Church of St. John Aliturgetos

Old church restored with US money.

HistoryThe Church of St. John Alitourgetos was built in the 14th century. Local legend says that the church was never consecrated and therefore received the name Alitourgetos, which translates as Unconsecrated.Nevertheless, there is evidence that the church was active and that liturgies were actually performed here. St. John Alitourgetos belongs to the cruciform lined churches, also known as"cross-in-square" type. It has a narthex to the west, a square naos, and a three-part sanctuary to the east.The cross shape is formed by the intersection of two semi-cylindrical barrel vaults, one oriented along the church's axis (east-west) and the other, perpendicular to the first, oriented north-south.A large hemispherical dome, supported by four marble columns, protruded above the naos. Within the narthex, near the north and south walls, two burial chambers with semi-cylindrical vaults were discovered. At the beginning of the 20th century, the church suffered extensive damage from a fire. During an earthquake in 1913, the komel, almost the entire south wall, and part of the west wall collapsed. However, the north and east walls have fully retained their original appearance to this day. The church underwent various conservation and restoration projects in the 1920s, 1960s, and 1980s.