The Holy Church of Saint Dimitrios – Great Virgin Mary of Thiva, is located on the western side of the historical centre of Thiva. It was inaugurated by the Bishop of Thiva and Livadia Dosithios on April 19, 1867, in place of an older church, which was completely destroyed due to the earthquakes of 1853, while centuries before at the same location there was a Holy Monastery.

The historian LeCain mentions that it was the main church of Thivaas it housed the icon of the Virgin Mary with Christ on her right, a work of the Evangelist Luke. Giorgio Fedalto believes that the temple was built on the same site that the Patron Saint of Thiva Ag. Ioannis Kaloktenis built a famous church of the Virgin Mary in the 12th century.

The church is a three-aisled, crossed-dome. The bell towers were built later. The entire design and supervision was undertaken by the architect Ioannis Filippotis the Tinian. Filippotis collected all the old archaeological material, capitals, vaults, inscriptions, sculptures and arranged them around the temple.

In the church stand out the sculpted Boeotian Amphora (4th century BC), the early Christian Cross, the sculpted marble copy of Great Virgin Mary, a work of Filippotis on the triangular pediment of the entrance, the inscription dedicated to Emperor Titus, the Tethrippus Heniohos (2nd century BC) which was a tombstone in the heroon of the era and much more.

The church houses one of the most remarkable Holy Icons, the miraculous tutelary icon of the “Great Virgin Mary”, a work of the Evangelist Luke.

The church celebrates on October 26 and August 15.
The chapels of the church include St. Catherine (Early Christian catacomb).

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In the church stand out the sculpted Boeotian Amphora (4th century BC), the early Christian Cross, the sculpted marble copy of Great Virgin Mary, a work of Filippotis on the triangular pediment of the entrance, the inscription dedicated to Emperor Titus, the Tethrippus Heniohos (2nd century BC) which was a tombstone in the heroon of the era and the miraculous tutelary icon of the “Great Virgin Mary”, a work of the Evangelist Luke, according to the tradition.

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