The Church of Hosios David ( el, Όσιος Δαυίδ) is a late 5th-century church in
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area, and the capi ...
,
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...
. During the
Byzantine
The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...
times, it functioned as the ''
katholikon
A ''katholikon'' or catholicon ( gr, καθολικόν) or ''sobor'' ( Slavonic: съборъ) refers to one of three things in the Eastern Orthodox Church:
* The cathedral of a diocese.
* The major church building (temple) of a monastery corre ...
'' of the Latomos Monastery ( gr, Μονή Λατόμου/Λατόμων), and was adorned with rich
mosaic
A mosaic is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and were particularly pop ...
and
fresco
Fresco (plural ''frescos'' or ''frescoes'') is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaste ...
decoration, which was renewed in the 12th–14th centuries. Today, the surviving examples are of high artistic quality, especially the
apse
In architecture, an apse (plural apses; from Latin 'arch, vault' from Ancient Greek 'arch'; sometimes written apsis, plural apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome, also known as an ''exedra''. In ...
mosaic ''
Icon of Christ of Latomos''. Under
Ottoman rule, the building was converted into a
mosque
A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...
(probably in the 16th century), until it was reconsecrated as a
Greek Orthodox
The term Greek Orthodox Church (Greek language, Greek: Ἑλληνορθόδοξη Ἐκκλησία, ''Ellinorthódoxi Ekklisía'', ) has two meanings. The broader meaning designates "the Eastern Orthodox Church, entire body of Orthodox (Chalced ...
church in 1921, thus receiving its present name. In 1988, this monument was included among the
Paleochristian and Byzantine monuments of Thessaloniki
The city of Thessaloniki in Macedonia, Greece, for several centuries the second-most important city of the Byzantine Empire, played an important role for Christianity during the Middle Ages and was decorated by impressive buildings. Because of The ...
on the list of
World Heritage Site
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
s by
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
.
Architecture
The original architecture of the Church of Hosios David was constructed in a
cross-in-square
A cross-in-square or crossed-dome floor plan, plan was the dominant architectural form of middle- and late-period Byzantine Empire, Byzantine church architecture, churches. It featured a square centre with an internal structure shaped like a cross ...
plan with squares as the main shape of the floor plan. This pattern would later become more popular. The structure contained square bays in the corners. The bays all connected to the main cross room via hallways. The bays also connected to the outside.
![Thessaloniki-hosios-david-church-mosaik](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/20/Thessaloniki-hosios-david-church-mosaik.jpg)
Sometime during the middle Byzantine period the structure was damaged by earthquakes. Parts of the structure collapsed including the
tribelon. The middle Byzantine period also saw the addition of marbling and a second round of fresco paintings.
Decoration
The marble decoration in the Church of Hosios David depicted crosses, vines and leaves in swirling detailing.
The mosaic ''
Icon of Christ of Latomos'' of the
Theophany
Theophany (from Ancient Greek , meaning "appearance of a deity") is a personal encounter with a deity, that is an event where the manifestation of a deity occurs in an observable way. Specifically, it "refers to the temporal and spatial manifest ...
is a detailed mosaic in a naturalistic style depicting Christ holding a text saying in Greek, “Behold our God, in whom we hope and we rejoice in our salvation, that he may grand rest to this home.”
The mosaic contains symbolism indicating the
Evangelists
Evangelists may refer to:
* Evangelists (Christianity), Christians who specialize in evangelism
* Four Evangelists, the authors of the four Gospel accounts in the New Testament
* ''The Evangelists
''The Evangelists'' (''Evangheliştii'' in Roma ...
. The mosaic representing the Theophany is complex, with a detailed border, and a lot of elements within the scene. The focus of the image is Christ as shown by his gaze, his position in the center and the halos surrounding Christ’s head and body. This icon was said to have been miraculously created in the 3rd century.
Byzantine murals were discovered under the plaster at the Church of Hosios David. These murals are what is left of extensive
fresco
Fresco (plural ''frescos'' or ''frescoes'') is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaste ...
paintings from the middle Byzantine period, approximately 1160-70. The east part of the south and north barrel-vaults contains depictions of the nativity, the presentation in the temple, our lady of the passion, Christ on the mount of olives, entry into Jerusalem, theophany, and decorative panels meant to resemble marble slabs. The south barrel has the rest of the nativity and presentation in the temple. This area also depicts images of the baptism and transfiguration. The Church of Hosios David contains few borders between the different fresco scenes, which is an uncommon feature for this time.
Most of the frescos were created during the middle Byzantine period. The frescos: our lady of the passion, the entry into Jerusalem, and Christ on the Mount of Olives are likely later, during the
Palaeologan
The House of Palaiologos ( Palaiologoi; grc-gre, Παλαιολόγος, pl. , female version Palaiologina; grc-gre, Παλαιολογίνα), also found in English-language literature as Palaeologus or Palaeologue, was a Byzantine Greek ...
period, approximately c. 1300. Many of the frescos today are damaged because of effects of time such as: earthquakes, cracking, water damage, and the plaster applied to cover them in the Turkish era.
After the Byzantine Era
The Church of Hosios David has a simple exterior and is more removed from the heart of Thessaloniki, closer to the mountains. This contributed to the theory that the Church of Hosios David was not converted to a mosque immediately after the Turks conquered the area, as the Turks converted all the best churches, and best locations first. The mosque was called Suluca or Murad Mosque. When the Church of Hosios David was converted to a mosque the walls and by extension the art was covered with plaster. In addition the Turkish period added a
minaret
A minaret (; ar, منارة, translit=manāra, or ar, مِئْذَنة, translit=miʾḏana, links=no; tr, minare; fa, گلدسته, translit=goldaste) is a type of tower typically built into or adjacent to mosques. Minarets are generall ...
at the south-west corner bay. Only the base remains today, together with the spiral staircase with in the remaining part of the minaret.
References
Sources
* Entwistle, Chris, and Liz James, eds. ''New Lights on Old Glass: Recent Research on Byzantine Mosaics and Glass''. London: British Museum, 2013.
*
* Nicol. 1964. Review of Early Byzantine Churches in Macedonia and Southern Serbia: A Study of the Origins and the Initial Development of East Christian Art. The Journal of Hellenic Studies 84. The Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies: 233–34.
* Pentcheva, Bissera V.. 2000. “Imagined Images: Visions of Salvation and Intercession in a Double-sided Icon from Poganovo”. Dumbarton Oaks Papers 54. Dumbarton Oaks, Trustees for Harvard University: 139–53.
*Rice, D. Talbot. 1961. Review of Greece-byzantine Mosaics. The Burlington Magazine 103 (701). The Burlington Magazine Publications Ltd.: 367–67.
*Spieser. 1998. “The Representation of Christ in the Apses of Early Christian Churches”. Gesta 37 (1).
niversity of Chicago Press, International Center of Medieval Art 63–73.
*Tsigaridas, Euth N. ''Latomou Monastery: (the Church of Hosios David)''. Thessaloniki: Institute for Balkan Studies, 1988.
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Byzantine church buildings in Thessaloniki
World Heritage Sites in Greece
Mosques converted from churches in Ottoman Greece
5th-century churches in Greece
Former mosques in Greece