Longitudinal church
of the cross-in-square type, with a square naos, a narthex on the west side and
a triconch sanctuary on the east. Four columns and four arches form a cross inscribed
in the square area of the naos. The centre of the cross is covered by an eight-sided
dome and smaller domes cover the two ends of the narthex. Two successive layers
of wall paintings are distinguished in the church, dated to the 11th and the 14th
century A.D., respectively.
The church was built in 1028 by the protospatharios (Byzantine official)
Christophoros, as is attested by the inscription on the marble lintel of the main
west entrance. After the conquest of Thessalonike by the Turks, in 1430, it was
converted into a mosque and again became a Christian church, with the liberation
of the city, in 1912.
In 1987, in the course of a study on the structural stability of
the building, several excavation trenches were opened in the courtyard of the
church.
After the liberation of the city, the wall paintings of the church
were cleaned from the turkish plaster that covered them. The building was damaged
by the earthquake in 1932 and was subsequently restored; the narthex and the south
pediment were then reconstructed. Similar work was also undertaken after the earthquake
of 1978.
The monument is now used as a church.
Byzantine & Post-Byzantine Monuments
Art & culture
On site monuments
Churches: Middle Byzantine period, AD 610-1204
Frescoes
Cultural Heritage
World Heritage Monument (UNESCO)
Executives & Departments
Archaeological service:, Tel.: 2310 968860, 2313 310400, Fax: 2310 968869, 2310 247106, Email: Requires Login as Tourism Professional 9th Ephorate of Byzantine Antiquities, Thessaloniki
