The Cathedral of Hagia Sophia, or Ayia Sophia, is one of the oldest Christian churches in the Greek city of Thessaloniki (administered by the Metropolis of Thessaloniki.). The cathedral is located in the historical centre of the city on the square of the same name and is rightly considered one of its most interesting sights, as well as being an important historical and architectural monument.
The Cathedral of St Sophia was erected on the site of an early Christian basilica destroyed in the early 7th century, which was part of a huge religious complex. The exact date of construction of the temple is not known, but most historians agree that the cathedral was erected in the late 7th - early 8th century. The first written mention of St Sophia in Thessaloniki dates back to the end of the 8th century.
In 1890, the cathedral building was extensively damaged by fire. Part of the repair work was carried out by the Turks, but the main work began after Thessaloniki was liberated and the cathedral was returned to the Christians. The minarets were removed and the elegant Turkish portico was destroyed during the Italian bombardment in 1941. The dome was not rebuilt until 1980. In 1988, among other early Christian and Byzantine monuments of the city of Thessaloniki, Hagia Sophia Cathedral was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Hagia Sophia is a beautiful and rather rare example of a temple from the Byzantine period, combining elements of a three-nave basilica and a cross-domed temple. Of particular interest, however, are the magnificent ancient mosaics (including iconoclastic mosaics in the form of crosses, stars and liturgical texts) and frescoes (11th century) that adorn the interior of the cathedral and have survived to this day, largely because they were hidden under a thick layer of plaster during the Ottoman rule.
