Though it took officials decades to get restorations started on the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Annunciation in Athens, the structure only took three years to actually be restored. Opening in time for winter, the site is hopeful to be a center of religious and familial connections through the holidays.

The Metropolitan Cathedral of the Annunciation, popularly known as the Metropolis, is the cathedral church of the Archbishop of Athens and all Greece and Athenians and others will be able to celebrate Christmas there this year as restoration work 51-year-old building is expected to be finished in October.

The earthquakes of 1981 and 1999 in Athens caused significant damage to the building. The reconstruction of the building started in 2010 under the Public Investment Program, but the rehabilitation works stopped due to the economic crisis in Greece.

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