See the significant monument of the Northern Capital of Greece
The ancient Rotonda got its name because of the architectural form of the Temple. It was erected in 304 AD in the northern part of the Imperial Quarter which was to become Zeus's temple or Caesar Galeria's mausoleum. This ancient religious monument stands on the historical highway of Egnatia which connects the Triumphal Arch of Galerius also called Kamara to the palace complex located to the south of the Temple.
Rotonda’s modern name is "Agios Georgios". This name is derived from the neighbor churchlet of Saint George which was a farmstead of the Athos Monastery of Gregoriou. There is a hypothesis that in 1590 most of relics and icons were brought there from the Rotonda in order to save them from destruction.
History of the monument
Pagan Romans hadn't used the Rotonda. At the end of the 4th century, during an era of rule of the Byzantine emperor Theodosius I the Great (379-395), Christians reconstructed its building into the Christian church. They devoted it to the Holy Empyrean Bodiless Powers (Archangels). At the same time, the temple was decorated with the unique mosaics. Some of them are fragmentary preserved to this day.
In 1590 - 1591 the Rotonda was turned into a mosque of the Sheikh Suleyman Hortadzhi Efendi who gave it his name. A minaret was attached to the main building. Today this attachment is a historical monument and the only one minaret of Thessaloniki remained after the demolition of city minarets in the 20s of the last century. The tomb of the Sheikh is in the eastern part of the monument.
In 1912, after the release of Thessaloniki from Turks, the Rotonda was given back to Christians. In 1988 the Arch of Galerius (Kamara) and Rotonda were included in the World Heritage List.
After the long restoration, Rotonda became a museum. As the altar of the temple was restored, the monthly liturgies are held in the church under the agreement with the Ministry of Culture.
Architecture
The temple has a diameter of 24.5 meters. The 6.30 meters thick walls are cut through from within by 8 rectangular niches. The southern one was used as the main entrance. The Rotonda is topped by a huge 30 meters high brick dome. Its extremal size is almost invisible because of the cylindrical form of the building’s construction.
Earthquakes had destroyed some part of the architectural monument and the altar’s apse. Later the building was strengthened by two supporting walls and decorated with the Ascension fresco (9th century) representing an indicative sample of the period of the Iconoclastic Controversy in Thessaloniki.
Kamara and Rotonda are a peculiar student's center of Thessaloniki. There is a set of the student's bars, cafes, shops and taverns around this place filled with the cheerful noisy student's atmosphere. The praises here are relatively low as for the city center.
From the Airport "Macedonia" by bus Nr. 78. From KTEL from the Bus Station "Macedonia" by buses Nr. 8, 12, 31, 45, 78. From the railway station by any bus going to the east part of Thessaloniki.
The simplest way to move through the center of Thessaloniki is on foot or by bicycle. The reason is in hard traffic and lack of parking spaces. There was created a developed network of bicycle tracks, both along the city beach promenade and in the historic center a few years ago.
