How did the site of the Bishop's Basilica in Plovdiv transition from being a grand church to a cemetery over almost 300 years?

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Plovdiv has a remarkable history dating back thousands of years, from the dawn of the Neolithic, through the times of the Thracians, the Romans, the Byzantines, the Bulgarians, and the Ottomans, all the way to the present. The site where the Visitor Center of the Bishop's Basilica of Philippopolis now stands has witnessed pivotal events in the city's rich history and the everyday moments of generations of local people gathering here to live, work, pray, and bury their dead. Through excavation, analysis, and research, the archaeologists determined that between the 2nd and 14th centuries this place teemed with life. Under the Romans, a temple to the deified emperor stood here. In the late 4th century, it was replaced with a majestic church, the Bishop's Basilica. By the beginning of the 7th century, the Basilica was abandoned, and medieval people settled over its ruins, making them their homes. Almost 300 years later, they turned the site into a cemetery. Today, the site once again buzzes with life, this time as a modern visitor center, exploring and exhibiting the site's many layers of history for new generations of people to discover. After Christianity was legalized in the Roman Empire in 313 AD, Philippopolis (now Plovdiv) became a thriving center of the new religion where a significant community of Christians lived. To serve the growing Christian population, the Romans constructed a grand church, the Bishop's Basilica. For about 250 years, religious life in the city and the region revolved around it. Impressive both on the inside and out, the Basilica embodied a society in transition, one that had just parted with paganism and was in the process of adopting Christianity. Resourceful builders repurposed architectural fragments and inscriptions from earlier pagan buildings. Mosaic artisans also borrowed symbols from paganism, such as the immortal peacock, and wove those together with elaborate geometric patterns, giving them new, Christian meanings. For the laity, the Bishop's Basilica was an impressive space that inspired both faith and reverence toward the Church. The Bishop's Basilica of Philippopolis is the largest preserved early Christian church in Bulgaria. It is 36 meters wide and 83 meters long. Erected several decades after Christianity was legalized in the Roman Empire, in 313 AD, it was a potent symbol of the beginning of a new religious and political era. Its massive size was not the only impressive feature of the church. Every detail in the interior was designed to inspire reverence and faith. The dimly lit interior put visitors in a mystical and contemplative mood. Intricate mosaics covered the floors. Marble columns divided the nave from the aisles. The space echoed with the steps of local Christians attending mass and pilgrims from around the region paying homage to the holy relics displayed in the church.

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