Church of Prophet Elijah, Thessaloniki

The Church of Prophet Elijah is a prominent Greek Orthodox church in Thessaloniki, dating back to the Ottoman period and known for its beautiful frescoes and unique architectural style.

The Church of the Prophet Elijah, also called Profitis Elias, is a Byzantine monument in Thessaloniki, built around 1360 on the site of an earlier sanctuary. It is a tetrastyle cross-in-square church with side choruses, known as the Athonite type, and is unique in Thessaloniki. It was coverted into a mosque known as the Saraylı Mosque (Palace Mosque or Court Mosque) by Badrah Mustafa Pashain immediately after the capture of the city by the Ottoman Empire in 1430. 

It was built of well-dressed blocks of white stone and bricks, which is rare in Macedonia, a region in Greece of which Thessaloniki is the capital, but common in Constantinople. The church features painted decoration scenes of the childhood and miracles of Christ and individual figures of saints. Wall paintings from the 14th century still survive, depicting scenes from the life of Christ and isolated saints. It is one of the 15 Paleochristian and Byzantine Monuments of Thessaloniki included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1988.

Church of Prophet Elijah
Church of Prophet Elijah
Church of Prophet Elijah
Church of Prophet Elijah
Church of Prophet Elijah
Church of Prophet Elijah

Opening Hours

Monday:
07:00 - 10:00
Tuesday:
07:00 - 10:00
Wednesday:
Closed
Thursday:
07:00 - 10:00
Friday:
07:00 - 10:00
Saturday:
07:00 - 10:00
Sunday:
07:00 - 10:00
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