This picturesque little church was saved from demolition by King Ludwig of Bavaria. Part of its charm is that modern Athens surrounds the 11th-century church.
The church’s original construction dates to the Byzantine Empress Irene, who ruled the Byzantine Empire from 797-802 AD, and the origins of the name Kapnikarea are unknown.
The church was restored in the 1950s and now contains frescoes by Fotis Kontoglou (1895-1965), including one quite stunning rendition of the Virgin and Child.
Greece in Focus 