The most complete
information guide about Athens, Greece
Churches in Athens
Basilica of Ilissos & Martyrium
of Saint Leonides
The Basilica of the river Ilissos is one of the most important
early Christian monuments in Athens, located south-east of the
Olympeion where the branches of the river form an islet. The site
is accessible via Ardittou Street. The church was founded in the
first half of the 5th century and is related to the many activities
of the Empress Athinaïs-Eudokia.
The
building was a three aisled basilica which originally had a timber
saddle roof. Only the sanctuary was covered by a vault or a dome
as can be deducted from the four large pillars at the ends of
the semi-circular apses. The floors of the basilica and the atrium
were laid with good quality mosaics depicting birds and plants.
Parts of those mosaics have been preserved and are now kept in
the Christian and Byzantine Museum in Athens.
The
only reference to the church can be found in a speech by Michael
Choniates, Bishop of Athens, in honor of Leonides, who was martyred
in Corinth alongside seven women in AD 250 during the reign of
Emperor Decius. From the speech it is clear that by the time of
the bishop’s episcopacy (end of 12th beginning 13th century)
the Corinthian martyr’s relics had been transferred to a
tomb in Athens.
Michael
Choniates (ca. 1138-1222)
Michael
Choniates was a writer and Bishop of Athens (1182-1204)
and was later canonized. Well educated and with great
respect for the classical legacy of Athens, he frequently
complained in his writing about the city’s cultural
decline.
As
Bishop of Athens he relieved the population of its heavy
taxes and led the resistance against the siege raised
by Leo Sgouros in 1203. Following the occupation of Athens
by the Franks in 1204, Choniates refused to accept the
new situation and sought refuge, first on the island of
Kea, then in Euboea. From 1233-34, many depictions of
Choniates appeared in churches throughout Athens which
suggests that he was canonized soon after his dead.
Bishop
Choniates also mentions a church dedicated to the martyr, already
in a bad state. The church can be identified as that of the Basilica
of Ilissos since underneath its north-western side, there is a
crypt with tombs where the remains of Leonides and his fellow-martyrs
probable rest. There also is archaeological evidence connecting
this basilica with another dedicate to Leonides, in Lechaio, near
the place where the martyr died. Later documents give no information
about the monument.
The
church’s final demise may have been caused by the flooding
of the river Illissos but it may equally have been the work of
Ali Haseki, the Ottoman governor of Athens who, in order to build
a new defensive wall for the city in 1778, destroyed the ancient
and medieval monuments in the area. Archaeological excavation
has uncovered the church’s ground plan.
Leonides
Leonides
was Bishop of Athens in the 3rd century; he became a martyr
in Corinth together with seven women-deacons who accompanied
him. His remains were brought to Athens in the mid-4th
century. A martyrium was built to keep his remains and
a basilica was added to it later.
South-east of the Olympeion
Acropoli
For
typical words, please consult our Greek
glossary