Cathedral Of Saint Andrew, Patras

The Cathedral of Saint Andrew also called Cathedral Church of Saint Andrew () or simply Hagios Andreas is a Greek Orthodox basilica in the west side of the city center of Patras in Greece. Along with the nearby old church of St. Andrew (), 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 began in 1908 under the supervision of the architect Anastasios Metaxas, followed by Georgios Nomikos. It was inaugurated 66 years later, in 1974. According to University of Patras 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, after the Cathedral of Saint Sava in Belgrade and Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Sofia. Other sources consider Church of Saint Panteleimon of Acharnai 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

Relics of the apostle Saint Andrew are stored in the church. They consist of the little 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, Rome in September 1964, on the orders of Pope Paul VI. 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) and many Greek Orthodox bishops participated in the reception ceremony for the skull. After a procession through the streets of Patras, 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, and parts were kept in the Abbey of St. Victor in Marseille since the Middle Ages. These were returned to Patras on 19 January 1980, presented to the Bishop Nicodemus of Patras by a Roman Catholic delegation led by Cardinal Roger Etchegaray.Abbaye Saint-Victor de Marseille, monuments historiques en France (in French)
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Gallery

File:Hagios Andreas Kuppel.jpg, The dome of Saint Andrew cathedral depicting Christ Pantocrator
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 and the mural paintings depicting Panagia 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 with Jesus Christ. We read the inscription in Greek "Εὑρήκαμεν τὸν Μεσσίαν" ("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 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

See also

*Apollon Theatre (Patras)
* Archaeological Museum of Patras
* Rio-Antirio bridge
*List of largest Eastern Orthodox church buildings

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

The official website of Saint Andrew's Cathedral in Patras, GreeceOfficial 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
Eastern Orthodoxy in Patras