Panagia Chalkeon is the Byzantine church in Thessaloniki built in 1028 by the official Christopher. The church stands near the ancient Agora and is also known as the “Red Church” because of its brick exterior.
An inscription above the west entrance identifies Christopher, a protospatharios and local official, as the founder. The date makes the building an important example of the middle Byzantine period, when the cross-in-square plan was widely used for churches.
Its central dome rises above the main square, while smaller domes and vaulted spaces organize the surrounding compartments. The exterior uses carefully arranged brickwork, arches, and recessed surfaces rather than relying on the massive plain walls typical of some earlier structures.
Panagia Chalkeon was converted into a mosque during Ottoman rule and returned to Christian use after the incorporation of Thessaloniki into Greece. “Panagia” means All-Holy, a title for the Virgin Mary; it is therefore not the same church as Thessaloniki’s major monument dedicated to Saint Demetrius.