Church of the Holy Apostles (Thessaloniki)
The Church of the Holy Apostles
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| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
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| Official name | Paleochristian and Byzantine Monuments of Thessalonika |
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Thessaloniki, Municipality of Thessaloniki, Greece 
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| Coordinates | 40°38′34″N 22°56′15″E / 40.642839°N 22.937547°E |
| Criteria | Cultural: (i), (ii), (iv)
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| Reference | 456 |
| Inscription | 1988 (12th Session) |
 Location of Church of the Holy Apostles
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The Church of the Holy Apostles (Greek: Ἅγιοι Ἀπόστολοι) is a 14th-century Byzantine church in the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki.
The church is located at the start of Olympou Street, near the city's western medieval walls.
As evidenced by remnants of a column to the south of the church and a cistern to its northwest, it originally formed part of a larger complex. Consequently it appears that the church was originally built as the katholikon of a monastery.
The date of its construction is not entirely clear: the founder's inscription above the entrance, the monograms in the capitals and other inscriptions refer to Nephon I, Patriarch of Constantinople in 1310–1314, as the ktetor. Another inscription on the eastern wall commemorates the same patriarch and his pupil, the hegumenos Paul, as first and second ktetores respectively. Recent analysis using carbon-14 however points to a later date for the entire structure, ca. 1329. A depiction of the hegumenos Paul kneeling before Mary, as well as a series of Marian scenes lead to the conclusion that the church was dedicated to Mary, perhaps to be identified with the Monastery of Theotokos Gorgoepikoos.
The building belongs to the type of the composite, five-domed cross-in-square churches, with four supporting columns. It also features a narthex with a U-shaped peristoon (an ambulatory with galleries), with small domes at each corner. There are also two small side-chapels to the east. The exterior walls feature rich decoration with a variety of brick-work patterns.
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