The Church of Panagia Kapnikarea

Byzantine chants and market noises melded in the church of Panagia Kapnikarea on Ermou Street. King Ludwig I of Bavaria intervened to save the church from demolition, but the Bavarians who came to Greece with Otto were highly critical of the clergy. Georg Ludwig von Maurer claimed that “he priests are usually illiterate…however, they greatly influence the people…even thieves respect the priest…when organising a robbery, a conspiracy or a revolution, the priest must first give his blessing.”