Among the many must-see sights in the Greek capital Athens, the small Byzantine church of Panagia Gorgoepikoos or Agios Eleftherios (also known as the Little Metropolis) deserves special attention. The church is located in the heart of Athens in Mitropoleos Square next to the Cathedral of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Mitropoli) and is an important historical and architectural monument.
The Church of Panagia Gorgoepikoos is built on what historians believe was once a shrine to the goddess Ilithyia (in ancient mythology Ilithyia is the patron saint of women in childbirth), which is probably why the church was consecrated in honour of the Mother of God. A long-standing legend says that the temple of Panagia Gorgoepikoos was founded in the 8th century by the Byzantine Empress Irene (canonised by the Church at the Second Council of Nicaea for the restoration of iconoclasm), but the church as we see it today was built much later - in the late 12th - early 13th century, when the Metropolitan of Athens was Michael Choniates, and today it is one of the best preserved religious buildings of Athens of this period.
During the Ottoman period, the Church of Panagia Gorgoepikoos was part of the bishop's residence, and after the establishment of the Greek State, the church was for some time the seat of the National Library. In 1863, after extensive reconstruction, the church was consecrated in honour of Saint Eleftherios.
The Church of Panagia Gorgoepikoos is a typical cross-domed church. It was built using various fragments of ancient Greek, Roman and Byzantine structures as building materials, which is not surprising as it was a common practice in those times. Of particular interest is the upper part of the building, where built-in fragments of ancient temples (for example, the pediment in the left part of the southern facade) look very unusual, but at the same time in "their place", and the walls are decorated with various reliefs illustrating the peculiarities of the culture of this or that epoch. Although the combination of geometric compositions, Christian crosses, sphinxes, figures of satyrs, scenes depicting athletes competing in the Panathenaic Games, etc. looks unusual, it undoubtedly gives the building a special charm.
