The Church of Agios Georgios in Thessaloniki also known as the grand Rotunda, opened its doors again on Friday with a concert to celebrate the much-awaited occasion, after a year of restoration activity.
The site is included on the Unesco World Heritage List since 1988 as one of the most important Roman monuments in the city and stands next to the Arch of Galerius.
Turbulent history
Its cylindrical structure was commissioned by Roman Emperor Galerius in 306 AD, who intended it to be his grave. Through its turbulent history, it served first as a Roman mausoleum, later as a Christian church and during the Ottoman epoch, as a mosque.
From 1920 and until the end of WWII, it housed the city’s archaeological treasures as a museum but in 1978 it underwent damage from an earthquake and was covered in scaffolding until last year, when the archaeological service announced it would close for a complete restoration.
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