Historical landmark, Tourist attraction
Apsidal Hall of the Galerian Complex
Fragments of an apsidal hall from Galerius's palace sit open to view along a pedestrian stretch of central Thessaloniki, part of the city's most important monumental ensemble, built as the Roman world gave way to the Byzantine.
The story
Galerius, a caesar of Illyrian origin who had started life as a herdsman, chose Thessaloniki as the seat of the eastern Roman empire, and construction of his palace complex began at the turn of the 3rd and 4th centuries AD. Excavations in the second half of the 20th century uncovered much of it. Most of the remains were buried again as the historic centre was rebuilt, but this hall, with its semicircular apse, is one of the few parts left visible. The ruins lie in a linear park along Dimitriou Gounari, set among modern buildings close to the Arch of Galerius and the Rotunda. The wider archaeological site won a 2008 Europa Nostra award for restoring and conserving the remains and turning an abandoned plot into an organised, educational space. In the evening the remains are lit.
Good to know
TAGGG AI- ✦The site is small and everything can be seen from the railing, so there is no need to go down.
- ✦Come after dark, when the remains are lit and the site feels more atmospheric.
- ✦Pair it with a walk past the Kamara arch; the surrounding area is good for photos of the Rotunda.
