Description of the attraction
One of the main attractions of the Greek city of Alexandroupoli is the Church Museum. It was founded in 1976 at the initiative of Metropolitan Antimos and is administered by the Holy Metropolis of Alexandroupoli. The unique relics displayed in the museum perfectly illustrate the history of the development of church art in the region.
Today the Ecclesiastical Museum is located in the very heart of the city on Cathedral Square in the beautiful two-story neoclassical mansion Leontarideio (until 1982 the museum occupied several premises in the Cultural Center). The building was built back in 1909 for a businessman from Maronia (nominal Rodopi) Antonio Leontaridis, who, after returning from Russia, decided to settle in Alexandroupolis. He later donated the mansion to the city, and until 1972 the building housed a high school for boys.
The magnificent collection of the museum consists mainly of ecclesiastical relics collected in the churches and monasteries of the Metropolis of Alexandroupoli. Private donations also made a significant contribution to the collection. Most of the exhibits date from the 18th and 19th centuries, but among the museum's treasures there are church relics dating from the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries (mostly incunabula and a few icons).
The exposition of the museum presents more than 400 unique exhibits. At the same time, a large and, perhaps, the most important part of the collection of the Church Museum is made up of a wide variety of icons. In the museum you can also see the vestments of clergymen, various church utensils, coins, important historical documents and much more.
Today, the Church Museum of Alexandroupoli is rightfully considered one of the best such museums in Greece and has great historical and cultural significance.
