The Basilica of St Demetrios is one of the most important shrines in the Greek city of Thessaloniki. The temple is consecrated in honour of the Great Martyr Demetrius of Thessaloniki, who is revered by the people of Thessaloniki as their patron saint. Among other early Christian and Byzantine monuments of Thessaloniki, the Basilica of St Demetrios is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Basilica of St Demetrios was built on the site of the Roman baths, where in 303, in one of the rooms, St Demetrios was imprisoned and later martyred. The first church built here (presumably in 313-323) was just a small chapel, but in the beginning of the 5th century it was replaced by a three-nave basilica. According to legend, during the construction of the altar part of the temple on the place of the supposed burial of Demetrius were found the relics of the saint and placed in a silver ciborium.
In the first half of the 7th century, the old basilica was thoroughly destroyed by fire, and rebuilt with some architectural changes - turning into a five-nave basilica. The ciborium was also lost in the fire, and the relics of the saint were placed in a marble tomb. The interior decoration of the basilica was finally completed only in the 9th century. Somewhat later, a small three-sided basilica was added to the church - the side chapel of St Ephimius. At the end of the 12th century, the relics of St Demetrios were taken to Italy and returned to Thessaloniki only at the end of the 20th century.
In 1493, the Basilica of St Demetrios, like most Christian churches under Turkish rule, was transformed into a mosque - Kasimiye-jami, and the magnificent mosaics and wall paintings were hidden behind a thick layer of plaster or simply destroyed. It is worth noting that during this period Christians were allowed access to the cenotaph of St Demetrius, placed in a small side chapel with a separate entrance. The ancient shrine returned to the Christians only after the liberation of the city in 1912.
Unfortunately, the infamous devastating fire in Thessaloniki in August 1917 destroyed a significant part of the Basilica of St Demetrios. The reconstruction work took several decades, but as a result, the original parts of the church that survived the fire were preserved as much as possible and the overall architectural appearance of the 7th century basilica was recreated very accurately. During the work, the entrance to the crypt and many unique artefacts were discovered, as well as miraculously preserved mosaics and several frescoes were cleared. Some of the mosaics still adorn the interior of the basilica, some of them you can see by going down into the crypt, where today there is a small, but very interesting archaeological museum, where sculptures, mosaics, various church relics, historical documents, etc. are on display. However, the crypt itself is very interesting, where, as it is believed, for some time rested the remains of St Demetrius, and today you can still see the marble basin, intended to collect the peace that flowed from the relics of the saint..
