Little Metropolis (Panagia Gorgoepikoos), Athens

Little Metropolis is a small Byzantine church beside Athens’ Metropolitan Cathedral at Mitropoleos Square. Its other names are Panagia Gorgoepikoos and the Church of Saint Eleutherius, while its original dedication honoured Mary. The building’s unusual character comes from marble fragments taken from earlier structures and fitted throughout its walls.

Above the windows, ninety sculpted pieces create a dense surface unlike that of other Byzantine sacred buildings. The church measures 7.6 metres in length and 12.2 metres across, and its dome rises over a cross-in-square plan. Inside, only a single fresco survives: the Panagia appears above the entrance apse.

The church also served as Athens’ public library from 1841 to 1863, before returning to religious use. Its compact scale and reworked marble make this a remarkably layered landmark.