Late Roman & Byzantine Sites of Thessaloniki

Church of the Holy Apostles, Thessaloniki

Introduction

Thessaloniki was an important centre of Early Christianity and later for centuries the second largest city of the Byzantine Empire after Constantinople. A number of Late Roman structures can still be found here, together with buildings (mostly churches) from the Early, Middle and Late Byzantine periods.

The earlier layers are relatively well preserved, including the decorative aspects of the buildings, for example, in case of the Arch and Rotunda of Galerius and the 5th-century churches of Panagia Acheiropoietos and Hosios David. The most important churches of the city – the Church of Saint Demetrius and Hagia Sophia – received their current form in the first half of the 7th and the second half of the 8th century, respectively.

In comparison to Constantinople and Athens, where the majority of the remaining Byzantine churches are from the Macedonian or Komnenian period, there is just one such church in Thessaloniki (Panagia Chalkeon). The city is, however, very rich in Palaiologan (14th-century) churches. These generally have a number of common features (such as an ambulatory and a special style of the domes), and it can be talked about a separate Thessalonian school of Late Byzantine architecture.

Sites

My portfolios contain photos of all the 15 buildings of Thessaloniki that have been designated as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. They also include some less-known and less-researched structures. The portfolios could be expanded with some more photos of details of the buildings (such as the painted decoration of the Church of Saint Nicholas Orphanos), but they are already quite complete.

Palace of Galerius | Plateia Navarinou | late 3rd or early 4th century
Arch of Galerius (Kamara) | Egnatia & Dimitriou Gounari | 298-305
Rotunda | Plateia Agiou Georgiou Rotonta | 306; conversion to church – late 4th century
Walls of Thessaloniki | mid-3rd century; around 390 to mid-5th century; numerous Byzantine and Ottoman modifications
Cemetery basilica | 3is Septemvriou & Stratou | between 380 and 450
Cemetery basilica | Lagkada & Agiou Dimitriou | first half of 5th century
Cemetery basilica | Dimitriou Margaropoulou 20 | 6th century
Church of Panagia Acheiropoietos | Agias Sofias, Dionisiou Patriarchou, Acheiropoietou & Kathigitou Panagioti Papageorgiou | 450-470
Church of Hosios David (Latomos Monastery) | behind Epimenidou 19 | late 5th century
Church of Saint Demetrius | Agiou Dimitriou, Agiou Nikolau, Kassandrou & Selefkou | early 4th century; 5th century; 629-634
Church of Hagia Sophia | Plateia Agias Sofias | last two decades of 8th century
Church of Panagia Chalkeon | Chalkeon & Kleisouras | 1028
Byzantine bath | Theotokopoulou, Chrisostomou & Krispou | late 12th or early 13th century
Church of Saint Panteleimon | Leonida Iasonidou, Arrianou & Agiou Panteleimonos | late 13th or early 14th century
Church of Saint Catherine | Ious, Sachini, Alexandras Papadopoulou & Tsamadou | between late 13th century and third decade of 14th century
Church of the Holy Apostles | beginning of Olympou | 1310-1314; around 1329
Church of Saint Nicholas Orphanos | Irodotou & Apostolou Pavlou | 1310-1320
Church of the Taxiarches | Akropoleos & Theotokopoulou | 14th century
Vlatadon Monastery | Eptapyrgiou & Akropoleos | third quarter of 14th century
Church of the Saviour | Egnatia 140 | 1350s-1370s
Church of Prophet Elijah | Olympiados, Sakellariou, Amfilochias & Profitou Ilia | 1360s-1370s