Athens & Around - Greece - page 146

BYZANTINE ATHENS
Very little Byzantine architecture remains in Athens. The most important Byzanti-
ne building is the World Heritage-listed, 11th-century Moni Dafniou ( 210 581 1558;
9am-2pm Tue & Fri) at Dafni, 10km northwest of Athens. One of the oldest
churches in Athens is the 10th-century Church of the Holy Apostles MAP
GOOGLE MAP (Monastiraki) in the Ancient Agora.
The most important city-centre Byzantine churches are listed in the Sights sec-
tion, and do not have set opening hours.
Other churches worth seeing are the 11th- to 12th-century Church of Agia Eka-
terini MAP GOOGLE MAP , in Plaka near the choregic Lysikrates Monument
MAP GOOGLE MAP , and the 15th-century Church of Agios Dimitrios Loum-
bardiaris ( Click here ) on Filopappou Hill. The lovely Byzantine monastery, Moni
Kaisarianis (Monastery of Kaisariani; 210 723 6619; Mt Hymettos; adult/child €2/free;
8.30am-2.45pm Tue-Sun, grounds 8.30am-sunset Tue-Sun) , 5km east of the city, is also worth a
visit.
Roman Baths RUIN
MAP GOOGLE MAP
(Leoforos Vasilissis Amalias; Syntagma) Excavation work to create a ventilation
shaft for the metro uncovered the well-preserved ruins of a large Roman bath complex.
The baths, which extend into the National Gardens, were established near the Ilissos
river after the Herulian raids in the 3rd century AD; they were destroyed and repaired
again in the 5th or 6th century.
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Syntagma & Plaka
National Gardens GARDENS
MAP GOOGLE MAP
(entrances on Leoforos Vasilissis Sofias & Leoforos Vasilissis Amalias, Syntagma; 7am-dusk;
Syntagma) A delightful, shady refuge during summer, the National Gardens were
formerly the royal gardens designed by Queen Amalia. There's a large children's play-
ground , a duck pond and a shady cafe .