Diagram by Greece Trips. Free to reuse with credit - CC BY 4.0.
What it actually is
Not one building but a complex: a large cross-shaped main church with a domed centre, chapels attached along its sides, an early baptistery with a cross-shaped font sunk into the floor, and a walled courtyard around the whole thing.
Its core is late Roman and Byzantine, altered repeatedly over the centuries, and restoration in the twentieth century stripped away later additions to expose the older fabric. That is why the interior feels austere: stone, marble and light rather than gilding.
The baptistery is the piece most visitors miss, and it is the one an archaeologist would show you first.
Visiting
It is a working church, and services take priority over sightseeing. Modest dress covering shoulders and knees, quiet inside, and no photography where signs ask for none.
There is a small Byzantine museum in the complex with icons and liturgical objects. Half an hour covers the church, courtyard and museum unless you have a particular interest.
Where it fits in Parikia
Parikia is the ferry town, and most visitors pass through it. The church is the reason to stop rather than drive on: it is minutes from the port, in the middle of the old town lanes, and it sits beside the archaeological museum.
For where Parikia fits against the rest of the island, where to stay in Paros sets out the choice, and where to eat in Paros covers its tables.
Last checked August 2026. Service times, dress rules and museum hours change - see our editorial policy.
Common questions
Why is it called the church of a hundred doors?
The name means a hundred doors, and tradition holds that ninety-nine have been found with the hundredth to appear at a particular moment in history. It is a legend rather than a count.
How old is the Ekatontapiliani?
Its core is late Roman and Byzantine, which makes it one of the oldest churches in Greece still in regular use, though it has been altered and restored many times.
What is the baptistery at Ekatontapiliani?
An early baptistery within the complex with a cross-shaped font set into the floor, and one of the most significant surviving examples in Greece.
Is there a dress code?
Yes. It is a working church, so shoulders and knees covered, quiet inside, and no photography where it is asked.
How long does a visit take?
About half an hour for the church, the courtyard and the small Byzantine museum.
Next
Read things to do in Paros, Lefkes, or Naoussa.