Small Basilica - Plovdiv Page - InfoMap

Small Basilica - Plovdiv

Architecture Historical Building

Data Points

During rescue excavations started in 1988 and preceding the construction of an apartment building on 'Lilyana Dimitrova' Blvd. (today 'Maria Luisa' Blvd.), archaeologist Mina Bospaehieva discovered part of Philippopolis' fortification wall and an early Christian Basilica directly west of it, since the newly discovered church was smaller than the Great Basilica (today Episcopal (Bishop's) Basilica of Philippolis), it was called the Small Basilica. It is a three-aisled building with an apse and a one-bay narthex. The floors in all the premises are covered in polychrome mosaics, except for the chapel on the basilica's southern side. There is an ambo in the center of the nave and an enclosure for the altar, which obliterated the first two rows of a framed (tabula ansata) donor inscription in ancient Greek. The basilica was destroyed by a fire and later restored with no significant changes to its plan. When the basilica was restored (second building period), the mosaic floor was buried under the brick floor of the restored basilica, and the new tripartite narthex's foundations destroyed parts of the mosaics. A baptistery containing a deep cruciform baptismal font (piscino) in its floor was added at the basilica's northeastern corner. The floor was initially covered with bricks over which was later laid a polychrome mosaic depicting pairs of deer and birds surrounded by an intricate frame. The mosaic floor of the original basilica dates to the 5th century and that of the baptistery to the beginning of the 6th century. Portions of the Small Basilica's mosaics were conserved in situ, which is also the case for the piscina and mosaic in the baptistery, while the rest of the basilica's mosaics were lifted in two campaigns (1993-1994, 1998). These fragments were later located and restored under the guidance of conservator Elena Kantatreva-Decheva (2011-2012). After the building of a protective enclosure above the basilica, these fragments were placed back (2013). The Small Basilica has been open to tourist visits since the beginning of May 2014. In the period 2010-2013, an overall restoration and socialization of the site of the Small Basilica was carried out, with the support of America for Bulgaria Foundation, Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Bulgaria and Plovdiv Municipality. The Small Basilica's mosaics have been included in UNESCO's Tentative List.

Inserted: 20-07-2023 07:07:46

Choose Data Related

Questions
Contexts
People
Entities
Words
Dates

Questions related to this Element

What efforts were made to conserve and restore the mosaics of the Small Basilica in Plovdiv, and when was it opened for tourist visits?

What happened to the small basilica in Plovdiv after it was destroyed by fire, and how was it restored?

When was the Small Basilica in Plovdiv discovered?

Contexts related to this Element

Architecture in the city

Complete guide to Visit Plovdiv

Historical buildings

Map of Plovdiv

What to visit in Plovdiv

People related to this Element

No People found

Entities related to this Element

No Entities found

Words related to this Element

No Words found

Dates/Years/Periods related to this Element

Helpful Links

Read Now

Currently Analyzing

Slovenia
Seoul (South Korea)
North Korea