Photos of the Thesaoloniki Byzantine Church Mosaic Art & Byzantine Romanesque churches. Photos by photographer Paul E Williams. (TIP – use the icons below the slideshow for thumbnail photos and info)
Photos of the Thesaoloniki Byzantine Church Mosaic Art
Photos of Thessaloniki ( Θεσσαλονίκη ) Byzantine Romanesque Church Mosaics. Also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica.
Foundation of Thesoloniki
Thessaloniki is an ancient historic city that is the second largest in Greece. It was the capital of ancient Macedon and Thrace and had an equal status with Constantinople during the Byzantine Eastern Roman Empire.
Thessaloniki was founded in 315 BC by King Cassander of Macedon who named it after Thessaloniki, the half sister of Alexander The Great. In 168 BC Macedon fell to the Romans and Thessaloniki became an important Roman trading centre.
The Second Biggest City of the Byzantine Empire
In the 5th century Thessaloniki became the second city of the Eastern Roman Empire with a population of 100,000. From the 6th century Thessaloniki was a target for waves of invaders. Starting with the Avars & Slavs who successfully laid siege to the city several times.
The Byzantine Empire regained control only to loose the city for a short time to Arab invaders in 904. After the sacking of Constantinople by the Fourth Crusade in 1204, Thessaloniki became part of the Frankish Kingdom of Thessalonica ruled by Baldwin of Flanders. In 1224 the Byzantine Emperors regained Constantinople and Thessaloniki was retaken by the Despot of Epirus for the Byzantine Empire.
Thesaloniki an Early Centre of Christianity
Thessaloniki was one of the first bases for the spread of Christianity. Among its Christian monuments are fine churches, some built on the Greek cross plan and others on the naive and 2 aisle basilica plan. The long period of development of the churches in Thesoloniki influence the Byzantine world. The mosaics of the rotunda, St Demetrius and St David are among the great masterpieces of early Christian art.
The Survival of Important Christian Art
Despite Thesaoloniki being sacked and bombarded over the centuries the Paleochristian and Byzantine monuments of Thessaloniki survived as fine examples early Roman & Byzantine Basilicas.
These churches were decorated with Byzantine mosaics & frescos which were either removed or plastered over when they were converted to mosques by the Ottomans.
Many have been restored and early Byzantine frescos revealed with 13 being listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites:
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