Hagios Demetrios, phase one

Name of structure: Hagios Demetrios, phase one
Extended name of structure:
Type of structure: Church
Country or main area: Greece
Region within country or main area: Macedonia
City or area within region: Thessaloniki
Date of structure:

Three-aisled basilica founded mid-fifth century, reconstructed as a five-aisled basilica after being burned down ca. 620
Century of structure 1: 5 AD
Century of structure 2:
Specific place of mosaic: West walls of north and south aisles.
Brief descriptive contents of mosaic:

West wall of north aisle: fragmentary but shows 2 angels in sky, one blowing a trumpet with standing figure of nimbed saint below him.  West wall of south inner aisle: S Demetrios in front of his ciborion receiving prayers of citizens. 
Maria cycle was on north inner aisle, discovered in 1907 but almost entirely destroyed by fire in 1917.
Date of mosaic: Pre 620
Maria cycle late 6th century
Century of mosaic 1: 5 AD
Century of mosaic 2: 6 AD
Silver tessera at site: Yes
Gold tessera at site: Yes
Colour tessera at site: Yes
Were other materials found at site (i.e., glass cakes)? Unknown
Has analysis been done? Yes
Samples taken from where?

?
Excavation and restoration campaigns: 1917-1949, 1998.
Bibliography of mainly technical resources:

Bakirtzis, Ch., Mastora, P. & Pitsalidis, N., 'Conservation, maintenance, and presentation of the wall mosaics in the basilica of St Demetrios, Thessaloniki: principles, methods, and results', in Proceedings of the VIIIth Conference of the International Committee for the Conservation of Mosaics (ICCM) ‘Wall and Floor Mosaics: Conservation, Maintenance, Presentation’ (Thessaloniki 29 Oct–3 Nov 2002) ed by Ch. Bakirtzis (Thessaloniki, 2005), 501-511. 


Kanonidis, I.O. & Mastora, P. 'Preservation of the mosaics at the Rotonda of Agios Georgios, the basilica of Agios Demetrios and the church of Agia Sofia, Thessaloniki, 1997-1999' in Proceedings of the VIIth Conference of the International Committee for the Conservation of Mosaics (ICCM): 'Mosaics: Conserve to display? (Arles–Saint-Romain-en-Gal, 22-28 Nov 1999), ed by P. Blanc (Arles, 2003), 403-13.


Brill, R., Chemical Analysis of Early Glasses, 2 vols, (New York: Corning Museum of Glass, 1999), IX L, 2361-2372 (dates uncertain).


Aldrovandi, A. et al, ‘Indagini scientifiche per lo studio dei materiali costitutivi e il restauro dell'icona musiva di San Demetrio’, OPD Opificio delle Pietre Dure Restauro 8 (1996), 9-29.


Cormack, R., ‘The Mosaic Decoration of S. Demetrios, Thessaloniki: A Re-examination in the Light of the Drawings of W. S. George’, The Annual of the British School at Athens, 64 (1969), 17-52

Cormack, Robin, Writing in Gold (London: George Philip, 1985), pp. 50-94
URLs:
Comments:

Gold tiles in west arches and in crypt (Antonaras paper discussed these in at AIHV conference 2009)


For details of mosaics in the north aisle that were destroyed by fire in 1917 please see Texts. 

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