Trip to the Thessaloniki Museum of Byzantine Culture

Visiting the Thessaloniki Museum for Byzantine Culture is a true cultural experience. In 1989, the Museum’s architect, Kyriakos Krokos, wrote: “I wanted a space within which movement would create a feeling of freedom, stirring up the senses, and where the exhibit would be a surprise within the movement”. I believe that as we walked around the Museum with our students, we had many pleasant surprises.  The floor and wall mosaics in the first Early Christian Period Room attracted everybody’s attention, the Byzantine tunics with their fine embroideries were eye-catching and the icons and the intricately illuminated manuscript in the Middle Byzantine Period Room were definitely noticed by our students. Finally, as we were leaving, one last surprise, a beautiful Post-Byzantine golden eikonostasi, one last startling work of art to ponder about.Thessaloniki is considered by many scholars to be a Byzantine city. Our visit to the Museum of Byzantine Culture was just the beginning. We continued our day-trip with a Sight-Seeing tour of the city’s  Byzantine churches, the great Walls and the Acropolis citadel.  It was a full day!

Amalia Spiliakou

Host Country Studies