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The church of Agios Demetrios
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The Church of Saint Demetrius, patron saint of Thessalonica, lies in the historic city centre, where the street of the same name bisects an imaginary line extending from Aristotelous Street.

In Roman times the site was taken up by a large bathhouse, at the east end of which is the present day Crypt , on the spot where tradition holds that Saint Demetrios was martyred. After the Edict of Milan the faithful built a small house of worship there. Leontius, Prefect of Illyricum, erected a basilica in the same place in 412, transferring the saint’s grave to a ciborium in the main nave. Originally silver, the ciborium was later replaced by a marble version containing an urn, in all likelihood a cenotaph, and an icon depicting the saint. The fifth century basilica is unlikely to have differed greatly from the present church; its precise form remains unknown, as it burnt down shortly after a major earthquake in 620. It was rebuilt in a remarkably short time, under the supervision of the Bishop of Thessalonica and Leon the Prefect, resulting in a church very similar to that seen today.

Even in Byzantine times Saint Demetrios’ renown went far beyond the city limits, for he was credited with protecting Thessalonica against enemy raids. So it was that the celebrations held in honour of the saint’s feast day in October drew pilgrims from many countries in Europe and Asia. In 1493 the church was converted into a mosque, leaving the Christians only a small area in the northwest, where the saint’s cenotaph was moved. In 1912 the building was restored to Christian worship, but suffered extensive damage in the great fire that swept through a large area of the upper city in 1917. The restoration work that followed was completed in 1949. During the work the Crypt was restored, and now houses an exhibition on the monument’s evolution over time.

In its present form the church is a prime example of an early 7th century five-nave basilica with transept . Of particular interest is the surviving mosaic decoration which, though fragmented, includes works of great historical and artistic value, illustrating the evolution of Byzantine art in the early Christian period and beyond. There are capitals of many different types, styles and technical development; cornices ; marble revetments ; opus sectile panels, of which few examples now survive; the marble funerary monument of Luke Spantounis (a fine example of Venetian Renaissance art); mosaic votive representations; offerings from ordinary citizens or city officials; and a small number of wall paintings . Only nine of the mosaics survived the fire of 1917 – these are to be found on the two large pillars in front of the altar and the west wall of the nave, covering the period from the 5th to the 9th century. According to an inscription, the mosaic on the south pillar depicts Agios Demetrios between the bishop of the city and Prefect Leon (sponsors of the church renovation).

Of the few surviving wall paintings, that on the south church wall is of historical significance. It depicts an emperor entering the city on horseback, identified by scholars as either Justinian II (7th-8th century) or Basil II (11th cent.) The first pillar in the south colonnade bears a depiction of Agios Demetrios and a prelate in smaller scale holding a censer, identified as Gregorios Palamas, Archbishop of Thessalonica. The painting dates to 1360-1380 and relates to 14th century theological disputes and the Hesychasm movement in Thessalonica, concerning experiential prayer.

Abutting the east side of the south wing of the transept is the Middle Byzantine chapel of Agios Euthymius, in the form of a small basilica. According to an inscription, the chapel murals were sponsored in 1302-1303 by Michael Ducas Tarchaneiotes Glavas, founder of the Pammakaristos Monastery in Constantinople, and his wife Maria Palaeologina. The murals are representative of Palaeologan art and are stylistically very close to the murals in the Protaton on Mount Athos, which have been attributed to the painter Manuel Panselinos.


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