The churches and monasteries represent an enduring tale of strength and defiance through centuries of crusades and occupation that tightly bound the Orthodox Church and the Hellenic nation together. It was in the Byzantine period during the 11th and 12th centuries when the most significant churches were built in Athens, denoted by their small proportions, elaborate brickwork decoration and constructed in an architectural style known as cross-in-square. What truly distinguishes these churches as 'Athenian' are their unique red-tiled, eight-sided domes (Athenian Dome) that crown these holy buildings, representing the last traces of Byzantium in Athens. Panagia Kapnikarea, Greece.