Description of the attraction
The Basilica of Saint Demetrius is one of the most important shrines in the Greek city of Thessaloniki. The temple was consecrated in honor of the great martyr Demetrius of Thessaloniki, revered by the inhabitants of Thessaloniki as their patron. Among other early Christian and Byzantine monuments in Thessaloniki, the Basilica of Saint Demetrius is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Basilica of St. Demetrius was built on the site of the Roman baths, where in 303 he was imprisoned in one of the premises, and then St. Demetrius was martyred. The first temple erected here (presumably in 313-323) was just a small chapel, but already at the beginning of the 5th century it was replaced by a three-aisled basilica. According to legend, during the construction of the altar of the temple at the site of the supposed burial of Demetrius, the relics of the saint were found and placed in a silver ciborium.
In the first half of the 7th century, the old basilica was thoroughly destroyed by fire, and rebuilt with some architectural changes - turning into a five-nave basilica. During the fire, the ciborium was also lost, and the relics of the saint were placed in a marble tomb. The interior decoration of the basilica was finally completed only in the 9th century. A little later, a small three-slope basilica was added to the church - the side-chapel of St. Euphemia. At the end of the 12th century, the relics of Saint Demetrius were taken to Italy and returned to Thessaloniki only at the end of the 20th century.
In 1493, the Basilica of St. Demetrius, like most Christian churches during the Turkish domination, was transformed into a mosque - Kasymie-jami, and the magnificent mosaics and wall paintings are hidden behind a thick layer of plaster or simply destroyed. It is worth noting that during this period Christians were allowed access to the cenotaph of St. Demetrius, located in a small side-chapel with a separate entrance. The ancient shrine returned to Christians only after the liberation of the city in 1912.
Unfortunately, the notorious devastating fire in Thessaloniki in August 1917 also destroyed a significant part of the Basilica of St. Demetrius. The restoration work lasted for several decades, but as a result, it was possible to preserve the original parts of the temple that survived in the fire and very accurately recreate the general architectural appearance of the 7th century basilica. In the course of the work, the entrance to the crypt and many unique artifacts were discovered, as well as miraculously preserved mosaics and several frescoes were cleared. Some of the mosaics still adorn the interior of the basilica, some of which you can see by going down to the crypt, where today there is a small but very interesting archaeological museum, the exposition of which includes sculptures, mosaics, various church relics, historical documents, etc. However, the crypt itself is also very interesting, where, as it is believed, the remains of St. Demetrius were buried for some time, and today you can still see a marble shell intended to collect the world flowing from the relics of the saint.
