Crypt of St. Phlothei of Athens

Crypt of St. Philothei

Inside the Crypt

Church of St. Andrew built by St. Philothei 

Martyrdom Pillar of St. Philothei

This Crypt is an escape tunnel, a built underground passage, which starts from the metropolis of Kalogreza and ends on the hill, where the sacred temple of Athena, the patron saint of Philothei, was erected in the name of Athena. According to one tradition, St. Philothei was buried in the Crypt of the Monastery. After all, the whole area of ​​Philothei belonged to the Saint and received its name from it. It is noteworthy that until 1936 the area of ​​Philothei was called "New Alexandria" and constituted the settlement of the employees of the National Bank. However, in 1934, during the mining of red stone intended for the construction of houses in the area, the Crypt of St. Philothei was discovered.
On the night of October 2nd, 1588, while the nuns were holding all-night vigil for  St Dionysus the Aeropagite, the first bishop of Athens, Turkish soldiers broke in beat St Philothei until she was half dead and left her tied to a pole outside the convent to die. Her nuns untied her body but the blows had been too much for her. She died a few months later on February 19, 1589 in her country residency amid the olive trees and the rugged landscape of Attica.