, image = Agios Andreas Church Patras Dec 2016.jpg , image_size = 250 , pushpin map = , pushpin label position = , coordinates = , location = Patras , country =

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...

, denomination =

Greek Orthodox The term Greek Orthodox Church ( Greek: Ἑλληνορθόδοξη Ἐκκλησία, ''Ellinorthódoxi Ekklisía'', ) has two meanings. The broader meaning designates "the entire body of Orthodox (Chalcedonian) Christianity, sometimes also cal ...

, religious institute = , website = , bull date = , founded date = , founder = , dedication = Andrew the Apostle , dedicated date = , consecrated date = , relics = , status = Cathedral , functional status = Active , heritage designation = , architect =

Anastasios Metaxas Anastasios Metaxas ( el, Αναστάσιος Μεταξάς; 27 February 1862 – 28 January 1937) was a Greek architect and shooter. Biography Metaxas was the royal architect of George I of Greece and is best known for being the architect cho ...

Georgios Nomikos , style = Byzantine architecture/

Neo-Byzantine Neo-Byzantine architecture (also referred to as Byzantine Revival) was a revival movement, most frequently seen in religious, institutional and public buildings. It incorporates elements of the Byzantine style associated with Eastern and Orth ...

, years built = , groundbreaking = 1908 , completed date = 1974 , capacity = 1,900 m² (area)
7,000 worshipers , length = , width = , tower quantity = , tower height = , materials = , bells = , bells hung = , bell weight = , parish = , metropolis = Patras , province = , priestincharge = , organist = The Cathedral of Saint Andrew also called Cathedral Church of Saint Andrew ( el, Ιερός Ναός Αγίου Ανδρέου) or simply Hagios Andreas is a

basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica is a large public building with multiple functions, typically built alongside the town's Forum (Roman), forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek East. The building ...

in the west side of the city center of Patras in

. Along with the nearby old church of St. Andrew ( el, Παλαιός Ιερός Ναός Αγίου Ανδρέου), it constitutes a place of pilgrimage for Christians from all over the world. It is dedicated to the First-called Apostle of Christ, Saint Andrew.

History

Construction of the Greek Byzantine-style

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * C ...

began in 1908 under the supervision of the architect

, followed by Georgios Nomikos. It was inaugurated 66 years later, in 1974. According to

University of Patras The University of Patras (UPatras; el, Πανεπιστήμιο Πατρών, ''Panepistímio Patrón'') is a public university in Patras, Greece. It is the third-largest university in Greece with respect to the size of the student body, the s ...

professor Charis Alk. Apostolopoulos who has extensively studied the church building, the church has a surface area of 1,900 m² on the ground floor and additionally 700 m² on the first level (used as a gynaeconitis).Dr. Charis Alk. Apostolopoulos, Laboratory of technology and strength of Materials, University of Patras, Article with title "Historical data from construction - damages in the structure of the new church of Saint Andrew in Patras", ''Proceedings of 3rd National Conference "Mild interventions for the protection of historic structures. New Design Trends"'', Ministry of Culture, Thessaloniki 2009, page 445 (pdf article in Greek)
/ref> The church has a length of ~60 m, width ~52 m and has a capacity of 7,000 people. Other sources give similar numbers for the size of the surface area (there are different numbers depending on the inclusion or not of the first level). It is considered the largest Orthodox church in Greece and the third largest Byzantine-style church in the

Balkans The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

, after the

Cathedral of Saint Sava The Temple of Saint Sava ( sr-Cyrl, Храм Светог Саве, Hram Svetog Save, lit='The Temple of Saint Sava') is a Serbian Orthodox church which sits on the Vračar plateau in Belgrade, Serbia. It was planned as the bishopric seat an ...

in Belgrade and Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Sofia. Other sources consider

Church of Saint Panteleimon of Acharnai The church of Saint Panteleimon of Acharnai ( el, Άγιος Παντελεήμων Αχαρνών) is a Greek Orthodox basilica in the center of Athens. It has a maximum length of 63 m and width 48 m and it is the biggest church of Greece. The c ...

as the largest one in Greece. Over the central dome there is a 5-meter-long, gold-plated cross and over the other domes, there are 12 smaller crosses. These crosses symbolize Jesus and His apostles. The interior of the church is decorated with Byzantine-style wall paintings and mosaics.

Relics

Cathedral Agios Andreas - Interior by ArmAg (10)

Relics of the apostle Saint Andrew are stored in the church. They consist of the small finger, part of the top of the cranium of the Apostle, and small portions of the cross on which he was martyred, all kept in a special shrine. The holy skull of the Apostle was sent there from

St. Peter's Basilica The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican ( it, Basilica Papale di San Pietro in Vaticano), or simply Saint Peter's Basilica ( la, Basilica Sancti Petri), is a church built in the Renaissance style located in Vatican City, the papal e ...

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

in September 1964, on the orders of

Pope Paul VI Pope Paul VI ( la, Paulus VI; it, Paolo VI; born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, ; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 to his death in Augus ...

. Cardinal Bea led the party of 15 cardinals that presented the relic to Bishop Constantine of Patras on 24 September 1964. Thousands of people (among them prime minister

Georgios Papandreou Georgios Papandreou ( ''Geórgios Papandréou''; 13 February 1888 – 1 November 1968) was a Greek politician, the founder of the Papandreou political dynasty. He served three terms as prime minister of Greece (1944–1945, 1963, 1964–196 ...

) and many Greek Orthodox bishops participated in the reception ceremony of the skull. After a procession through the streets of the city, the skull was placed in a special silver miter inside the church. The cross of St. Andrew was taken from Greece during the Crusades by the Duke of Burgundy. Parts of the cross were kept since Middle Ages in the church of St. Victor in Marseilles. They were returned to Patras on 19 January 1980. The cross of the apostle was presented to the Bishop of Patras Nicodemus by the

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

delegation led by Cardinal

Roger Etchegaray Roger Marie Élie Etchegaray (; 25 September 1922 – 4 September 2019) was a French cardinal of the Catholic Church. Etchegaray served as the Archbishop of Marseille from 1970 to 1985 before entering the Roman Curia, where he served as Presid ...

.Abbaye Saint-Victor de Marseille, monuments historiques en France (in French)
/ref>

Gallery

File:Hagios Andreas Kuppel.jpg, The dome of Saint Andrew cathedral depicting

Christ Pantocrator In Christian iconography, Christ Pantocrator ( grc-gre, Χριστὸς Παντοκράτωρ) is a specific depiction of Christ. ''Pantocrator'' or ''Pantokrator'', literally ''ruler of all'', but usually translated as "Almighty" or "all-po ...

File:Ι.Ναός Αγ.Ανδρέα 04.jpg, Interior File:Σταυρός μαρτυρίου Αγίου Ανδρέα, Πάτρα.jpg, Interior File:Cathedral Agios Andreas - Interior by ArmAg (8).jpg, Interior File:Ι.Ναός Αγ.Ανδρέα 01.jpg, View of the marble

Templon A templon (from Greek τέμπλον meaning "temple", plural ''templa'') is a feature of Byzantine churches consisting of a barrier separating the nave from the sanctuary near the altar. The solid templon first appeared in Christian churches aro ...

and the mural paintings depicting

Panagia Panagia ( el, Παναγία, fem. of , + , the ''All-Holy'', or the ''Most Holy''; pronounced ) (also transliterated Panaghia or Panajia), in Medieval and Modern Greek, is one of the titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, used especially in Eastern ...

protecting the city of Patras File:Ι.Ναός Αγ.Ανδρέα 08.jpg, Interior view of the church. Beneath the dome hangs the central circular chandelier with depictions of the saints and apostles which in traditional Greek orthodox churches is called the ''horos''. File:Cathedral Agios Andreas - Interior by ArmAg (1).jpg, Icon of Saint Andrew File:Hagios Andreas Andreas.jpg, Mural depicting the meeting of Saint Apostole Andrew and

Saint Peter ) (Simeon, Simon) , birth_date = , birth_place = Bethsaida, Gaulanitis, Syria, Roman Empire , death_date = Between AD 64–68 , death_place = probably Vatican Hill, Rome, Italia, Roman Empire , parents = John (or Jonah; Jona) , occupat ...

with

Jesus Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

. We read the inscription in Greek "Εὑρήκαμεν τὸν Μεσίαν" ("We have found the Messiah”, John 1:41)

The old Temple

The older, much smaller, cathedral of St Andrew is located beside the current one. It was designed by

Lysandros Kaftanzoglou Lysandros Kaftanzoglou (Greek: Λύσανδρος Καυτανζόγλου, 1811 – 1885) was a Greek architect of the 19th century and Chancellor of the National Technical University of Athens. He was born in Thessaloniki. During the massacre ...

in the late 19th century. File:Old Saint Andrew church, Patra 9281555.jpg, View File:Old Saint Andrew church, Patra (3).jpg, Interior File:Old Saint Andrew church, Patra (5).jpg, Interior

References

Sources

*Μ. Λεφαντζής, «Ο μεγάλος ναοδόμος Γεώργιος Νομικός», Περιοδικό Αρχιτέκτονες, Τεύχος 39, Μάιος-Ιούνιος 2003 *Χ. Αποστολόπουλος,
Ιστορικά Στοιχεία από την Ανέγερση-Βλάβες στη Δομή του Νέου Ναού του Αγίου Ανδρέα Πατρών
�, 3ο Εθνικό Συνέδριο, Ήπιες Επεμβάσεις για την Προστασία των Ιστορικών Κατασκευών, Νέες Τάσεις Σχεδιασμού, 9-11 Απριλίου 2009 Θεσσαλονίκη, σελ. 441–450. *Κώστας Τριαντάφυλλου. «0 νέος μεγάλος ναός στην Πάτρα του Πολιούχου της Αγίου Ανδρέα», Πελοποννησιακή Πρωτοχρονιά (1962) 306-3

External links

Official municipal websiteHoly Metropolis of Patras Website
{{Churches in Greece Churches in Patras Byzantine Revival architecture in Greece Andrew the Apostle Greek Orthodox cathedrals in Greece Tourist attractions in Patras Church buildings with domes Tombs of apostles Churches completed in 1974 20th-century churches in Greece