Daphni Monastery
Μονή Δαφνίου
A UNESCO-listed Byzantine monastery. Its 11th-century gold-ground mosaics, especially the Christ Pantocrator in the dome, are regarded as the pinnacle of mid-Byzantine art.
Daphni Monastery sits in Chaidari, about 11 km west of Athens, on the site of an ancient temple of Apollo. The katholikon was built in the late 11th century, and in 1990 the monastery was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site along with Hosios Loukas and the New Monastery on Chios. The highlight is the gold-ground mosaics inside the church: the stern Christ Pantocrator at the centre of the dome, and cycles depicting the Baptism of Christ, the Transfiguration and more. They are considered masterpieces of the "Macedonian Renaissance" period of Byzantine art. The monastery underwent long restoration after the 1999 earthquake, and opening days and hours are limited (usually a few weekday mornings), so check the Greek Ministry of Culture website before you go. Admission costs a few euros. Bus or taxi takes about 20 to 30 minutes, and it is often on the way to Elefsina.
Opening hours
Limited opening days, usually some weekday mornings 08:30–15:30 (check official site)
Nearby sights
- Plato's Academy Archaeological Park
- Kerameikos
- Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center
- Pnyx
- Ancient Agora of Athens
- Monastiraki
- Areopagus Hill
- Philopappos Hill