The Holy Church of Saints Constantine and Helen in ASDIMtranslated

Introduction In the heart of one of the most important military areas of Thessaloniki, at the current headquarters of the Supreme Military Command of Epirus and Macedonia (ASDIM), there is a temple that reflects the great historical changes of the city during the last two centuries. The current Holy Church of Saints Constantine and Helen came from a 19th century Muslim military mezzet, which, after the liberation of Thessaloniki in 1912, was converted into an Orthodox church and joined the religious life of the Greek Army.

The history of the monument expresses in a characteristic way the transition from the late Ottoman period to the modern Greek reality. The original octagonal building was not removed or replaced, but was preserved and incorporated into the later building phases. Thanks to the preservation of this core, the temple is among the few surviving military cult buildings of the Ottoman period in Thessaloniki and is a typical example of creative reuse of a historical building.

The painter Polykleitos Regos, who worked in the temple for so long...