Kishë Bizantine · Late Byzantine (mid-14th c.)

Church of Profitis Ilias

Përditësuar 2026Kontrolluar në këmbëOlympiados, on the slope below Ano Poli

A grand mid-14th-century church and the only one in Thessaloniki built on the Athonite plan used by the monasteries of Mount Athos — a tall central dome over a sweeping arcaded portico. Converted to a mosque soon after the Ottoman conquest of 1430, it is now a UNESCO monument on the slope below Ano Poli.

The arcaded portico and brick facade of the Byzantine church of Profitis Ilias (Prophet Elijah), Thessaloniki, with its central dome behind
Church of Profitis Ilias · Late Byzantine (mid-14th c.)
Periudha
Late Byzantine (mid-14th c.)
Vendndodhja
~10–15 min walk N of the centre, below Ano Poli
Hyrja
Free
Orari
Limited hours, usually mornings; check locally
Kohë e Nevojshme
15–20 minutes
Vlerësimi
4.7★ · 591 vlerësime

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

Historia

Si lindi

Built around the mid-14th century, most likely as the katholikon of the Nea Moni (the 'New Monastery'). It is the only church in the city of the 'Athonite' type — a triconch plan with lateral apses (choroi) for the monks' choirs, as on Mount Athos. Under Ottoman rule it became a mosque, known as the Saraylı ('palace') Mosque after the nearby site of the Byzantine governor's palace. 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 dramatic exterior — a tall ribbed dome, warm brick masonry and a wide arched portico (exonarthex) across the front — and, inside, the spacious Athonite plan with surviving fragments of 14th-century wall painting in the narthex.

Si të Vizitoni

On the slope below Ano Poli, an uphill walk from the centre; the church stands in a paved forecourt. As a working church its hours can be limited, so mornings are most reliable.

Koha më e Mirë

Morning, for the light on the brick portico

Galeria

Si të Shkoni

Vendndodhja
~10–15 min walk N of the centre, below Ano Poli · Olympiados, on the slope below Ano Poli

Mirë të Dini

It is the only church in Thessaloniki built on the Athonite (Mount Athos) monastery plan, a grand mid-14th-century building with a tall dome and a sweeping arcaded portico, plus surviving fragments of Byzantine frescoes. It is a UNESCO World Heritage monument on the slope below Ano Poli.

It dates to the mid-14th century, in the Byzantine Palaiologan period, probably as the katholikon of the Nea Moni monastery. Under Ottoman rule it served as a mosque, and it has been on the UNESCO World Heritage list since 1988.