Church of Agios Georgios of Politeia
Near the Church of Saint Stephen, you will find the Church of Saint George of Politeia. It is a three-aisled basilica with a narthex on the north side, shaped through successive construction phases. Its original structure dates to the 11th century. Today, it survives in part of the eastern wall, while later interventions graced the church with its current form, with an interior decoration influenced by the aesthetics of contemporary mansions. According to a manuscript of Grammatikos Papamantzaris, during the first episcopacy of Nikephoros I (1841), Saint George of Politeia served as the metropolitan church, where the weddings and funerals of Kastoria’s nobility were held. The church is associated with significant historical events. In 1083, following Emperor Alexios I Komnenos’ victory over the Normans, General Palaiologos III and Bryennios concluded an agreement here, while the Normans who entered the Byzantine army were also assembled at the site. It is a church that is not merely a monument, but a living imprint of Kastoria’s historical continuity, where one can still feel the memory of the centuries unfolding before them.
