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Santos Andrés y Demetrio Greek Orthodox Church

1 review of Santos Andrés y Demetrio Greek Orthodox Church

Greek Orthodox church with amazing frescoes

The Santos Andrés y Demetrio Greek Orthodox Church is a criminally-unknown artistic gem located in the neighborhood of Colombia, an area which most tourists only pass on their way to and from the airport. The church itself is open at odd hours, usually from around 6:00pm to 8:00pm during the week and at 9:30am on Sundays, but don't hold me to that because precise opening information for the church is difficult to find.

The church is a Unitarian Greek Orthodox church meaning that all are welcome in its halls, no matter their denomination or precise ideology. That being said, it's a decidedly Eastern church: the majority of the worshipers from the Balkans, Greece, and Russia, a big bearded priest dressed in black chants hypnotic liturgy throughout the service, there are candles lit in front of icons of obscure saints, and the older, more traditional female worshipers attend with their heads covered. Still, I attended a service and was welcomed warmly by the old woman at the door and offered a candle to place at the altar.


The interior of the church is absolutely stunning and probably one-of-a-kind in Madrid. Every square inch of the interior is decorated by Byzantine-style frescoes of biblical scenes in vivid golds, crimsons, and blues. It's one of those places that you could spend hours in just marveling over the little details in each corner. To admire the interior frescoes, however, it's basically necessary to attend a service at the church; the church only opens 10 minutes before the ceremony begins and it closes about 10 minutes after it ends.

If you feel like you've seen it all in Madrid, don't worry...this city still holds some amazing and gratifying surprises. The Andres y Demetrio Greek Orthodox Cathedral is one of them!
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