“Holy Trinity,” a name whispered with reverence. Here stands the Church of the Holy Trinity, also known as the Russian Church. This Byzantine-era church serves Athens’ Russian Orthodox community.
The Church of the Holy Trinity holds several names. Some call it the Russian Church. Others know it as St. Nikodemos. This modern name comes from a corruption of its original name. The original name was Soteira Lykodimou meaning “the [Virgin] Saviouress of Lykodemos.” “Lykodemos” likely came from a founder’s family name. Originally, it was the katholikon of a large convent. In 1778, the Ottoman governor Hadji Ali Haseki tore down the convent. He needed material to construct a new city wall.
K. Pittakes, a 19th-century archaeologist, connected “Lykodemos” to Aristotle’s Lyceum. While unproven, excavations revealed a 6th-century church foundation. This suggests Classical traditions remained when it was built. However, the Lyceum’s 1996 discovery disproved this theory.
Graffiti indicates the Church of the Holy Trinity predates 1044. Some say even earlier, 1031. It mentions Stephen, the “first founder”. Its design closely resembles Hosios Loukas, finished in 1011. This indicates a construction date after that. Information about the church is scarce until the 1705 earthquake. It suffered considerable damage then. It was repaired, and its interior redecorated. But, Russian archimandrite Antonin claimed the church was abandoned in the 16th century. The wider area was also abandoned then.
In 1821, the Greek siege of the Acropolis damaged it severely. An Ottoman cannonball collapsed two-thirds of the dome. The entire west wall and narthex vaults also fell. After the Greek War of Independence, it was abandoned and fell into ruin. In 1847, Russian Tsar Nicholas I wanted to acquire the church. He sought to provide religious services for Athens’ Russian community. The Greek government agreed, if the church was restored to its original state.
Initially, the technical committee considered demolition and replacement. Ultimately, they decided to restore it as close to the original as possible. Restoration occurred from 1850 to 1855. Greek Army major T. Vlasopoulos oversaw the work. The dome, western side, and most vaults were replaced. The eastern side, much of the north and south sides, and the lower western wall are original. Some interventions altered the building considerably. French scholar A. Couchaud removed interior non-bearing walls. This attempted to restore the church to its “original” state. Some walls were 18th-century additions. But, many were original and delimited functional spaces. Vlasopoulos added elaborate doorways and window mullions. The high chamfered marble crépis detracted from the monument’s authenticity. The marble templon was lost. Only a drawing by A. Lenoir, sketched around 1840, remains.
The Church of the Holy Trinity stands as the largest surviving Byzantine church in Athens. It closely resembles the katholikon of Hosios Loukas monastery. Its morphology, dimensions, and decoration mirror Hosios Loukas. The Athenian church’s measurements are almost exactly three-quarters of Hosios Loukas. Its design is a typical middle Byzantine cross-in-square. A dome rests on an octagonal base. High-quality masonry features dressed stones separated by double brick courses. The exterior displays pseudo-Kufic decorative designs of brick. These resemble Hosios Loukas and the Church of the Holy Apostles. Some are individual, others form a frieze on three sides. Champlevé ornaments on white plaster emulate contemporary Byzantine art.
German artist Ludwig Thiersch carried out the present interior frescoes. He was assisted by Nikiforos Lytras and Spyridon Hatzigiannopoulos. Save for a Christ bust and two angels on the southern wall, the previous interior decoration is lost. Paul Durand’s sketches provide most of our knowledge. The building underwent at least three decoration phases. The last occurred in the early 18th century during repairs after the 1705 earthquake. Durand’s sketches show late examples of the Cretan School. However, the dome paintings likely date to the original 11th-century ensemble. They depicted eight angels surrounding Christ Pantokrator in the dome. The Church of the Holy Trinity stands as a testament to time. It is a blend of history and faith in the heart of Athens.