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Kerameikos is a neighborhood in Athens, Greece. It’s named for the Kerameikos archaeological site which sits within its boundaries.
Introduction to Kerameikos
Kerameikos is situated north of Thiseio, west of Psyrri and Monastiraki, and south of Metaxourgeio. Other than the archaeological site, one of the highlights of the neighborhood is the Benaki Museum of Islamic Art. The Makronisos Museum, which is unknown even to many Greeks, is across the street from the Benaki Museum.
Agioi Asomatoi
At the southeast corner of the neighborhood is the Agioi Asomatoi Church, which translates to the Church of the Incorporeal Angels. It’s a Byzantine church built in the second half of the 11th century and rebuilt in 1880. The church is typically open in the mornings.
Holocaust Memorial
A few steps west down the pedestrianized portion of Ermou, near a park overlooking the Kerameikos archaeological site, is the Holocaust Memorial. It was unveiled in 2010 and takes the shape of a broken Star of David. The memorial was made of Egyptian marble and created by Greek-American sculptor DeAnna Maganias.
The pieces of the star point to the different cities, towns, and villages where Jews were gathered by the Nazis and deported. Around 65,000 Greek Jews were sent to Auschwitz between 1941 and 1944.
House with Caryatids
A block north of the two previously mentioned museums is the interesting House with Caryatids. It was built sometime in the late 19th century in the typical Athenian Neoclassical style. The house includes two Caryatids on the balcony created by the owner, sculptor Ioannis Karakatsanis (1857-1906). He used his wife, Xanthi (d. 1949), and her sister, Evdokia (d. 1950), as models. The family sold the house after Karakatsanis died in 1906.
A man named Panagiotis Kritikakos, who had a barber shop on the ground floor, created an urban legend about the statues to drum up business. He claimed that the daughters of the original owner of the house were poisoned by their jealous stepmother, the owner’s second wife. To honor their memory, the owner had the two statues erected in their memory.
In addition to the urban legend, the House with Caryatids became world famous thanks to a photo by French photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson (1908-2004) taken in 1953. It was later the subject of a novel by Costas Taktsis (1927-1988) and a painting by Yannis Tsarouchis (1910-1989) in 1971.
Koumoundourou Square
On the east side of Kerameikos, connecting the neighborhood with Psyrri, is the gritty Koumoundourou Square. There’s no real reason to go out of your way to see it, especially since it tends to attract unsavory characters.
The square was laid out by German architect Leo von Klenze (1784-1864) in the 1830s. The original name was Ludwig Square, after Ludwig I of Bavaria, the father of King Otto. In 1862, after Otto was deposed, the official name changed to Freedom (Eleftherias) Square.
Koumoundourou Square holds an important place in modern Olympic history. The first modern Olympic Games, the Zappas Olympics, were held there on November 15, 1859. All the participants were from Greece or the Greek diaspora. They competed in running, discus, javelin, wrestling, jumping, and pole climbing. The gymnastic events of the second Olympics were held there in 1870.
Most Athenians refer to the square by its unofficial name, Koumoundourou Square. This is because the mansion of Alexandros Koumoundouros (1815-1883), who served as Prime Minister of Greece no fewer than 10 times, once sat on the southeast side. The mansion was originally built in 1832 by Prince of Wallachia Ioannis Karatzas (1754-1844), who hosted King Otto there on his first visit to Athens. It was designed by architect Stamatios Kleanthis (1802-1862) and was purchased by Koumoundouros in 1879. The building later served as a boys school until it was demolished in 1978.
Municipal Nursery
The former Municipal Nursery stands at the north end of Koumoundourou Square. It was built between 1872 and 1874 and designed by architect Panagis Kalkos (1816-1875). The building functioned as a nursery until 1977. It was then renovated and served as the Municipal Gallery of Athens until 2010. In front of the nursery is the small Church of the Holy Unmercenaries (Agioi Anargyroi), which was completed in 1893.
Cathedral of St. Gregory the Illuminator
Finally, a block south of Koumoundourou Square is the Armenian Cathedral of St. Gregory the Illuminator. It was built in 1935 on the site of a wooden church operating since 1908. The cathedral hosts the Armenian Prelacy of Greece.
