The cathedral church of Agia Sophia
The Cathedral Church of Agia Sophia, dedicated to the Holy Wisdom and
the Word of God, lies within the old walled core of the historic city, a short
distance south of Egnatia Street. In 10th and 13th
century texts it is referred to as the Great Church, or the Catholic Metropolis
(i.e. baptismal cathedral) or the Metropolis. During the Frankish occupation of
Thessalonica (1204-1224) the church was temporarily converted into a Latin-rite
cathedral, but following the restoration of Byzantine rule it became seat of
the city’s Orthodox bishop once more. That until 1523/1524, when it was
converted into a mosque. It was restored to Christian worship after the
liberation of Thessalonica.
The existing church was built in the 8th century, over the remains of a
5th century five-naved Episcopal basilica destroyed by earthquake in
around 620. That had in turn been erected on the site of a 4th
century basilica, most probably with three naves, which was gutted by fire in
the second quarter of the 5th century.
The present day building can be classified as a transitional domed
cruciform church with peristyle, itself a development of the domed basilica. Combined with the
construction date, this peculiarity renders Agia Sophia in Thessalonica one of
the most important Byzantine period church buildings.
Its present form, which is the result of successive
additions and modifications, remains true to the original bulky yet monumental
character, supplemented in the interior by Byzantine mosaics, wall paintings
and marble revetments.
All that survives of the sculpted decoration inside the church are the columns
and capitals in the north colonnade of the ground floor, which
were probably spolia from the earlier basilica on top of which
Agia Sophia was built.
The church mosaics date to various periods. The nonfigurative
decoration in the sanctuary vault dates to 780-788, as
evidenced by the cruciform monograms of Emperor Constantine VI and his mother
Irene of Athens, and the inscription mentioning Bishop Theophilus of
Thessalonica. Part of the same nonfigurative decoration was the large cross in the
sanctuary niche, traces of which can be seen over the halo and beside the
shoulders of Mary. The mosaic representation of the Virgin Mary is problematic as
regards date. The lower part was previously held to be the oldest (9th century),
with the upper one dating to a later phase, in the 11th or 12th century. More
recent studies have shown that the main body does not differ from the lower section,
so it has been argued that the scene is contemporary with that in the dome.
The large monumental representation of the Ascension
in the centre of the dome dates to the end of the 9th century, most probably to
885, if we accept that the Archbishop Paul mentioned in an inscription in the
decorative band surrounding the subject is to be identified as the like-named
Metropolitan of Thessalonica, who had ties with Ecumenical Patriarch Photios.
The scene depicts Christ at the centre of a circular mandorla supported by flying angels; lower down at the base of
the dome is a rendition of olive trees in a rocky landscape, where the figures
of the apostles are walking. The Virgin Mary can be seen among them, flanked by
two archangels pointing towards the Divine Presence in the heavens.
The frescoes in the arcs of the west narthex wall
date to the 11th century. Figures of monks are still visible, together with
local saints from Thessalonica such as Agia Theodora.
The painted decoration imitating marble revetments owes its existence to
repairs carried out during the Ottoman period. The building was damaged by fire
in 1890, and restored by Charles Diehl in 1907-1909. Yet it was the impact of the
1978 earthquakes that led to systematic study and maintenance, both vital steps
in bringing to the fore what is a very special monument, a part of World Cultural
Heritage and an important place of worship in present-day Thessalonica.
Glossary (9)
basilica:
type of large church, divided internally into three or more naves. The central nave was usually covered by a raised roof with windows that illuminated the space.
peristyle:
Space surrounding the main body of a church or the core of a centrally-planned building. In domed basilicas this was formed by the side naves and the western part of the church. In later periods peristyles surrounded enclosed cruciform cores. In the Palaeologan period peristyles were built around many of the Middle Byzantine churches in Constantinople, often serving as funerary chapels.
wall paintings or murals:
Painted scenes on a wall or ceiling surface.
marble revetment:
facings of colored marble slabs that covered walls from the floor to the starting point of arches.
column:
cylindrical, vertical support. Their use started in antiquity and was subsequently adopted by Byzantine churches. Columns from ancient temples were often incorporated into Christian churches. Byzantine examples are usually marble, monolithic and unfluted.
capital:
uppermost part of a column acting as support for the architrave, usually decorated. The three basic types of capitals are the Doric, the Ionic and the Corinthian. In Byzantine times they were adorned with carvings and used in churches, being mostly variations of the Corinthian type.
mosaic:
patterns or
images composed of small, colored tesserae. Mosaic
decoration can
be applied
to all the surfaces
of a building:
floor, walls or ceiling.
nonfigurative decoration:
decoration without depictions or representations of persons, usually consisting of vegetal or geometric patterns. Such decorations are commonly found on early Christian floors, mosaics and tomb frescoes. Also found on various early Byzantine monuments; enjoyed a revival in momumental art during the iconoclast controversy.
mandorla:
bright circular or oval shape surrounding certain depictions of Christ as a symbol of divine nature. It can also resemble a star or consist of double rhombuses. A double oval and diamond shaped mandorla denotes the presence of the Holy Trinity.
Information Texts (0)
Bibliography (7)
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