chiesa di santa maria dei greci (st- mary of the greeks)

We made our way up Via Atenea, which is an attractive streetscape, to this lovely church. A fascinating 13th century structure built on an ancient Greek temple. The three plain aisles with their columns and arches are attractive and restful. The walls contain faded frescoes. The Greek columns that were shaped to rectangular are visible along the walls and underneath the glass floor. An outstanding feature is the patterned wooden ceiling.In the underground passageway it was grand to see the Greek foundations. We walked the length of the page viewing the extensive supports for the current church.

Hidden away in the winding back street of the old town, it is worth making the effort to find this church. Charming as a small gothic church with some nice fragments of fresco, it is made even more interesting by being built on the remains of a Greek temple. There are glass panels in the floor and you can even go below floor level and see the original temple steps.

Stopped off on the way back down from the cathedral. This is my kind of place - small and bit sized. Loved the way the tombs in the crypts are exposed and you can see it all through the glass floors. For those who want a more ghoulish experience you can actually go down into the crypt. Also nice touch - a young tour guide on hand to explain the history of the church all FOC but you can make a donation if you wish.

well-lit (when custodian is there) to see through glass floor the earlier temple foundations; can go along a narrow side passage to see the ancient pillars as well; a beautiful, peaceful inner courtyard from street too

This church is highly recommended to visit, as it is very old and was built on top of a temple dedicated to Athena. It is one of the reasons why it's worth staying in Agrigento for few days, rather than only taking a day trip from another big city in Sicily, to only visit the Valley of the Temples. Agrigento has much more to offer and this is one of the gems. As much as I remember, the entrance is actually free! Another plus is that it is located in the historical centre, so many other interesting sites / churches can be visited in a relatively small area.

There on a holiday and saw the church at work- priest and worshipers. Amazing place- ancient building, stone ceiling. Small but well work a look.

A fascinating church in an interesting area. We had a brochure listing Agrigento's most significant churches. This would have been the smallest but it has been beautifully and sensitively restored with a simple interior. Still used as a worship centre it has features which allow visitors to see the foundations of the Greek temple beneath and from the side crypt.

It's worth searching this little church out. Simple decor but fascinating to see the remains of the Ancient Greek church underneath the present ne.

The church was built on top of an ancient temple. You can see the crepidome and part of the columns at the side of the church.The floor of the altar and part of the central nave are made of glass so you can see the temple below. The neighbourhood is also interesting, with streets made of stairs going up and down and children running.

This small church is worth going. You can see inside and also on the left side outside the greek columns on which the church was built. Somebody takes care of the little garden in front of the church with some attractive plants and flowers.

You can get there from Via Athenea by the stairs or take a cab. The church is built on top of greco-roman ruins. My best friend got married there...beautiful!

This church is built on the foundations of and old Greek temple which you can still see, columns included. Try to get a guide from the side entrance to give you some explanations because there is to much history in this just one place.

The current church is a nice little building but the views offered to the ancient temple beneath are even more impresive

This was the former Orthodox Cathedral which was built over a former temple (possibly Athena) and incorperated some of the original columns. The church was constructed in the 12th century and is set in the Greek quarter of Agrigento. Its a very pretty church set in an area which is made up of congested streets. Well worth the visit if you are nearby.

The history of this church is quite amazing. Doric columns,wall painting and undercroft makes a site not to be missed