The Small Basilica of Philippopolis ( bg, Малка базилика на Филипопол, ''Malka bazilika na Filipopol'') is one of Plovdiv's most distinctive landmarks. The basilica is located on Maria Louisa Blvd in the central part of

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedo ...

's second-largest city. The ruins of the early Christian church were found during construction works in the area in 1988. The three-nave basilica is an example of the exceptional skill of mosaic builders in ancient Philippopolis.

The basilica

The

basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica is a large public building with multiple functions, typically built alongside the town's Forum (Roman), forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek East. The building ...

was built in the second half of the 5th century AD and contained rich architectural decoration including a marble colonnade between the

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

s, a marble altar screen, a pulpit, and a ''synthronon'' in the altar

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''. ...

. The total length of the building is 20 m and its width is 13 m. Originally, it was built as a three-nave basilica with one apse and a

narthex The narthex is an architectural element typical of early Christian and Byzantine basilicas and churches consisting of the entrance or lobby area, located at the west end of the nave, opposite the church's main altar. Traditionally the narthex ...

. The floors are covered with colorful

Roman mosaic A Roman mosaic is a mosaic made during the Roman period, throughout the Roman Republic and later Empire. Mosaics were used in a variety of private and public buildings, on both floors and walls, though they competed with cheaper frescos for the ...

s with geometrical motifs. A small chapel is built against the south end of the basilica and a

baptistery In Christian architecture the baptistery or baptistry (Old French ''baptisterie''; Latin ''baptisterium''; Greek , 'bathing-place, baptistery', from , baptízein, 'to baptize') is the separate centrally planned structure surrounding the baptismal ...

is attached to the northern part of the building. The total length of the church is 20 m and its width is 13 m. The baptistery has a square plan, and contains a cruciform baptizing pool and polychromatic mosaics. Deers, pigeons, and other Christian symbols were depicted on them. File:Small b4.jpg, Mosaic floor File:Baptistery in small basilica.jpg, The baptistery

Excavation and restoration

* 1988 - The ruins of the early Christian basilica were accidentally discovered during the construction of an apartment block in the area. * 1993-1994 - A team from the National Monuments of Culture Institute removed and put in storage about half of the mosaics, leaving and conserving the rest in situ. * 1995 - The basilica and the adjacent remains of ancient fortification wall were declared a national monument of culture. * 2000 - Some of the mosaics were restored by the archeologist Mina Bospachieva and the restorationist Elena Kantareva-Decheva. * 2010 - A thorough conservation and restoration project was initiated with the financial support of the America for Bulgaria Foundation, the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Bulgaria, and the Plovdiv Municipality. * 2013 - The restored small basilica was inaugurated. * 2014 - The small basilica opened to the public on 1 May.

Gallery

File:Deermosaic.jpg, alt=small basilica, Mosaic floor depicting deer File:The small early christian basilica of Philippopolis, Plovdiv Bulgaria 14.jpg, alt=small basilica, Mosaic floor depicting birds File:The small early christian basilica of Philippopolis, Plovdiv Bulgaria 07.jpg, alt=small basilica, Mosaic floor File:Small basilica plovdiv 1.jpg, alt=small basilica, Glass floor over the mosaics File:Small basilica plovdiv 3.jpg, alt=small basilica, Ancient well near the basilica File:The small early christian basilica of Philippopolis, Plovdiv Bulgaria 24.jpg, alt=small basilica, File:The small early christian basilica of Philippopolis, Plovdiv Bulgaria 30.jpg, alt=small basilica, Basilica interior

External links

Ancient Stadium of Philippopolis - Map of Ancient Philippopolis

Roman Plovdiv - The Small Basilica

Visit Plovdiv - The Small Basilica
{{Ancient Monuments in Plovdiv Archaeological sites in Bulgaria Ancient Roman buildings and structures in Bulgaria Churches in Plovdiv 5th-century churches Philippopolis (Thrace)