant that serves a
great array of grilled meats, including good housemade sausage, and a hefty
burger, as well as the usual souvlaki chicken and pork. They have good Greek
salads, pork and doner kabobs.
Like kabobs, the word souvlaki
means “meat on skewers.” The word souvlaki (plural souvlakia) is a diminutive
if the Medieval Greek souvla (meaning “skewer”). Around Athens, it is
commonly also known as kalamaki (meaning “small reed”). Souvlaki is a
popular Greek fast food consisting of small pieces of meat and sometimes vegetables
grilled on a skewer. The meat typically used in Greece is pork, although chicken,
beef, and lamb may also be used. It is usually eaten straight off the skewer.
It can also be served with pita bread, fried potatoes, lemon, and sauces. However,
the Greeks also use it to describe the actual meal—warm pita, loaded with
marinated grilled meat and topped with Tzatziki sauce; this is known as souvlaki-pita.
Before leaving MEATropoleos 3, we asked the waiter for directions to the Anafiótika neighborhood, about which we had read in our guidebook but which we had missed during our day in the Pláka district. (Apparently, we had expected the area to look more like what we had seem on Santorini, one of the Cycladic Islands.) The waiter pointed in the general direction, but Don had to use Athens map that our taxi driver Christos had given us to navigate there by street names. (We never did find it.)
The Anafiótika area, nestling
beneath the northeastern slopes of the Acropolis on the southern edge of the Pláka
District, is one of the oldest settlements in Athens. Its first residents were
refugees from the Peloponnesian War (431-404 BC). By 1841, it had been colonized
by carpenters and stonemasons from the island of Anáfi, in the Cyclades islands,
who were part of the influx of island craftsmen who helped construct the new
city following Greek Independence. In 1841, King Otto of the newly independent
Greece encouraged workers to come and help transform the new capital into a
modern metropolis and refurbish his palace. The workers from Anáfi, who eventually
gave the area its name (meaning “little Anáfi”), took over the rocky terrain
just below the north slope of the Acropolis, ignored an 1834 decree declaring
the area an archaeological zone, completed their houses overnight, and installed
their families by morning. This took advantage of an old Ottoman law that
decreed that, if someone could put up a structure between sunset and sunrise,
the property became theirs. Thus, the authorities were powerless to tear down
the new houses. Soon, workers from other Cycladic islands also started to arrive
there. The neighborhood was built according to typical Cycladic architecture,
with white walls and small spaces, usually with bougainvillea flowers. Houses
are small and mostly cubic, and small streets often end up to ladders or even
dead ends at terraces. In 1950, part of this neighborhood was destroyed for
archaeological research, and in 1970 the state started to buy houses. In the
modern era, there are only 45 houses remaining. Today, the whitewashed houses
and winding streets of the neighborhood still resemble a Cycladic village.
We stopped at a pastry shop on Kekropos Street for gelato (€2 per scoop) and then got tap water.
The lady at the pastry shop where we got the gelato gave us better directions to Anaftótika. Kekropos street was only a few blocks from the eastern edge of the Anaftótika. So we were already very close, but Don still had to navigate by street names on our map. If we were ever in the Anaftótika, we failed to recognize it.
2:55 PM – Athens: Kekropos street - shop with T-shirts for only €4 (including one for "Athens - Marathon - Greece" like we had earlier paid €7.90 for).
Back at our Best Western Amazon Hotel, we began to pack for departure the next morning.
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