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

Church of Agia Aikaterini

Përditësuar 2026Kontrolluar në këmbëNorthwest Ano Poli, near the city walls

One of the most graceful of the city's Byzantine churches — a five-domed Palaiologan jewel of the late 13th or early 14th century, wrapped in a columned ambulatory and bands of fine brickwork, tucked into the northwestern lanes of Ano Poli. Its original name is lost; under the Ottomans it became the Yakup Pasha Mosque. A UNESCO monument most visitors never reach.

The five-domed brick exterior of the Byzantine church of Agia Aikaterini in Ano Poli, Thessaloniki, with its arcaded gallery
Church of Agia Aikaterini · Late Byzantine (late 13th–early 14th c.)
Periudha
Late Byzantine (late 13th–early 14th c.)
Vendndodhja
Ano Poli, ~15–20 min uphill from the centre
Hyrja
Free
Orari
Limited hours, usually mornings; check locally
Kohë e Nevojshme
15–20 minutes
Vlerësimi
4.8★ · 434 vlerësime

Orari dhe çmimet u kontrolluan së fundmi më 2026 — ndryshojnë, prandaj konfirmojini atë ditë.

Historia

Si lindi

Built in the late 13th or early 14th century, in the Palaiologan period; the founder is unknown, but its refined 'Constantinopolitan' design — a cross-in-square wrapped by an ambulatory and crowned with five domes — places it firmly in that golden age. Under Ottoman rule it became the Yakub Pasha Mosque, and the plaster applied then helped preserve fragments of its early-14th-century frescoes. It is one of the fifteen Paleochristian and Byzantine Monuments of Thessaloniki on the UNESCO World Heritage list.

Çfarë Do të Shihni

Gjatë një vizite

The elegant exterior — five tiled domes over the cross-in-square core, a graceful arcaded ambulatory on three sides, and bands of decorative brick — and, inside, surviving fragments of accomplished early-14th-century wall painting beneath the central dome.

Si të Vizitoni

A climb up into the northwestern Ano Poli on foot, or a city bus toward the upper town; the church stands in a railed garden. As a working church its hours are limited, so mornings are most reliable.

Koha më e Mirë

Morning, for the light on the brickwork

Galeria

Si të Shkoni

Vendndodhja
Ano Poli, ~15–20 min uphill from the centre · Northwest Ano Poli, near the city walls

Mirë të Dini

For its architecture above all — a beautifully proportioned Palaiologan church of around 1300, with five domes, a columned ambulatory and intricate brickwork, plus surviving fragments of early-14th-century frescoes inside. It is a UNESCO World Heritage monument, and far quieter than the big central churches.

It dates to the late 13th or early 14th century, in the Byzantine Palaiologan period. Under Ottoman rule it served as the Yakub Pasha Mosque before returning to Christian worship, and it has been on the UNESCO World Heritage list since 1988.