However, those hours of walking rewarded me with tours and views of some of the coolest historical sites in Europe. Thessaloniki is saturated with history, with each successive generation building literally on top of the places the previous generations held dear. Its location on an important port, plus the roads that have connected it to neighboring cities since antiquity, mean that it remains an important trade city. The ancient Greeks used it as such, the Romans protected it because of this, and the Turks held onto it long after much of the rest of Greece was independent because of its trade value.
All of this means that you can't go anywhere in Old Thessaloniki without tripping on something older than the New World.
Today, Alicia (one of the ladies I met yesterday) joined me in my wanderings. We started at Vlatadon monastery again, since she had not gotten an opportunity to see the inside of the Catholikon. From there we attempted to visit a couple of other small and ancient churches, but since it is Sunday and all of the chapels are still active, we couldn't actually see the inside of most of them due to mass services in progress.
We did manage to get into the Rotunda, which is a building with a varied and excellent history. It started life as a Roman mausoleum (or temple depending who you ask) built for the Roman emperor Galerius in the 300's. Galerius, although he was partially responsible for making Thessaloniki an important Roman trade city, was not very good at dying where he was supposed to, and he kicked the bucket in Serbia. So much for being a mausoleum. Constantine the Great (the fellow who converted the Roman empire to Christianity, whose name Istanbul used to bear) ordered it converted into a church. Eventually the Ottomans overran Thessaloniki, and during their reign they built a minaret and converted the building into a mosque. When Thessaloniki finally gained its independence in 1917, it was turned back into a church, which it mostly remains today. The building was damaged significantly during an earthquake in 1970, and the minaret has only recently been stabilized enough to stand without scaffolding. The same cannot be said for the Rotunda, and unfortunately the inside is lined with scaffolding that obscures many of the few remaining frescoes and mosaics.
What actually is visible through the scaffolds are vibrant, clean examples of early Christian artwork. This is one of the oldest surviving Christian churches on earth, as if it weren't significant enough in its own right. All around the building are excavations, with pieces of architectural marble carvings and religious inscriptions. There is still evidence of the building's time as a mosque, as you can see by the Arabic inscription beneath the Christian fresco above the door in one of my photos.
Second stop was the Church of Agios Dimitriou (Saint Dimitrius, to us Anglophones). This gigantic church sits directly on top of the catacombs where Saint Dimitrios was martyred. Although much of it burned in 1917 (what can I say, it was a big year for Thessaloniki), there are still a few original mosaics and frescos inside, and even the icons that aren't original are beautiful. The catacombs are considered one of Greece's holiest sites, and unfortunately we weren't able to visit them today. I'm going back tomorrow afternoon to take a look (pray that the long pants and closed toed shoes I will be wearing out of respect for the Saint and the church don't end up causing me to join the dear Saint a few years earlier than expected in this weather!). Inside the church, Dimitrios' relics are contained in an extremely ornate silver reliquary, topped by a crown like object I can't properly describe and refuse to photograph (I don't think they would allow photography anyway).
Next stop was the White Tower again - this time to actually visit the inside. This used to be the far end of one of the city's giant walls - it now stands alone, the wall near it having been demolished hundreds of years ago. It has been used as a prison, watch station, and Sea Scout base over the years, and was once called the 'Red Tower' in an allusion to a mass execution of prisoners performed by the Turks there. It was painted white by a prisoner in exchange for his freedom in 1917, as a symbol of renewal after Thessaloniki finally gained independence (or more correctly, came under the control of the modern Greek state), and although it hasn't been painted in decades, the name stuck. The museum inside had alot of fascinating photos, but absolutely no English explanations of anything (other than the titles for each of the rooms..). I didn't get many facts out of it, but I did get to see some great photos of prior times in Thessaloniki, which made it worth the trip. The view from the top was also excellent, although I'm finding that great views of Thessaloniki aren't hard to find if you are willing to walk to access them.
Last stop for me this afternoon was the Museum of Byzantine Culture. I am not putting up any/many pictures from this place because I have something against posting pictures taken in a museum (although I will gladly show them when I get home). There are a couple of reasons for this - firstly, they never turn out very well, and I can't apologize 600 times for the poor quality if I post them here. Whether allowed or not, I didn't use flash in the interest of preserving the 1500 year old relics. Long exposure times to compensate for low light, plus my typical wobbly nature, makes for blurry photos.
The museum itself was first rate. According to the literature, it displays more than 3000 of Greece's most significant examples of Byzantine art. By Byzantine, I mean Orthodox Christian artwork from approximately 300- 1700 AD. The museum flows approximately chronologically, beginning with early Christian burial and funerary traditions and art. This museum is extremely tourist friendly, with all display explanations posted in both Greek and (extremely good!) English. I realized about 10 minutes in that I really love Byzantine art, so I was in hog heaven. There were even entire mosaics and frescos from Churches all over Greece preserved there. I have no idea how one goes about moving a 30'x30' mosaic without destroying it or losing a single piece, but they have done it several times there.
This brings me to another of those unusual things about Thessaloniki. When building here, it isn't uncommon to uncover an old church site, burial ground, or other historically or artistically significant site. Since there it is unfeasible to make each site a tourist spot, the museum will remove art and artifacts, do a full survey of the site, and then fill it with sand - allowing construction to continue on the site. This way, the best and most interesting elements of the site can be enjoyed, and modern Thessaloniki doesn't get razed in the interest of historical preservation. As much as I'd love to see everything under the city, I understand the balance that must be struck here. The metro system being built here has run into the same kinds of issues - and like Athens, there will be small museums in the stops to display the artifacts that are discovered while building.
Irrelevant musing for the day: reading through the Museum, alot of really significant things have happened in this city. From invasions by foreign monarchies, to civil wars, to ethnic cleansing by the Nazis, to economic collapse and persecutions, it has happened here. But in the midst of it all, and in spite of it all, life goes on in ordinary ways for most of the people here. Perhaps the 'aloof' quality that someone asked me about in regards to Europeans and Greeks in particular is due at least partly to the realization that no matter what happens politically, economically, or globally, life will carry on in the ordinary ways, and no matter who calls himself King of this land, somebody has to bring bread home tonight. I think this might be the distinction between Americans and much of the rest of the world. Our history is so short, and so relatively calm, that we act like each ripple in history is the end of the world.
