SAINT THEODOROS

Church of saint Theodoros Tyron

Feast day: February 17
The construction of the church began in 1957 and was completed in 1969, as indicated by the engraved slab near the southern entrance. It is a domed, three-aisled basilica; the aisles of which are separated by two rows of three columns. The windows of the drum of the dome are trilobed. The three entrances of the church are surrounded by arcades. The north and south are covered with a single-pitched roof with tiles. The windows of the pediments of the lateral aisles are three-lobed, while the rest are two-lobed and simple, arched ones. In the northwest corner of the church is the bell tower, built on three levels, which ends in a dome. The church was erected on the site of the older vaulted, single-aisled church, which was also dedicated to saint Theodoros, built in 1847 according to oral testimonies. 

Based on written testimonies we know that a church existed already on the site, at least from the 16th century. From the latter church was preserved a fragment of a fresco depicting saint Theodoros Tyron on horseback, located in a stone-built, arched alcove inside the current church. The fresco dates though to the first half of the 18th century. The church is decorated with frescoes and houses icons from the 18th century. On either side of the main entrance (north) of the church are shallow niches with mosaic depictions of saint Theodoros Tyron and saint Athanasios Pentaschoinitis. The latter lived in the 7th century in the abandoned neighbouring village of Pentaschoinos. Correspondingly, in the two niches of the southern entrance are mosaic depictions of Virgin Astathkiotissa and Kosmas and Damianos, the two Unmercenary saints. The feast day of the church is on the 17th of February.

EXTERIOR