St Patapios archaeological site, Veria

Important remnants of 4th and 5th c. A.D. religious buildings have been revealed in the area around the post-Byzantine church of St Patapios. The first of these are a 4th century baptistery and a 5th century three-aisled basilica with double transept that was erected over the ruins of the baptistery. The basilica was flanked by other buildings. Amongst them a building identified as the bishop’s quarters. These buildings were splendidly decorated with marble revetments, opus sectile and mosaic floors. The remnants of the floor mosaics in the baptistery courtyard consist of geometrical motifs (a band with swastikas, a panel with intersecting circles forming quatrefoil motifs, and a panel with diagonal checkerboard, the squares filled with Solomon’s knots, triangles and lozenges enclosing circles). In a large room attached to the baptistery have been found floor mosaics dated to the 4th century and decorated with geometrical motifs (checkerboard squares inscribed with pine cone motifs, octagons, crosses, intersecting circles forming quatrefoil motifs, tangent octagons forming checkerboard pattern). The 5th century basilica was decorated with opus sectile in the main aisle and mosaics in the side aisles and in the transepts. The mosaics of the side aisles consist of geometrical compositions (concave-faced octagons inscribed in circles and decorated with quatrefoil rosettes, cup-shaped motifs or diagonal squares). In the south aisle there is a rectangular panel showing a scene with a deer and fountain. Remnants of opus sectile floor have been found in the bishop’s quarters. The most impressive is a fine multi-coloured opus sectile decoration on the west room, which consists of four panels; two based on combinations of squares and other two on a combination of hexagons and triangles. The 4th c. mosaics were conserved in situ, while the mosaics of the side aisles of the basilica were lifted, conserved in the laboratoty and then relaid. Shelters of polycarbon sheeting on metal frames were set up to protect the 4th century mosaics.