The basilica of Lechaion
The ruins of an impressively large Early Christian
basilica known as the Basilica of Lechaion lie on a sandy spit of land by the ancient port of the same name. It is believed to have been built on the shore to honour Leonides, Bishop of Athens, and the seven women who were martyred with him in Corinth in the 3rd century, and whose bodies washed up on Lechaion beach.
Measuring 180 metres in length, the building is one of the largest basilicas in the Christian world, alongside the original St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. It is a three-aisled basilica with a transverse five-part aisle, semicircular apse, five-part narthex, and two atria surrounded by a portico, one of which is rectangular and the other semicircular. There were tribunes over the narthex and the aisles. In the northwest corner of the basilica there is a tripartite baptistery, in the form of an independent complex reminiscent of contemporary baths. It is probably older than the basilica.
The nave was divided into three aisles by two rows of columns, with a synthronon in the semicircular apse. Parts of the templon supports were unearthed at the point where the solea began. This ended in an octagonal pulpit with two staircases in the middle of the centre aisle. The basilica floors were covered with opus sectile and white marble slabs; the abundant high quality Proconnesian marble sculpture decoration is probably evidence of an imperial donation.
A coin from the reign of Emperor Marcian (450-457 AD) unearthed in the church floor foundations indicates that building work on the basilica commenced after the mid-fifth century. Similarly, a Justin I coin (518-527 AD) from the foundations of the west narthex shows that the church was probably further extended in the first quarter of the sixth century.
Glossary (8)
Paleo-Christian (early Christian) era:
in Byzantine history, the period that typically starts in 330 AD, when Constantine the Great transferred the capital of the Roman Empire from Rome to his newly-founded city of Constantinople, and ends with the death of Justinian in 565.
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.
atrium:
quadrangular forecourt of basilicas, surrounded by porticos. Porticos had functional purposes: they served as a waiting place before entering the church for the celebration of the Divine Liturgy and provided shelter for the congregation. Generally, the atrium isolated the church from the surrounding space. It contained fountains for the symbolic cleansing of the hands and feet and for performing the service of Sanctification.
gallery or tribune:
upper story of a church above the side naves and the narthex.
baptistry:
architectural structure for the Baptismal Rite, used until the introduction of infant baptsim in the 6th century. It could be part of a church or freestanding, in which case it was usually a centrally planned building with a cruciform font embedded in the floor. Its dome was often decorated with the scene of the Baptismal Rite.
synthronon:
semicircular stone or marble tiered structure of benches within the apse of early Christian churches, serving as a seat for the clergy. The episcopal throne was placed at the center.
altarscreen or templon:
screen separating the
altar area
from the
rest of the
church. This
can be
of marble
or
wood,
adorned with
wall paintings
and icons depicting Christ,
the Virgin Mary, St. John
the Baptist,
the saint to
whom the church is consecrated,
the Apostles
and other saints.
ambon (pulpit):
raised area from which the clergy reads the Scriptures and delivers sermons. Located in the central nave of churches, it originally occupied the centre of the church, though in some cases abutted the north or south colonnade. Called ambon from the ancient Greek “baino” (step), because it was mounted via one or two steps. Occasionally made of wood, ambons were more usually built of masonry with marble facings or constructed entirely of large pieces of marble. In rare cases, such as at Hagia Sophia in Constantinople, they were decorated with precious materials.
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Bibliography (4)
1. Pallas D., Korinth, 1990
2. G. D. R. Sanders, ‘Archaeological Evidence for Early Christianity and the End of Hellenistic Religion in Corinth’ in Urban Religion in Roman Corinth: Interdisciplinary Approaches , D. N. Schowalter and S. J. Friesen, Cambridge, 2005
3. Υπουργείο Πολιτισμού και Τουρισμού | Παλαιοχριστιανική βασιλική Λεωνίδη, http://odysseus.culture.gr/h/3/gh352.jsp?obj_id=1772
4. Μνημεία Κορίνθου, http://www3.ascsa.edu.gr/media/corinth/monuments.swf
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