The Kaisariani Monastery on Mount Hymettus: the dome that rests on a Roman temple

Seven kilometres from Syntagma Square, on the north-western slopes of Mount Hymettus, the Kaisariani Monastery (Moni Kaisarianis) sits within a pine forest that cleanly separates it from the noise of Athens. The complex, founded around 1100, is gathered inside an enclosing wall that closes everything into a single courtyard: the church, the refectory, the monks' cells, the baths, and an oil press. It is one of the best-preserved medieval monasteries in Attica, yet it remains off to the side compared with the great sites of the centre.

The church and the dome

The main church, the katholikon, is dedicated to the Presentation of the Virgin at the Temple and is built to the Byzantine inscribed-cross plan, with semi-hexagonal apses. The detail that makes it special is visible the moment you step inside: the dome does not rest on pillars built for the purpose, but on four ancient columns, salvaged from a Roman temple that once stood here and reassembled to support the drum. This reuse of older materials (spolia) was common practice in Byzantine construction, and at Kaisariani you can see it up close.

The frescoes

The frescoes covering the interior belong for the most part to the Ottoman period: they were painted in 1682 by Ioannis Ypatos, a painter from the Peloponnese, with the financial backing of the wealthy Athenian Benizelos family. In the dome you can make out Christ Pantocrator, while in the lunette the Virgin Platytera is depicted enthroned. On the exterior north wall there is a small chapel dedicated to Saint Anthony, and in the narthex an older painting of the Theotokos is preserved, a rural technique attributed to the 14th century. The monastery had a life of its own for centuries: in 1678 Patriarch Dionysius IV declared it stauropegic, that is, independent of the local bishop, and a renowned school and library operated here, until in the 19th century the site decayed to the point of being used as a stable. The restoration that brought it back to life is the work of the Philodasiki Enosi Athinon between 1952 and 1955.

An ancient sacred place

The site was sacred long before the Christians. The hill probably hosted a cult connected to Aphrodite, Christianised between the 5th and 6th centuries, and owes its continuity to a spring: the water of Hymettus still flows just outside the walls and was considered healing since antiquity. All around stretches the Aesthetic Forest of Kaisariani, a reforested wood crossed by trails and picnic areas, with the panoramic point of the Taxiarches hill that opens up a view over all of Athens.

How to get there

How to get there: by car it is about 30 minutes from the centre (Vasilissis Sofias, then Michalakopoulou and Imittou street up to Kaisariani avenue; parking near the entrance), or a taxi for around 10 euros. By public transport you take bus 224 from Syntagma to the terminus, from where it is a 20-40 minute uphill walk through the woods. The walled complex is open every day except Tuesday, roughly 8:30 to 16:00, with a ticket in the region of 5 euros (it is best to have cash). One or two hours are enough for the visit, plus half an hour for the surroundings. There are no cafés inside: better to bring water and something to eat, comfortable shoes and sun protection. Even on Tuesdays, with the church closed, the woods and trails remain walkable, and it is a good excuse to combine the monastery with a hike on Hymettus.

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