Church of Panagia Chalkeon

Church of Panagia Chalkeon
Παναγία τῶν Χαλκέων
Exterior of the church in 2007
Church of Panagia Chalkeon
Location of the church in Greece
Church of Panagia Chalkeon
40°38′13″N 22°56′37″E / 40.63694°N 22.94361°E / 40.63694; 22.94361
LocationDikastirion Square, Thessaloniki, Central Macedonia
CountryGreece
LanguageGreek
DenominationGreek Orthodox
Previous denominationIslam (c. 1430–1912)
History
Former name(s)Turkish: Kazancilar Camii
(as a mosque)
Status
Founder(s)Christopher, katepano of Longobardia
DedicationVirgin Mary
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Architectural typeChurch
StyleByzantine
Completed1028 CE
Specifications
Number of domes3 (maybe more)
Dome height (outer)5.3 m (17 ft)
Dome diameter (outer)3.8 m (12 ft)
MaterialsBricks; marble
Administration
MetropolisThessaloniki
Clergy
PriestFr. Klimanoglou Dionusios
Assistant priestArchim. Papagiannoulis Nectarios
14th-century fresco inside the church
Part ofPaleochristian and Byzantine monuments of Thessaloniki
CriteriaCultural: (i), (ii), (iv)
Reference456-007
Inscription1988 (12th Session)
Area0.249 ha (0.62 acres)

The Church of Panagia Chalkeon (Greek: Παναγία τῶν Χαλκέων) is an 11th-century Byzantine-era Greek Orthodox church in the city of Thessaloniki, in the Central Macedonia region of northern Greece. Because of its outstanding Byzantine mosaics and architecture, and its testimony to the importance of Thessaloniki in early and medieval Christianity, the church is one of fifteen structures inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as the Paleochristian and Byzantine monuments of Thessaloniki. The church was converted to a mosque in the 15th century, during the Ottoman era, and subsequently reconsecrated as a church in the 20th century.