The global value of the early Christian and Byzantine monuments of Thessalonikitranslated

Thessaloniki holds a special position among the historical cities that preserve important monuments of the Christian and Byzantine heritage. Through its surviving buildings, one can follow the successive evolution of Christian architecture, Byzantine art and ecclesiastical life from the 4th to the 15th century. The importance of this unique monumental continuity was recognized by UNESCO in 1988, when it registered the early Christian and Byzantine monuments of Thessaloniki in the World Heritage List. The decision was based on the historical, architectural and artistic value of an ensemble that preserves, with exceptional completeness, the course of Byzantine civilization for more than eleven centuries.

Registration in the List requires recognition of Outstanding Universal Value, i.e. an importance that goes beyond the borders of a state and concerns the whole of humanity. In the case of Thessaloniki, this value is attributed to a set of fifteen early Christian and Byzantine monuments, which, despite their individual differences, constitute a coherent historical, architectural, artistic and spiritual...