Byzantijnse Kerk · Early Byzantine (late 5th c.)

Osios David (Latomou Monastery)

Bijgewerkt 2026Te voet gecontroleerdEpimenidou 17, Ano Poli

A tiny chapel in the lanes of Ano Poli that holds one of the most important early-Christian mosaics in the world — a UNESCO-listed treasure most visitors walk straight past.

The late-5th-century apse mosaic of the Vision of Ezekiel — a youthful Christ in a mandorla — at Osios David (Latomou Monastery), Thessaloniki — Osios David (Latomou Monastery) · Early Byzantine (late 5th c.)

Periode

Early Byzantine (late 5th c.)

Locatie

Ano Poli, ~15–20 min uphill from the centre

Toegang

Free

Openingstijden

Limited hours, usually mornings Tue–Sun; check locally

Benodigde Tijd

20 minutes

Beoordeling

4.8★ · 854 beoordelingen

Openingstijden en prijzen voor het laatst gecontroleerd in 2026 — ze veranderen, dus controleer ze op de dag zelf.

Geschiedenis

Hoe het ontstond

The surviving katholikon of the late-5th-century Latomou Monastery. Its apse mosaic was hidden under plaster when the church served as a mosque, which preserved it until its rediscovery in 1921. It is one of the fifteen Paleochristian and Byzantine Monuments of Thessaloniki inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list.

Wat Je Ziet

Bij een bezoek

The breathtaking apse mosaic — the 'Vision of Ezekiel', showing a rare beardless, youthful Christ enthroned on a rainbow within a mandorla, flanked by prophets and the four living creatures over the rivers of paradise — plus surviving 12th-century wall frescoes, all in an intimate single room.

Hoe te Bezoeken

A steep climb up into Ano Poli on foot, or a city bus toward the upper town; the church is small with limited opening hours.

Beste Tijd

Mid-morning, when it is reliably open and the apse is lit

Galerij

Bereikbaarheid

Locatie

Ano Poli, ~15–20 min uphill from the centre · Epimenidou 17, Ano Poli

Routebeschrijving

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Goed om te Weten

For its apse mosaic — the late-5th-century 'Vision of Ezekiel', one of the oldest and finest surviving early-Christian mosaics anywhere, showing a rare youthful, beardless Christ. The church is tiny and easy to miss, which is part of its charm; it's a UNESCO World Heritage monument hidden in the lanes of Ano Poli.

It was covered over with plaster when the church was used as a mosque under Ottoman rule, which protected it from damage. The mosaic was rediscovered in 1921 and has been on view ever since.

Lees Meer

Gidsen op Saloniki.net

Bezienswaardigheden in de Buurt

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The Byzantine walls of Ano Poli overlooking the city and the Thermaic Gulf, Thessaloniki

Ottoman quarter

Ano Poli (Upper Town)

Largely spared by the great fire of 1917 that razed the lower city, Ano Poli is Thessaloniki's best-preserved old quarter — a maze of timber Ottoman houses, tiny chapels, and cobbled lanes climbing to the castle walls and the best views in the city.

Byzantine (14th c.)

Vlatadon Monastery

Founded in the later 14th century by the brothers Dorotheos and Markos Vlatades, disciples of Gregory Palamas, it is the only Byzantine monastery in the city still active — set in gardens high in the upper town with a small church, peacocks, and a commanding view of the gulf.

Late Byzantine (late 13th–early 14th c.)

Byzantine Bath

A rare survivor from around the late 12th–13th century — the only Byzantine bath left in Thessaloniki, and the largest and most complete in Greece — a small brick-and-stone building in Ano Poli that stayed in use as a public bath until 1940, some seven centuries. Restored and reopened as a museum in 2015, it is one of the city's UNESCO-listed Byzantine monuments.