Church of Greece: The 26 known and unknown commercial properties in Attica

The Church of Greece is one of the big players in the real estate business of Attica, as it owns (at least) 26 commercial properties with a total area of ​​56,133 sq.m., the value of which reaches 50.51 million euros. The rents collected by the Church of Greece from these properties amount to 5,682,700 euros.

The list of properties published in the previous days by the Ecclesiastical Central Finance Service (EKYO) on the occasion of their mass insurance, includes hotels, shopping malls, office buildings to entertainment centers, a police station, and Lake Vouliagmeni.

It should be noted, of course, that the prices listed do not refer to the commercial value of the properties, but to the insured value.

Prime cuts in Vouliagmeni

Among the “sacred” commercial properties in the southern suburbs the well-known beach entertainment center Island (1,700 sq.m.), the area of ​​Lake Vouliagmeni (877 sq.m.) and the 11 exploitable properties (offices and shops) within the Status shopping center (41 Athinas Avenue – Areos – Thiseos) of more than 3,000 sq.m. stand out.

Vouliagmeni Lake

It also has smaller commercial properties at 20 Poseidonos, A ‘Limeniskos Vouliagmeni, Thiseos – Dimitra and Iasonos and 67 Iasonos.

Especially in Vouliagmeni, one of the most expensive areas of Attica, the list is not limited to commercial real estate, as the Church has dozens of homes, which it also rents. It also has apartment buildings in densely populated areas of Athens, Thessaloniki and Piraeus.

Large owner in the Historic Center of Athens

The most famous property owned by the Church is the multi-storey building at 15 Mitropoleos Street, which is in itself a building block, with a total area of ​​12,730 sq.m., as mentioned in the relevant list published by EKYO.

Until 2007 it housed the Ministry of Education and in 2014, after 10 consecutive tenders, many of which were declared either barren or unsuccessful, the use of the building passed into the hands of the hotel group Electra, which turned it into a five-star hotel (Electra Metropolis Athens) 216 rooms.

Electra Metropolis Athens

Also known is the building of 3,921 sq.m. which houses the Electra Athens hotel at number 5 of busy Ermou Street.

The building at the corner of Stadiou and Dragatsaniou on Klafthmonos Square, which for decades has hosted addresses and services of the Ministry of Interior, until 1952 belonged to the State, but was given to the Church and since then the state pays rent.

It is worth mentioning here that many of the buildings that today belong to the Church of Greece, especially in the center of Athens, Piraeus and Thessaloniki, were granted to it based on the agreement of September 1952, as recorded in the Government Gazette. Specifically, the State granted 163 properties in exchange for church estates in various parts of the country.

The Synodal Palace on Iasiou 1, in Kolonaki, where all the services of the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece are housed, is also private.

The “unknown” buildings owned by the Church in the center of Athens include a multi-storey office and shop building at 95 Akadimias, a 6-storey building with offices and shops at 30 Athinas Street, between Omonia and Monastiraki, the building at 60 Patision Street which is leased to a private educational center, apartment building with offices and store at 120 Solonos, offices at Apollonos 1 and Nikis 8 at Syntagma,

Around Syntagma Square, the Church also owns the property of 1,907 sq.m. which hosts the police station of the area, at 6-8 Mimnermou Street (s.s. this is a street perpendicular to Rigillis).

The 4-storey building at 4 Kornarou Street, in the vertical alley of Ermou next to Syntagma Square, as well as the building at 33 Falirou Street, in Koukaki, which functions as an apartment hotel, is also under church ownership.

The Church of Greece also owns the 5-storey building at 30 Sarri Street, in Psyrri, with an area of ​​764 sq.m., always according to the list of EKYO. It should be noted that a few meters below on Sarri Street, at number 26, there is a six-storey apartment building of 18 apartments, which belongs to the Monastery of Asomaton Petraki of the Holy Archdiocese of Athens. The specific property was leased with a public auction two years ago with the aim of becoming a hotel. The minimum monthly rent requested by the Monastery corresponded to the amount of 6,000 euros, while based on the notice the minimum duration for which he would lease the property would be for a period of twelve years.

Hilton, Syggrou, Kifissia and Piraeus

The Church has two adjoining office buildings in Syggrou Avenue, at numbers 170 and 174, at the height of Kallithea, while next to the Hilton Hotel, at Ventiri Street at numbers 1 and 5, it owns two commercial buildings, one with 5 floors and the other with 6 floors.

The Church has a six-storey apartment building with offices and shops at 21 Leosthenous and 21 Charilaou Trikoupi, in Piraeus, while at 43 Tsamadou and Evripidou, also in the same municipality, the office building it owns has 7 floors.

In Kifissia, among others, the Church is the owner of the property where the Tennis Club is housed at 49 Tatoiou and Pavlou Mela.

However, the  list of “holy properties” does not end here, as the Church has dozens of privately owned properties (commercial, homes and plots) in Thessaloniki, Patras and so on.

For example, in Thessaloniki it owns shops on the most popular shopping street in the city, in Tsimiski, hotels, parking lots, etc., while in Patras it owns a building on Ag. Dionysiou and Norman street where the “Epikentro” theater is housed.