The most imposing building in Aegio is located at the heart of the town. The Cathedral, dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, has a three-century history.
Like other buildings in Aegio, it was created by the exceptional architect Ernst Ziller and is a typical example of the town’s erstwhile vibrant life.
The original, smaller, church was built in 1366 but was destroyed by the 1861 earthquake. The cornerstone for the new church was placed on 13 December 1898 and its construction started in 1899.
Ziller created a majestic 25m high cruciform Church with a remarkable renaissance-style dome. The Church is symmetrically framed by four belfries and crowned by Romanesque arches.
It stands firmly on the ground, based on four square pillars. It was decorated with exceptional icons of the great famous painter Kostas Fanellis, the first Greek painter of the Nazarene movement. The decorative parts of the templon and the pulpit came from the old Church.
On 15 August each year, the Church honours the Assumption of the Virgin Mary and celebrates, along with the rest of Greece and Aegion in specific, this very special day for the town.
