The Church of Saint Demetrius is one of the most remarkable religious sites of the city of Thessaloniki. The first religious construction on a place of the church was erected in the 5th century. However it stood only for two centuries and was badly damaged with a powerful earthquake. Afterwards the construction was many times restored and ruined each time significantly changing its look. The last reconstruction took place in the first part of the 20th century after the next natural disaster.
Despite its hard luck the church has managed to preserve its inimitable inner decoration and splendor. Its walls keep numerous artifacts among which tourists will observe the relics of Saint Demetrius, patron saint of the city. The White Tower is another remarkable landmark of the city known far beyond the country boundaries. It is a remaining part of the fortifying construction which has by miracle been preserved after the Greco-Turkish War. The construction of the tower took place in 1430. For a long period of time the tower was used as a prison building. Punishments of the sentenced to death prisoners took place there as well. In memory of that time the tower has got the nickname of the Tower of Blood or the Red Tower.
Continue reading
This article about Thessaloniki is written by the orangesmile.com editorial team and is protected by the copyright law. The article can only be re-used with a direct link to www.orangesmile.com