The Church of Saint Athanasius (Greek: Άγιος Αθανάσιος) is a small historical church located at the southern end of the village Alepochori in the Evros regional unit, built in the post-Byzantine era and specifically in 1729. It is best known for the fresco of a dog-headed Saint Christopher, something rare in Greece. Today it's a historical landmark. The inside of the church is closed to the public. Location It is located in Alepochori, Evros, Greece. It is about 130 meters from the southernmost plot, in the area of the cemetery, on a small hill. Today it functions only as a cemetery, while in the past it also functioned as a parish church of the village. There are 3 post-Byzantine historical churches in the local area. Along with the post-Byzantine church of Saint Athanasius in Alepochori, there is Saint Athanasius in Metaxades (1695) and Saint Pantaleon in Paliouri (~18th century). History It was built in 1729 by the Greek Orthodox community in the village secretly during the Ottoman era. Most of the church was built under the ground as a result of fear not to provoke the Ottomans, as the Greek community often fell victim to janissaries and delibasis who looted area of Thrace. It was used as a "secret school" during the Ottoman era, so the Greek alphabet and the Orthodox faith was learned to the minors. It was designated as a historical monument in 1953. The old church operated till 1952, when a new church was built for the village. Design It is made of limestone (the local stone from Metaxades), it is single-aisled and without Columns. Quite low and part of it in the ground. It has two entrances: one on the north side, while the main entrance is on the west side. The west side door was for women and the north door was for men. It is built without windows, on which a wooden tiled roof is based, four-pitched, with a perimeter overhang of about 0.35m wide. The soil in the immediate vicinity of the church is covered with vegetation. According to the literature, the church was built in one phase, while its wall paintings dates back to 1729, according to a founding inscription, which is saved intact above the northern entrance of the main church (inside). Internally the church is divided, with by a plastered wooden partition, in a narthex and main part of church,