Athens, Greece:
About Athens, Greece:
Athens is the capital and largest city of Greece, located in the Attica region in a mountain-ringed basin near the Aegean Sea (with the port of Piraeus nearby). It is one of the world’s oldest continuously inhabited cities, with a recorded history of over 3,400 years, and is widely regarded as the birthplace of Western civilization, democracy, philosophy, and classical arts. Its peak came in the 5th century BC (the Golden Age of Pericles).
Today it is a vibrant modern metropolis of roughly 3.1–3.6 million people in the urban area, blending ancient landmarks—most famously the Acropolis and Parthenon—with contemporary urban life, museums, and a lively cultural scene. It is, of course, a popular tourist destination.
Catholic places of interest in Athens, Greece:
The majority of Christian churches in Athens are Greek Orthodox. The Greek Orthodox Church is not in communion with Rome. The two bodies have been separated since the East-West Schism of 1054, so you will have to do some searching to find a Roman Catholic Mass.
The cruise port of Piraeus has one Roman Catholic church:
Many cruise lines offer port calls in Athens, stopping at the cruise port of Piraeus. Most cruise ships in Piraeus arrive in the early morning — typically between 5:00 AM and 8:00 AM — and remain in port until late afternoon or early evening, with departures usually between 5:00 PM (17:00) and 8:00 PM (20:00). Piraeus is about 7 miles (11 km) from Athens.
St. Paul’s Church
Filonos 23 Peiraieus (Next to the cruise port)
Sunday Mass: English Mass 1:00 pm (September till June) 12:00 pm (July and August). Other Masses in Greek and Spanish
Tel: (+30) 210-412 6166 Fax: (+30) 210-413 1666
email: enoria@naos-aghiospavlos.gr
Visit the official website for Saint Paul’s Church in Piraeus, Greece (in English).
Roman Catholic churches in the city of Athens, Greece:
Athens is certainly one of the most ancient and fascinating cities. Most Christian churches are Greek Orthodox; however, you can find several Roman Catholic churches throughout the city. Note: Ordinarily, Catholics should not receive Communion in a Greek Orthodox Church. This is because receiving the Eucharist expresses full communion with the Church offering it, and Catholics are not in full ecclesial communion with the Orthodox Church.
English Language Masses in Athens, Greece:
Cathedral Basilica of St. Dionysius the Areopagite
The seat of the Archbishop of Athens. Dionysius the Areopagite was an Athenian judge at the Areopagus Court in Athens, who lived in the first century. As related in the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 17:34), he was converted to Christianity by the preaching of Paul the Apostle, being first stirred to Christian doctrine by Paul’s sermon at the Areopagus: “Men of Athens, I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and examined your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: To an Unknown God. Therefore what you worship as something unknown, I now proclaim to you.” (Acts 17:22-23)
Paul explains that God is the Creator of the world and does not dwell in temples made by human hands. He emphasizes that God is self-sufficient and gives life to all. He further asserts that God has determined the times and places for all nations so that people might seek Him Howbeit certain men clave unto him, and … Masses are usually in Greek but there are also Masses in English.
Address: Πανεπιστημίου και, Omirou, Athina 106 72, Greece
Tel: (+30) 21 0362 3603
Holy Apostles Church (also known as Holy Apostles of Solaki, Greek: Άγιοι Απόστολοι Σολάκη)
Located inside the Agora (admission charged for the Agora, not the church itself) and built around A.D. 950–1000, it is considered the first significant church of the Middle Byzantine period in Athens. It features a distinctive four-lobed (tetraconch) cross-in-square floor plan and is famous for decorative brickwork and Cufic-style patterns on its exterior.Interior: The walls are decorated with preserved 17th-century hagiographies and frescoes, including a painting of Christ Pantocrator (In Christian iconography, Christ Pantocrator (Ancient Greek: Χριστὸς Παντοκράτωρ, lit. ’Christ the Almighty’) is a specific depiction of Jesus. Pantocrator or Pantokrator (lit. ‘ruler of all’; normally translated as ‘almighty’ or ‘all-powerful’).
The church opens for a special service once a year on June 30th to celebrate the feast day of the Holy Apostles.
Catholic Church of Saint John the Baptist
11 Papanastasiou, Paleo Psychico, Tel (+30) 671-1410
Mass every Sunday at 5:00 p.m. (October until March), 6:00 p.m. (April until September).
Chapel of St. Paul:
Kokkinaki 4 Kifissia email: cathpavl@otenet.gr
Sunday Mass 11:00 am; Wednesday and Saturday 6:00 pm(October till March), 7:00 pm, (April til Sept)
French Language Masses (Messes en français) in Athens, Greece:
The Carmelites Chapel: 6, 25th Martiou, Paleo Iraklio tel 281-1667
Mass Thursdays at 8:30 a.m.
Sisters of Saint Joseph:French Mass: From September, Tuesdays at 5:00 p.m. The church is in central Athens, near Harilaou Trikoupi. While the schedule is consistent year-round, it’s best to call ahead to confirm times, especially around holidays or seasonal changes. The 10:00 a.m. Sunday Mass is in German; other Masses may be in Greek or French depending on the day.
Address:10 Harilaou Trikoupi
Phone: +30 360-0190
Catholic Church of Saint John the Baptist: 11 Papanastasiou, Paleo Psychico,
Mass Sundays at 11:15 a.m.
Italian Language Masses (Messe in italiano) in Athens, Greece:
Italian community:
Address: 7 Gilfordou (Victorias Sq)
Tel +30 821-8928
German Language Masses (Sprachmessen in Athen, Griechenland) in Athens, Greece:
Sisters of Saint Joseph:
Address: 10 Harilaou Trikoupi
Tel: +30 360-0190
Mass 10:00 a.m. Sundays
Polish Language Masses (Msze w języku polskim w Atenach, Grecja) in Athens, Greece:
Ieros Naos Christou Sotiros: 28 Michael Voda (nr Omonia), Tel 883-5911
Masses Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7:00 p.m.
Sunday Masses at 9:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m., 5:00 p.m., 6:30 p.m.
Spanish Language Masses (Misas en español) in Athens, Greece:
Catholic Church of Saint John the Baptist: 11 Papanastasiou, Paleo Psychico, tel (+30) 21 671-1410
Mass Sundays at 6:00 p.m.
Saint Paul’s Catholic Church: 4 Kokkinaki, Kifissia (very close to the subway terminal), tel (+30)801-2526. Masses held on Saturdays at 6:00 pm and Sundays at 8.30 am and 11am.
Traveling to Athens, Greece:
By plane: Athens International Airport “Eleftherios Venizelos” (IATA: ATH) is Greece’s largest and busiest airport, located in Spata about 30–33 km east of central Athens, handling over 33 million passengers annually. There is a chapel in the airport, but we do not have any information as to whether any Catholic Masses are held there.
By train: Hellenic Train (formerly TrainOSE) operates Greece’s passenger rail services, including intercity and suburban trains. The central hub is Athens Larissa Station, located just north of central Athens, with metro connections and nearby airport bus service
By cruise ship: Piraeus is the port of Athens where cruise ships dock, about 9 miles (15 kilometers) from the center of Athens. It has docks for the many ferries to the Greek islands and ports such as Kusadasi (Ephesus), Turkey. There are 2 cruise terminals. Terminal A and B, with most cruise lines using Terminal A. There are shuttle buses between the two terminals.
Hi, for the German mass at Sisters of St Joseph, the address listed is “ 10 Harilaou Trikoupi” however when I try to find it on google maps, the closest spelling I can find is “Charilaou Trikoupi”. Would this be the address ?
Not sure why Google Maps does not show it. It may be spelled two ways, either beginning in H or C. The Catholic Directory shows 10 Harilaou Trikoupi and we assume that is correct. However, I believe they now only offer Mass in English.
Hello! Do you know if the Cathedral of St. Denis has a Saturday afternoon Mass? It says on their website there is one at 6:30pm on Saturdays, but I didn’t see one listed here, so just wanted to confirm which is true.
Their website still shows a Saturday vigil Mass at 18:30 in English.
If we are in Greece on Easter weekend 7-9 April 2023 will we be able to attend Easter services and Mass or will they be in line with Greek Easter and be celebrated the following weekend 14-16 April?
Although the Greek Orthodox Church celebrates Easter on a different date, the Roman Catholic Church will celebrate Easter on April 9. Therefore, you can count on Easter Mass on the 9th and probably a vigil Mass on the 8th. You can contact the Catholic Church nearest to where you will be staying for further information.
According to an announcement of the Cathedral of st.Dionysius, the Catholic Church in Greece will celebrate Easter on 16th. April this year. The Catholic Church in Greece has used the Orthodox calender of Easter for about 40 years under the permission of Holy See. It is also posted on its website.https://saintdenis.gr/en/date-of-easter-in-greece/
Where does one find a Greek-Catholic as in Byzantine Liturgy in Greece? Surely there must be Unia in Greece itself.
Hi can you tell me if holy mass is offered in the traditional rite (latin mass) in Athens ?
Thanks
Not sure if you will be able to find one. If we can, we will let you know.
I’ve looked up your list of roman catholic churches and found out that the cathedral and church st.Denis is the same object. So the cathedral does have a web site and there are masses in English.
Thank you for that information…we have made the changes to our web page.
We are looking for a church to attend mass in July, 2020, near the Radisson Parc Blu hotel at 10 Alexandras Ave.
The Franciscan Church would probably be the closest.
Are there any masses on Saturday afternoon near the port? Really don’t care about the language, we can follow the order of the mass. Cruising in February
Not sure about Saturday afternoon….here is the church near the cruise port, you can probably contact them.
You should be able to attend one at Saint Denis Cathedral at 6;30 p.m. Address: 24 Panepistimiou, Tel: 362-3603 email: stdenis@cathecclesia.gr
Dear Catholic Community,
Is there any English mass in any of the churches on the Assumption of our Lady solemnity day on the 15th of August? Thanks