Church of the Acheiropoietos Religious Site

Address: Paleologou 1, Thessaloniki (near the Rotunda and Arch of Galerius)

The Church of the Acheiropoietos is an early Byzantine church in Thessaloniki, Central Macedonia, and is one of the city’s oldest surviving basilicas. Its name means “not made by hands” and the building is a key example of early Byzantine ecclesiastical architecture.

Architecturally it is a three-aisled basilica with a wooden roof, notable for its early date and surviving structural features rather than for later monumental decoration. The church has been used continuously in various Christian rites and has undergone repairs and alterations over the centuries.

Built in the late 5th or early 6th century, it functioned as a civic and religious center in Byzantine Thessaloniki and later served different liturgical uses through the medieval period and into modern times. Its fabric records phases of use and restoration.

The church stands within the historic center of Thessaloniki and is part of the ensemble of early Christian and Byzantine monuments that illustrate the city’s importance in late antiquity and the Middle Ages.

• UNESCO: Included among the Paleochristian and Byzantine monuments of Thessaloniki, a UNESCO World Heritage site, for its architectural and historical significance.

The church is in Thessaloniki’s historic center near the Rotunda and Arch of Galerius. It is reachable on foot from Aristotelous Square (about a 10-15 minute walk) or by local buses that serve the city center.

• Come early to see the mosaics and the nave before tour groups arrive-light changes across the floor patterns significantly during the morning.
• Wear shoes with good grip; older stone floors and steps can be uneven and polished by centuries of traffic.
• If interested in Byzantine architecture, inspect the reused Roman columns-each tells a small story about material reuse through centuries.