Cathedral Church of Hagia Sophia Thessaloniki

‘Agia Sophia’ translates to ‘The Wisdom of God’, and the Church of Hagia Sophia in Thessaloniki exudes a similar mysticism and spirituality because of its legacy. Located a minute away from the main street Egnatia, the cathedral stands on the site of an older, 3rd-century church that possibly collapsed because of an earthquake. It is one of the oldest and most important Early Christian monuments in Greece and the Orthodox world.

The present-day structure was erected in the 7th century based on the typical mid-Byzantine architecture of the historic Hagia Sophia in the-then capital of Byzantium, Constantinople (currently Istanbul, Turkey). Thessaloniki’s Agia Sophia faced a similar fate as its inspiration, being converted to a cathedral after the Fourth Crusade, then to a mosque during the Ottoman period, and finally back to a church after 1912’s liberation. The structure's design also changed with the rise and fall of empires. The domed Greek cross basilica now represents the Ascension of Christ, ringed by figures of Mary, the two angels, and the Twelve Apostles.