Panagia Ekatontapiliani

The church of a hundred doors traces its foundation to the fourth century and Saint Helena, and was rebuilt in the sixth under Justinian into the cruciform basilica that stands today, one of the best-preserved early Christian churches in Greece. The name comes from a tradition that ninety-nine doors are visible and a hundredth will appear when Constantinople is Greek again; visitors count them without success. The complex includes the main church with its marble iconostasis and ancient columns, the older baptistery with a cruciform font in the floor, the chapel of Agios Nikolaos, and a small Byzantine museum in the cloister. Ancient blocks are reused throughout, and the whole is enclosed within a courtyard of monastic cells and a defensive wall.

History

The church dates to 326, and tradition credits its founding to Saint Helen, mother of Constantine the Great, who stopped on Paros on her pilgrimage to the Holy Land; Justinian is credited with later building on the site. The name, "of a hundred doors", may be a corruption of Katapoliani, "the lower town church", for its place by the sea; badly damaged by an earthquake in the 18th century and gradually restored, it is the second most famous Marian pilgrimage church of the Aegean after the church on Tinos (Wikipedia, Panagia Ekatontapiliani).

What you'll find

• The main basilica - a sixth-century cruciform church with marble screens.
• The baptistery - an early Christian font sunk into the floor.
• The doors - the ninety-nine of the legend, countable and disputed.
• The Byzantine museum - icons and church treasures in the cloister.

When to go

Year-round; the church is open daily with a midday break and is busiest around the feast of the Dormition on 15 August, when Parikia fills with pilgrims.

What to expect

Modest dress is required and photography inside is limited. The interior is dim, and much of the original decoration was lost in later rebuildings. The visit takes under an hour without the museum.

Nearby

Parikia's Venetian castle and waterfront are minutes away; the Marathi marble quarries lie inland.

Key facts