Athens has many hidden stories and secrets from its ancient past. One of them is related to the Acropolis and its monuments, which have witnessed thousands of years of history. There is something that most people are unaware of, even if they have seen it from a distance.
On the south side of the Sacred Rock, there is a small church, also known as Panagia Spiliotissa. But to understand its origin, we have to go back to the beginning. There, on the south side of the acropolis rock, there is a cave. And in front of this cave, there is a monument that stands out when you look at the Theatre of Dionysus. This is the monument of Thrasyllos, a sponsor of the Great Dionysian Games.
The monument was built around 320 BC by Thrasylos, and it had the shape of a miniature temple, resembling the typical sponsored monuments. The monument survived until 1827, when it was destroyed by a bombardment during the Turkish siege of the Acropolis. The iron bars that you can see today indicate that there is something valuable inside.
That something is an unknown church, a secret that few people know about, that is located in the Acropolis, at its feet. The older generations, however, are familiar with Panagia Spiliotissa (Virgin Mary of the Cave), which was created during the Ottoman occupation. The ancient and the christian monument coexist in harmony, in front of and behind the cave.
Photo Source: Davide Mauro
The small church was established in the cave, and the monument of Thrasyllos was preserved almost intact until 1827, with some modifications, such as the closing of its two openings with walls. And it was always a popular subject in the historical depictions of the monuments of Athens of the 18th and early 19th centuries. In early 2017, the monument of Thrasyllos was restored and the walls of Panagia Spiliotissa were renovated, inside the cave. The Acropolis has been keeping this secret for years very well…
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