Agios Achilleios, Prespes

The nowadays deserted Byzantine Basilica of Agios Achilleios (Saint Achilleios) is situated on the edge of Florina prefecture. It was built on the foot of a small hill between 983 and 986 AD by the Bulgarian Tsar Samuel when he conquered the Thessalian city, to house the relic of Saint Achilleios, bishop of Larissa. Α box-shaped tomb, likely belonging to Saint Achilleios, is located in the sacristy of the temple, while it is believed that Tsar Samuel’s burial site is in the right aisle. This Basilica, one of the largest of its type, with dimensions 22x45m, has three aisles, a wooden roof, a narthex, and two tall colonnades supporting two rows of arches. Today, only a small part of the temple from the alcove of the sanctuary is surviving. In the area occupied by the Basilica, music events take place during the summer months.