A lucky and unlucky lightning strike
The Parthenon as a Mosque- Ag. Dimitrios Loumbardiaris
On 26/10/1640, the day of the feast of St. Demetrius, all parishes were to join the service at the church of Aghios Dimitrios Loumbardiaris. Aware that many important Greeks would congregate there, Yusuf Agha, the Turkish commander of the Acropolis, decided to bomb the church. On the day preceding the feast, he set up a canon (loumbarda) on the Propylaea of the Acropolis, which then served as a gunpowder arsenal. During the night however, lightning struck the Propylaea and the Agha and his entire family were killed in the ensuing explosion. The church was saved and became known as St. Demetrius Loumbardiaris, meaning cannoneer. The church can be found on Epimenidou Street, between numbers 5 and 7, and dates from the 17th century.
As seen on
The Parthenon throughout the years (XL)