Athens Cathedral & Little Metropolis

The ornate 1862 Athens Cathedral on Plateia Mitropoleos (Mitropoleos Sq) is the seat of the archbishop of the Greek Orthodox Church of Athens. However, far more significant, both historically and architecturally, is the small 12th-century church next to the cathedral, known as the Little Metropolis. Its official double-barrelled name – it’s dedicated to two saints – is Church of Panagia Gorgeopikoos (Virgin Swift to Hear) and Agios Eleftherios. The cruciform-style marble church was built on the ruins of an ancient temple and made using reliefs and pieces of ancient and early-Christian monuments.