Guide of Eastern Macedonia & Thrace

Location: It is situated near the west gate of the classical era fortifications, at the north of the Byzantine settlement and in the site of the ancient cemetery.

The monument: The monument dates back to the period after the Early Christian times and before the 9th century. It is a three-aisled basilica, with dimensions of 14.50 x 9.90 m having a narthex and a sanctuary that ends to a semicircular niche. Carved tufa stones from previous buildings were used for its construction.
The fact that the monument presents four construction phases testifies its long use. The external walls and colonnades belong to the first construction phase. During the second phase, the monument was probably converted into a single-aisled church. In the third phase, a chapel of small dimensions was constructed into the church. Finally, during the forth construction phase, a small church was founded at the northeast corner of the original basilica. The cist graves discovered during the excavation works bear witness to the existence of a cemetery around the monument. Several grave goods were found in the tombs, namely glass-made bracelets, bronze pectoral crosses and earrings dating back to the 11th-12th centuries.

ÂÉÂËÉÏÃÑÁÖÉÁ: ×. ÌÐÁÊÉÑÔÆÇÓ, ÁíáóêáöÞ Ðïëõóôýëïõ ÁâäÞñùí, ÐñáêôéêÜ Áñ÷áéïëïãéêÞò Åôáéñåßáò (1982)• ×. ÌÐÁÊÉÑÔÆÇÓ, ÂõæáíôéíÞ ÈñÜêç, 330-1453, ÈñÜêç, ÁèÞíá 1994• ×. ÌÐÁÊÉÑÔÆÇÓ - Ä. ÔÑÉÁÍÔÁÖÕËËÏÓ, ÈñÜêç, (Ðïëéôéóôéêïß Ïäçãïß), ÁèÞíá 1988• Í. ÊÁËËÉÍÔÆÇ - Ä. ÔÅÑÆÏÐÏÕËÏÕ - Í. ÆÇÊÏÓ - Ó. ÄÁÄÁÊÇ, ¢âäçñá - Ðïëýóôõëïí (Áñ÷áéïëïãéêüò Ïäçãüò), ÎÜíèç 1998• ×. ÌÐÁÊÉÑÔÆÇÓ, Íïìüò ÎÜíèçò, Ðïëýóôõëï (¢âäçñá), Áñ÷áéïëïãéêüí Äåëôßïí 37 (1982) Â2 ×ñïíéêÜ• ×. ÌÐÁÊÉÑÔÆÇÓ, ÁíáóêáöÞ Ðïëõóôýëïõ, ÐñáêôéêÜ Áñ÷áéïëïãéêÞò Åôáéñåßáò (1983)• Ã. ×Ñ. ÔÓÉÃÁÑÁÓ, ÊïéìçôçñéáêÞ âáóéëéêÞ óôï Ðïëýóôõëï, óôï: ÈñçóêåõôéêÜ Ìíçìåßá óôï Íïìü ÎÜíèçò, åðéìÝëåéá: Ãåþñãéïò ×ñ. ÔóéãÜñáò, ÎÜíèç 2005.