Church of Agios Georgios Karytsis

Βehind the bustling Stadiou street, a reference point for the area of the historical centre of Athens, is the elegant church of Agios Georgios Karytsis. At the centre of the small square with the same name, it is surrounded by buildings related to the intellectual and artistic life of the city.

Its foundation took place in the 11th century and it belonged to the well-known Athenian family of Karitsis or Karikis. During the Greek Revolution in 1821 it suffered significant damages and by the end of the Revolution it was almost in ruins. However, it continued to be used. As a matter of fact, the Athenians in this church chose the delegation that was to greet the arrival of King Otto in Nafplio. The bad condition of the church led the people of the parish to address the architect Lysandros Kaftantzoglou.The church was reconstructed in the period 1845-1849, slightly less Byzantine is style and with less western influences than other churches of the same architect.
In 1895 the magnificent screen was made and the archieratic throne in 1901, works of the well-known wood-carver Ioannis Magiasis. Important painters of that time, such as Polychronis Lembesis, Dimos Georgantas and Dimitrios Pelekasis have contributed in the wall paintings of the church. A noteworthy detail is the oil painting of the parable of the blind, on the northern wall near the sanctuary, the work of the archaeologist Alexander Philadelpheus, who was a curator of antiquities and director of important museums.