Holy Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary

The Holy Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary in Edessa is one of the few surviving Byzantine monuments of the city, with frescoes of the 14th century.

The church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary in the traditional district of Varossi in Edessa is one of the most important and few surviving Byzantine monuments of the city. Built on the eastern edge of the steep cliff, with a view that embraces the city, it was the old metropolitan church of the Vodenes, i.e. of medieval Edessa.

Its architecture follows the type of the three-aisled timber-framed basilica, with a raised nave and narthex on the west side. The characteristic three-sided niches of the sanctuary, the porch and the diaconate dominate the east. Although its present form has been altered, mainly during the Turkish occupation, the church retains strong traces of its Byzantine past. It is indicative that by the 1970s it had lost its recognizable ecclesiastical form, resembling more of a secular building.

Its fresco decoration is one of the most important surviving elements, with two distinct layers. The oldest frescoes, which date from around the end of the 14th century, are artistically linked to the School of Thessaloniki. These include a depiction of a donor offering the temple’s effigy to Christ, accompanied by the inscription ‘The Wisdom of God’, an indication that the temple was originally dedicated to Hagia Sophia. The later frescoes, mainly in the sanctuary area, were added in the 17th century by artists from northern Greece.

A special place in the architecture of the church is occupied by the early Christian columns and the imposing capitals bearing reliefs such as rams and eagles, elements attributed to the 5th century. The church’s carved, gilded wooden iconostasis, dating from the second half of the 19th century, is also an example of fine art and testimony to the continuity of the cult tradition in the area.

The church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary is a living testimony of the Byzantine and post-Byzantine history of Edessa and is a jewel of spiritual and artistic value for the city and the wider region.