The Church of Panayia Halkeon is a church in the Greek city of Thessaloniki. It is located north of the Via Egnatia that bisects the city, where it crosses with the Via Aristotelous that leads to the Aristotelous Square. Thessaloniki, (Greek: Θεσσαλονίκη), is Greeces second-largest city and the capital of the Greek region of Macedonia and the periphery of Central Macedonia. ... Ancient Via Egnatia route Via Egnatia (Greek: Εγνατία Οδός) was a road constructed by the Romans around 146 BC. It was named after Gnaeus Egnatius, proconsul of Macedonia, who ordered its construction. ... Aristotelous Square (Greek Οδος Αριστοτελους) is one of the main squares of Thessaloniki, Greece. ...

The church was build in the eleventh century by a protospatharios (a senior officer in the imperial guard of the Byzantine Empire) by the name of Christophoros on top of an ancient temple dedicated to Hephaestus ^[1]. This Christophoros is also buried inside the church. Byzantine Empire at its greatest extent c. ... Hephaestus, Greek god of forging, riding a Donkey; Greek drinking cup (skyphos) made in the 5th century BC Hephaestus (IPA pronunciation: or ; Greek Hêphaistos) was the Greek god whose Roman equivalent was Vulcan; he was the god of technology including, specifically blacksmiths, craftsmen, artisans, sculptors, metals and metallurgy, and...

The ground plan is that of a classic "cross-in-square-form", and the church is most notable for its frescoes in the cupola and the elegant brick walls. Fresco by Dionisius representing Saint Nicholas. ...

The church is named after the area of the city it is in, the Halkadika or coppersmith part of the town. During the Ottoman times, the church was a mosque dedicated to the coppersmith guild. A coppersmith is a person who works with copper and brass. ... Motto دولت ابد مدت Devlet-i Ebed-müddet (The Eternal State) Anthem Ottoman imperial anthem Borders in 1680, see: list of territories Capital Söğüt (1299–1326) Bursa (1326–65) Edirne (1365–1453) Constantinople (Ä°stanbul, 1453–1922) Language(s) Ottoman Turkish Government Monarchy Sultans  - 1281–1326 Osman I  - 1918–22 Mehmed VI...

References

1. ^ "Thessaloniki History - Arhaeology - Tourism", by Rekos Ltd, ISBN 960-7167-66-X

Coordinates: 40°38′12.51″N, 22°56′37.45″E Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...