Church of Panagia Acheiropoietos
Thessaloniki
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General information

The Church of Panagia Acheiropoietos is one of the oldest and most visited religious sites in Thessaloniki. The old age of the building, a unique architectural ensemble, and well-thought-out interior decoration create an exclusive atmosphere, which attracts thousands of visitors from around the globe.

History in brief

The temple initially bore the name of the great church of the Theotokos (Mother of God). People established it based of a set of the Roman baths in 447. The mosaic message on the southern arch is the evidence of the given fact.

The baths existed here in the early Christian period. A special spacious room in the northern part of the church is the evidence of their existence here. At present, travelers can observe only their remains here. To see them, you need to have a more attentive look at the exterior of the basilica.

The building’s modern name (αχειροποίητος) in translation from Greek stands for “not made with human hands.” The first reference of the name of the church dates back to 1320. Some historians believe that this name has close relation to the hieratic icon of praying Virgin Mary, created not by the human hands, kept in the church during that time.

According to the Byzantine chronicles, local residents worshipped not only to Mother of God, but also to Agios Dimitrios, the patron saint of the city. On the day of celebration, people necessarily visited the temple to show their respect to two saints at once.

During the times of the Ottoman rule, Sultan Murad II gave the order to convert this basilica into a religious meeting house and called it Eski Camii. The church had the status of an official Muslim mosque during all time of occupation by the Turks.

Notable holy relics

Unfortunately the major artifact of the basilica, the Mother of God icon, disappeared without leaving any trace during the times of the Ottoman rule.

At present, the buildig preserves a lot of other relics of no less important than the icon, for example, the All-Holy Virgin icon.

The building is also famous for a range of beautiful frescoes of the early Byzantine period, which have well preserved until modern times.

Navigation in the area

The Church of Panagia Acheiropoietos represents the classic early Christian style. It is a basilica with three naves, a wooden roof, and galleries (“three-nave” means that it features three columns, splitting its area. In case if people built the walls instead of the columns, it would be a three-church basilica). It has also saved its original height, which is quite a rare feature for old constructions.

On the western side, there are the remains of the exonarthex (Εξωνάρθηξ – an outside parvis, having a look of the lobby), which was probably the eastern side of the basilica’s atrium. The historians assume that it is now located under the Macedonomachon square.

Within the area of the southern nave, you can see the frescoes of the Byzantine period, which are of great value to historians and culture experts. They depict the Holy Forty Martyrs of Sebastia. In the same area, you can also find the narthex entry, a long rectangular space, covering the entire width of the nave. The analogous entry at the north part of the nave is not accessible.

There are two arch ports, linking the narthex to the side-corridors. In the middle of the east side, you can see the tribel, the main entrance to the central passage. It was created using two massive columns of green Thessaly marble (the columns of Hagia Sophia in Istanbul are made of the same material).

The main passage is quite broad – 14.2 meters. It is separated from the side-corridors by the two consecutive colonnades. Each of them consists of 12 columns made of the marble from Proconnesos. The same material was used for the decoration of the floor. The main passage has the form of a large semicircular shell. It leads to the sanctuary in the east area. There, you can find a syntrotron (the seats for the priesthood) and the throne of a bishop.

The northern passage of the church ends with the chapel of Agia Irini at the east. In the middle of the southern side of the church, to the east of the south porch, you can see a renovated premise. Some people think it to perform the functions of a baptistery in the past.

The northern part of the basilica features the traces of the two-floor arched outbuilding. The northeast corner provides a staircase, leading to the galleries.

The contemporary roof of the basilica is much lower compared to its initial construction. Many centuries ago, the main passage had particular elevation, serving as “a sun tube.” Such wells were used to make the light conditions within the building more natural. At present, the décor of this environment looks completely different. This effect is partially compensated by numerous windows, establishing wide-spread illumination.

Since the early XX century, one held the repeated works on the building reconstruction; in particular, the supporting structure underwent radical changes, and a large-scale reconstruction of damaged or dilapidated sections was carried out. The recently finished high-scale maintenance and restoration projects were directed at the renovation of the damage caused by the 1978 earthquake, and at ensuring the overall structural stability of the monument.

In 1988, the basilica, as well as many other attractions of the early Christian period, entered the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The Church of Panagia Acheiropoietos sits in the area just above Egnatia Street on a par with the Agia Sofia Church, between the Ancient Agora (Roman Forum) and Rotunda.

Tips

  • Look closely at the floor of the basilica. Some of its areas feature special windows, through which you can see its state at different times.
  • If you walk along the northern colonnade, you will notice the inscription on the eighth column. It was left by Sultan Murad II: “Sultan Murad II captured Thessaloniki in 833”
  • Do not forget to draw your attention at the colonnade intrados on the first floor of the southern gallery, the narthex, and the windows by the western wall: there you can find mosaics of high quality with traditional religious symbols: the cross, fish, the jar with water, birds, etc.