Cathedral of Saint Andrew

Patras, Greece

The construction of the Greek Byzantine-style Cathedral of Saint Andrew began in 1908 under the supervision of the architect Anastasios Metaxas, followed by Georgios Nomikos. It was inaugurated 66 years later, in 1974. 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. 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 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, 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 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 delegation led by Cardinal Roger Etchegaray.

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Details

Founded: 1908-1974
Category: Religious sites in Greece

More Information

en.wikipedia.org

Rating

4.8/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Hendrik Haljas (8 months ago)
Not reccomend! Plays loud bells early in da mornin when I would prefer sleeping.
Anca Ioana Pacurari (11 months ago)
Thanks ? to the Saint Andrew for being with him today in his place, it was a great honour for me to visit him!!! God bless you all!!!
Mihai Alexandrescu (14 months ago)
Amazing Church. Having as well the relics of Saint Andrew and an extraordinary pieces of Art in all the way place this cathedral maybe the second place to visit in Greece. If you visit Patras it's a pitty to miss this place. Highly reccommanded.
Dimitris K (16 months ago)
The Saint Andreas Orthodox church in Patras is a stunning basilica that hosts the relics of the city’s patron saint, the apostle Andrew. The church is the largest in Greece and has a beautiful dome, a marble iconostasis, and impressive frescoes and mosaics. I highly recommend visiting this church if you are in Patras. Historical trivia: Saint Andrew was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ and the brother of Simon Peter. He is said to have preached the gospel in various regions, including Asia Minor, Scythia, and Greece. He was martyred in Patras by being crucified on an X-shaped cross, which is now known as the Saint Andrew’s cross.
Sara Nena (2 years ago)
It is one of the most important places to visit in Patra. They say that here is kept the head of Saint Andrew and also that this church is the biggest of all balcany. It is impressive indeed how big it is, if you consider that Orthodox churches are smaller than the Catholic ones. A curiosity is that the first church wasn't the biggest one, but the one at the right, where I really suggest to enter, cause it has an amazing fresco in the ceiling.
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