OSIOS DAVID CHURCH

This small^5th-century church (Ιερός Ναός Οσίου Δαυίδ/Ieros Naos Osiou David) is one of 15 monuments in Thessaloniki listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site. It is located within the Latomos Monastery (Μονή Λατόμου/Moni Latomou), which dominates the city. It contains rare ^12th-century frescoes and, above all, an exceptional ^6th-century mosaic. Adorning the apse, the mosaic is said to be acheiropoite, meaning "not made by man", but by God. This belief was reinforced by historical circumstances. The mosaic remained hidden during the Iconoclast crisis (726-883) to escape destruction. Rediscovered in the ^12th century, it was then hidden during the long period when the church was converted into a mosque (1430-1921). Composed of chromatic and gilded tesserae, the work illustrates a novel theme: the appearance of Christ (New Testament) to the prophet Ezekiel (Old Testament). In a circular halo, the beardless Christ sits on a rainbow and holds an open scroll bearing verse 9 of chapter 25 of the Book of Isaiah: "Behold our God, in him we hoped, and he has saved us; he is the Lord, in him we hoped; let us exult, let us rejoice: he has saved us!" The four evangelists are symbolized all around: Matthew as a man, John as an eagle, Luke as an ox and Mark as a lion. On the sides are the prophets Ezekiel (left) and Habakkuk. And at the bottom, the "four rivers of Paradise" (Ganges, Nile, Tigris and Euphrates) meet.