The Small Basilica of Philippopolis ( bg, Малка базилика на Филипопол, ''Malka bazilika na Filipopol'') is one of

Plovdiv Plovdiv ( bg, Пловдив, ), is the second-largest city in Bulgaria, standing on the banks of the Maritsa river in the historical region of Thrace. It has a population of 346,893 and 675,000 in the greater metropolitan area. Plovdiv is the c ...

's most distinctive landmarks. The basilica is located on Maria Louisa Blvd in the central part of Bulgaria'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 was built in the second half of the 5th century AD and contained rich architectural decoration including a marble colonnade between the naves, a marble altar screen, a

pulpit A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platform or staging). The traditional pulpit is raised well above the surrounding floor for audibility and visibility, access ...

, and a ''synthronon'' in the altar apse. 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 floors are covered with colorful Roman mosaics with geometrical motifs. A small chapel is built against the south end of the basilica and a baptistery 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)