Crypt of the Basilica of Agios Dimitrios

About the museum

The Crypt lies beneath the sanctuary of the basilica of Agios Dimitrios, the patron saint of Thessaloniki. It was originally the ground-floor eastern section of Roman baths, where, according to tradition, Saint Dimitrios was imprisoned, martyred and buried. The first basilica of the 5th century, built in honour of the saint, incorporated this room. There the faithful honoured the saint through the agiasma (holy water) from the central fountain, which was fed by a well that survives to this day.

From the 10th to the 14th century the Crypt was the centre of the myroblisia (myrrh-gathering) of the saint. Pilgrims collected the myrrh in small vessels, the so-called koutrouvia, and took them with them. This spread the veneration of the saint throughout the Christian world and made Thessaloniki an important pilgrimage centre of the Byzantine world.

Today the Crypt houses an exhibition dedicated to the veneration of the saint and the history of the church, with Byzantine sculptures, coins, ceramics and inscriptions. The basilica itself was almost completely destroyed by the fire of 1917 and was restored between 1918 and 1948; eleven mosaic compositions from the 5th, 7th and 9th centuries have survived.

Highlights

• Site of the martyrdom and burial of Agios Dimitrios according to tradition
• Roman baths and a fountain with a well
• Byzantine sculptures, coins, ceramics and inscriptions
• Koutrouvia of the myroblisia
• Free admission

Permanent exhibition

• Μόνιμη έκθεση στην Κρύπτη του Αγίου Δημητρίου – Exhibition on the veneration of Agios Dimitrios and the history of the church, with Byzantine sculptures, coins, ceramics and inscriptions.

Operated by

Εφορεία Αρχαιοτήτων Πόλης Θεσσαλονίκης

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

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