After a year of restoration works, the grand Rotunda of Thessaloniki, also known as the Church of Agios Georgios, reopened its doors on Friday December 18.
Part of the Unesco World Heritage List since 1988, the building is one of the most important Roman monuments in the city and stands next to the Arch of Galerius. This cylindrical structure was commissioned by Roman Emperor Galerius in 306 AD, who had planned for the structure to be his grave. Through its turbulent history, it served first as a Roman mausoleum, then as a Christian church and during the Ottoman era, as a mosque.
From 1920 and until the end of WWII, the Rotunda housed the city’s archaeological treasures by serving as a museum. In 1978 it suffered damage from an earthquake and was covered in scaffolding until last year, when archaeologists announced it would close for full a restoration.
(Source: ANA-MPA)
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