Metamorfosis Sotiros church at Pythagoreion

• Description

The church is located on a hill, in the southwestern part of Pythagoreion, next to tower / museum of Lykourgos Logothetis. It is dedicated to the Transfiguration of the Savior and celebrates on August 6th.

The foundation of the church commenced on 20 February 1831 and was completed on 25 June 1853. The initiative for the erection and the drawings of the church belonged to Lykourgos Logothetis, who was the leading figure of the Samian Revolution against the Othomans in 1821.

The church was erected to commemorate the victory of Samians, in a naval battle that took place in Mykali’s Straits with the Othoman fleet on August 6, 1824, which coincided with the Day of the Transfiguration of the Savior. Lykourgos Logothetis requested that the inscriptions “Χριστός Σάμον έσωσε την 6η Αυγούστου” ( = Christ save Samos on August 6th).

According to Samian, historian and scholar Epaminondas Stamatiadis, when Lykourgos Logothetis going to dying, asked, one thousand “talara” (coin of the season) that he was entitled by the public of Samos, to give it for the repair of the church, and according to the writer he said “as that the beggar has gave two cents for the freedom of Greece, so I too, because I do not have much to give, I give only those but I give it with all my sincerity.”

The church is a symbol of the liberation of Samos by the Othomans, so every year in Pythagorio, the celebration of Transfiguration of the Savior (6th August) is celebrated with brilliant two-day events, and a representation of the naval battle of Mykali on August 6, 1824.

It belongs to church type, basilica with a dome. It was originally a single-room with an arch, later expanded to the north and south with rectangular edges. It has an excellent marble iconostasi and a pulpit of the early 20th century.

It has been declared a historic listed monument since 1954  (Official Gazette 138/8-7-1954).

• Features

• Foundation : was founded 20/02/1831, completed 25/06/1853  
• Celebration : 6th August 
  
• Altitude :  Elevation ≈ 5 m
  
• Condition : good
  
• Administratively : Parish church

• Getting there

• The church is located in the southwest corner of Pythagoreion, with easy access from the southern part of the Pythagorean harbor or from the parking next to it.

• Video

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