DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.24719#0161
THE CHURCH OF ST. DEMETRIUS.
127
The narthex is very simple in construction. It consists of a transverse passage, the ceiling
of which is formed by the floor of the gynceconitis, and it is separated from the nave, only by
three columns.
The nave is on the same level as the narthex—■ it is 145 ft. 6 in. long and 37 feet wide.
There are double aisles, with two ranges of columns: these aisles are 10 feet and 12 feet wide
respectively. (See the Plan, Plate XVII.)
The tomb of St. Demetrius is situated in a crypt at the north side of the narthex. The
crypt is preceded by a dark semicircular chamber built of brick, 20 ft. 6 in. in diameter.
The sepulchral chamber itself is square, with domical covering; it measures 10 ft. 9 in. each
way. In the midst is a brick tomb deprived of all ornament, round which the Greeks still
assemble to burn wax tapers, which are sold to them by the Turkish keeper of the mosque. It
was here that the miracle of the oil was performed; the ground and the walls are quite
saturated with it. But in the time of the Christian dominion, this holy place shone with the
richest ornaments. The historian. John Anagnosta1 mentions the tomb of his compatriot the
celebrated martyr. The monument was covered with gold and silver ornaments, with pearls and
precious stones, and the walls were lined with marble.
When the ancient ciborium was destroyed by fire, it is probable that the relics were removed
to this crypt: this is the reason why historians, after the period of the fire, do not mention the
chdsse?
At the entrance of the nave, on the first pillar, is an inscription in hexameter verse, in
honour of a Greek of Constantinople, who had retired to Thessalonica, and who, perhaps,
rendered some service to the church of St. Demetrius.3
This is the translation of it after If - Letronne: —
“ Having become the glory of tlie Greek nation
By the union of all virtues,
Deprived of thy country, alas!
Thou hast not partaken of the stain
Imprinted on her by barbarians.
Attached to the virtues of thy ancestors,
Thou hast shone by means of splendid virtues
Like gold or the star of dawn;
Devoted to the culture of wisdom and courage,
Thou tookest for a foundation these sublime j>erfections :
Prudence and equality before the law.
All beholding in thee a divine image,
Were as much captivated by the insinuating eloquence of thy words,
And by the graceful splendour of thy beauty,
As they were struck by the greatness of thy actions.
Alas! it. is in midst of the brightest hopes
That I lose thee, O light, O glory of my life,
0 glory of thy country, golden ring in the chain of thy noble race !
Masterpiece of partial Nature,
1 lament my misfortune, which is also a public misfortune;
Thy death is a thunderclap.
Cherished head, my hope, my life, my light, my delight,
Scion of Byzantines and Greeks !
Lucas Spantouna, servant of God, fell asleep in the year 6989, in the month of January.”
This date corresponds with the year 1480 of our era.
It would appear from the expressions of tenderness contained in it, that this inscription was
due to the affection of the wife of Spantouna, and was not a public token of the gratitude of
the inhabitants of Thessalonica. It possesses a certain historical interest, as it shows that, fifty
years after the taking of the town, the church was still in the possession of the Greeks.
According to the Arab inscription placed over the door, the church was not finally converted
into a mosque until the year 898 of the Hegira, that is to say A.D. 1495.
1 Tafel, op. tit., p. 132.
2 Cf. Tafel, ibid., p. 133.
s See Plate of Inscriptions.
127
The narthex is very simple in construction. It consists of a transverse passage, the ceiling
of which is formed by the floor of the gynceconitis, and it is separated from the nave, only by
three columns.
The nave is on the same level as the narthex—■ it is 145 ft. 6 in. long and 37 feet wide.
There are double aisles, with two ranges of columns: these aisles are 10 feet and 12 feet wide
respectively. (See the Plan, Plate XVII.)
The tomb of St. Demetrius is situated in a crypt at the north side of the narthex. The
crypt is preceded by a dark semicircular chamber built of brick, 20 ft. 6 in. in diameter.
The sepulchral chamber itself is square, with domical covering; it measures 10 ft. 9 in. each
way. In the midst is a brick tomb deprived of all ornament, round which the Greeks still
assemble to burn wax tapers, which are sold to them by the Turkish keeper of the mosque. It
was here that the miracle of the oil was performed; the ground and the walls are quite
saturated with it. But in the time of the Christian dominion, this holy place shone with the
richest ornaments. The historian. John Anagnosta1 mentions the tomb of his compatriot the
celebrated martyr. The monument was covered with gold and silver ornaments, with pearls and
precious stones, and the walls were lined with marble.
When the ancient ciborium was destroyed by fire, it is probable that the relics were removed
to this crypt: this is the reason why historians, after the period of the fire, do not mention the
chdsse?
At the entrance of the nave, on the first pillar, is an inscription in hexameter verse, in
honour of a Greek of Constantinople, who had retired to Thessalonica, and who, perhaps,
rendered some service to the church of St. Demetrius.3
This is the translation of it after If - Letronne: —
“ Having become the glory of tlie Greek nation
By the union of all virtues,
Deprived of thy country, alas!
Thou hast not partaken of the stain
Imprinted on her by barbarians.
Attached to the virtues of thy ancestors,
Thou hast shone by means of splendid virtues
Like gold or the star of dawn;
Devoted to the culture of wisdom and courage,
Thou tookest for a foundation these sublime j>erfections :
Prudence and equality before the law.
All beholding in thee a divine image,
Were as much captivated by the insinuating eloquence of thy words,
And by the graceful splendour of thy beauty,
As they were struck by the greatness of thy actions.
Alas! it. is in midst of the brightest hopes
That I lose thee, O light, O glory of my life,
0 glory of thy country, golden ring in the chain of thy noble race !
Masterpiece of partial Nature,
1 lament my misfortune, which is also a public misfortune;
Thy death is a thunderclap.
Cherished head, my hope, my life, my light, my delight,
Scion of Byzantines and Greeks !
Lucas Spantouna, servant of God, fell asleep in the year 6989, in the month of January.”
This date corresponds with the year 1480 of our era.
It would appear from the expressions of tenderness contained in it, that this inscription was
due to the affection of the wife of Spantouna, and was not a public token of the gratitude of
the inhabitants of Thessalonica. It possesses a certain historical interest, as it shows that, fifty
years after the taking of the town, the church was still in the possession of the Greeks.
According to the Arab inscription placed over the door, the church was not finally converted
into a mosque until the year 898 of the Hegira, that is to say A.D. 1495.
1 Tafel, op. tit., p. 132.
2 Cf. Tafel, ibid., p. 133.
s See Plate of Inscriptions.