Holy Metropolitan Church of the Annunciation to the Virgin Mary

The Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens stands apart with its heavy, patterned masonry of recycled marble blocks taken from seventy-two demolished churches. King Otto laid the cornerstone in eighteen forty-two, intending to create a symbol for the newly independent Greek state. While workers carved stone, the project stalled for years due to a lack of funds and shifting designs. When it finally opened in eighteen sixty-two, it became the place where kings were crowned and where the nation’s most important figures were laid to rest.