8. The Church of the Acheiropoietos

The Church of Panagia Acheiropoietos is another of Thessaloniki’s monuments to be given UNESCO World Heritage Site status due to its historical and architectural significance. 

It was built in the mid-5th century AD on the ruins of a Roman bath and is one of the best-preserved and most important examples of a wooden-roofed basilica with galleries from the Early Byzantine period. Historical records refer to it as the Church of the Virgin Theotokos, with the name Acheiropoietos first appearing in a letter from 1320. The name, which means "not made by human hands", likely derives from an icon of the Virgin found within the church, believed to have divine rather than human origins.

The Church of Panagia Acheiropoietos has played a pivotal role in the history of Thessaloniki. During the Byzantine period, it was part of the litany route in honour of Saint Demetrius, the patron saint of the city. Following the Ottoman conquest in 1430, it became the first Christian church converted into a mosque by Sultan Murad II. 

Indeed, a Turkish inscription on one of the church’s columns reads, "Sultan Murad took Thessaloniki". The building remained a mosque until the liberation of Thessaloniki in 1912. It was later used as a shelter for victims of the Great Fire of Thessaloniki in 1917 and the refugees from World War I and the Asia Minor Catastrophe.

Inside you can admire exquisite mosaics from the 5th century and some frescoes from the 13th century. The church also has richly sculpted architectural decoration, including remarkable mid-5th-century Ionic capitals (or column tops) made in workshops in Constantinople. Today, Panagia Acheiropoietos is not only an architectural gem but also a piece of Thessaloniki's rich historical and religious heritage.