AGIOS DIMITRIOS BASILICA OF THESSALONICA

This ^7th-century five-aisled basilica (Ιερός Ναός Αγίου Δημητρίου/Ieros Naos Agiou Dimitriou) is one of 15 monuments in Thessaloniki listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site. Located right in the center, it is the city's largest church (53.6 x 33 m) and a major pilgrimage site: it was built on the supposed site of the martyrdom of Saint Demetrios. Put to death under Diocletian around 306, he became the city's protector and one of the most sacred figures among Orthodox Christians the world over. The present building is the result of a complex history, including reconstruction following the great fire of 1917. And although transformed into a mosque for four centuries (c. 1500-1912), it continued to welcome Christian pilgrims at certain times. This testifies to the relative tolerance of the Ottomans and their deep veneration for Thessaloniki's megalomartyr. The basilica's special place is also reflected in its rich décor: Corinthian capitals and red, green and white columns from ancient buildings, the magnificent Renaissance sarcophagus of a late ^15th-century merchant (to the left of the entrance), the golden ossuary of St. Demetrios (north transept), the marble reliquary of St. Gregory, the altarpieces in the sanctuary..

Mosaics, crypt and garden. Particularly noteworthy are the remarkably fine ^7th-century mosaics: on the right pillar before the sanctuary is one depicting St. Demetrios, a masterpiece of Byzantine art. Some medieval frescoes have also survived, notably in the Agios Efthymios chapel added in 1303 to the right of the sanctuary. Beneath the church, the large vaulted crypt occupies former Roman baths. Today, it houses a museum (closed on Tuesdays) featuring Byzantine sculptures and an ancient fountain transformed into a baptistery. Legend has it that the fountain oozes myrrh-scented oil from the remains of Saint Demetrios... The garden also holds surprises in store, with carved stones bearing Latin, Ottoman and Hebrew inscriptions. This is the surplus from the church's major reconstruction project (1930-1948), during which all kinds of materials were used, including thousands of graves from the huge Jewish cemetery destroyed by the Nazis and now occupied by the HelExpo complex and Aristotle University.