THESSALONIKI ROTUNDA

Built in 304 A.D., this cylindrical Roman building (Ροτόντα/Rotonda) is one of 15 monuments in Thessaloniki listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site. Often compared to the Pantheon in Rome, it is however of more modest dimensions: 24.5 m in diameter and a dome reaching 29.8 m in height, but brick walls that are nonetheless 6.3 m thick. Its original function remains unknown. The Rotunda may have been built as a temple to Zeus/Jupiter or, more likely, as a mausoleum for the emperor Galerius. The building is aligned with the Arch of Galerius and Galerius' palace. However, its destiny was quite different. The Rotunda houses the oldest gold-bottomed mosaics in Christian art. It is also flanked by the city's last minaret (35.85 m high). The first transformation of the building took place in 326, on the initiative of Emperor Constantine, to make it a place of Christian worship: an altar was built on the east side and the entire interior was decorated with mosaics. But these disappeared under a coat of plaster when the building was converted into a mosque by the Ottomans in 1591. Reverted to a church dedicated to St. George in 1912, the Rotunda almost collapsed during the 1978 earthquake, as evidenced by a large blister and cracks in the dome.

Symbols and martyrs. Since the restoration work was completed in 2016, the Rotunda has become a cultural venue... where Orthodox ceremonies are still sometimes held. In any case, the building has recovered some of its sparkling mosaics. Paleochristian symbols appear on the arches of six large niches: crosses, peacocks evoking the Resurrection, pears and pomegranates synonymous with abundance in Paradise... On the dome's cap, the portrait of Christ the Pantocrator has been lost. But four archangels remain in the lower registers, then, in the luxurious décor of Paradise, fifteen saints raise their arms in prayer: George of Lydda, Leo and Paregory of Patara, Onesiphorus and Porphyry of Hellespont... These are saints who died as martyrs during the persecutions of Aurelian (270-275) and Diocletian (303-313). Take time to admire the details. Note also the altar apse, where a large ^9th-century fresco of the Ascension has been saved. In the garden area, which is open to the public, stand back to observe the exterior structure. And take a stroll to discover Ottoman steles, Roman columns... and cats!