Byzantine and Christian Museum, Athens. Courtesy of Byzantine and Christian Museum
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Byzantine & Christian Museum
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When:
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Daily; not Mon
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Where:
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Byzantine & Christian Museum
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| Costs: |
€4
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| Opening Hours: |
Tue-Sun 8.30am-3pm
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In its underground exhibition space in Kolonaki, the Byzantine and Christian Museum traces the Byzantine Empire from the birth of Christianity to the 1453 fall of Constantinople. Exhibits include solemn icons, religious frescoes, jewellery and ecclesiastical artefacts.
Especially valuable pieces include a sculptural group showing Orpheus, seated on a tree trunk, playing his lyre with animals forming a perforated crown around him, dated to the 4th century AD. Other treasures include a gold necklace from the Mytilene treasure trove from the 7th century and a double-sided icon of Saint George.
The museum was founded in 1914. From 1930 it moved to the Ilisia mansion, transformed into a museum by the architect Aristotle Zachos. The museum library is open to researchers, scholars and students.
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