The church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary is one of the oldest temples of Edessa. It was built in the second half of the 14th century and was dedicated to Hagia Sophia (: God's Wisdom).
It is a three-aisled basilica and its wooden iconostasis, which dates from the mid-18th century, bears icons of the painter Apostolοs Longianou Vodenioti. The ancient Corinthian columns that were used as the main building material of the main corridor of the church reveal the existence of an ancient Greek temple at the same spot.
The name of the church changed from Hagia Sophia to Assumption of the Virgin Mary by a lie (!). During the 17th century in the Ottoman Empire, there was an imperial command to convert all the churches dedicated to Hagia Sophia into mosques. Therefore the local Christian population in order to protect their church lied that the church was dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, which eventually became the case.
The potential visitors can find the church at Varosi district between the Metropolitan Building and Parthenagogeio (: girls school).