Church of Sotira Lykodimou

First built in the 11th century and now the Russian Orthodox Cathedral, this is the only Byzantine church with an octagonal plan. It's quite small but topped with a high dome, so the whole space, glittering with gold stars and icons, soars upward. Neoclassical icons by the famed portrait painter Nikiforos Lytras (done when he was still a student at the School of Fine Arts in the mid-1800s) add a slightly uncanny realist touch.