Cathedral Basilica of St. Dionysius the Areopagite

The Cathedral Basilica of St. Dionysius the Areopagite is the main Catholic church of Athens, Greece, and the seat of the Catholic Archbishop of Athens. It is located in central Athens, at the junction of Panepistimiou Avenue with Omirou Street and is dedicated to Saint Dionysius the Areopagite, disciple of the Apostle Saint Paul and the first bishop of Athens.

The Cathedral Basilica of St. Dionysius the Areopagite is the principal Roman Catholic church in Athens, and has been since the mid-19th century. Although historical records indicate that previous Catholic cathedrals existed in the city prior to the modern era, little is known about the architecture or exact administration of these ancient structures. The current cathedral, situated prominently on Panepistimiou Avenue, is a neo-Renaissance basilica that was constructed in the mid-19th century.

The history of the Archdiocese of Athens traces its origins to the early Christian community established by Paul the Apostle around 51 AD, until the Great Schism of 1054 aligned the Christian community in Athens with the Eastern Orthodox Church. A distinct Latin rite Archdiocese was officially erected on 27 November 1205, following the Fourth Crusade, when Frankish crusaders conquered Athens and controversially converted the Orthodox Cathedral in the Parthenon into the Catholic Cathedral. This Catholic cathedral in the Parthenon and the medieval Latin diocese operated for over 250 years during the era of the Duchy of Athens but was suppressed and reduced to a titular see following the Ottoman conquest of Athens in 1458, plunging the local Catholic administrative presence into almost four centuries of dormancy.

Church data from Wikidata (CC0). Summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).