Museum of Byzantine Culture

[2] Article 4, Goals: The museum is a scientific institution, open to the public, of a broader cultural and educational nature, aims to collect, preserve, protect, conserve, exhibit and study the works and objects of the early Christian, Byzantine, medieval in general and post-Byzantine periods, mainly from the geographical area of Macedonia and the excavation material of the territorial scope of the 9th Ephorate of Byzantine Antiquities, with which it is in close collaboration.

The Museum of Byzantine Culture also works as appropriate with the other Ephorates, when this is necessary for the enrichment and fuller, better and more scientifically informed presentation of its reports.

in the framework of the realization of its aims, the Museum of Byzantine Culture is addressed to the general public, encourages through appropriate activities the increase of the number of visitors, favors the entertaining and educational contact of the public with its collections and asserts a scientifically proven and internationally scholarly way of their museum presentation.

[3]Later, its structure and responsibilities are modified after the publication of the Decree 191 (Organization of the Ministry of Culture, Government Gazette 146 / A / 13.6.2003), according to the Article 56.

The responsibilities are described in detail as follows: "...issues of acquisition, acceptance, storage, maintenance, recording, documentation, research, study, publication and display and promotion to the public of objects of the early Christian, Byzantine, medieval in general and post-Byzantine periods in northern Greece and of the modern era with subjects related to the Byzantine and Christian art".

After the founding of the Byzantine Empire by Constantine the Great (330 AD) Christianity soon became a state religion.

The reception hall of a rich household in Thessaloniki was imitated; the role of the city in private and public life is to be emphasized.

The exhibition refers to the European Union-sponsored program "The Transformation of the Roman World in the Period from 400 to 900 AD".

Shown are items of everyday life in the Macedonian and Komnenian Dynasties such as coins, pottery, lead seals and clothing.

In order to protect their inhabitants and people from the surrounding area, even during a long period of a siege in war time, they had all the necessary facilities of a city.

The excavation, documentation, study and conservation phases are brought to the visitor by means of archaeological material and digital representation.

Among other things, there were presentations of religious themes, daily life and Byzantine treasures in the monastic republic of Athos.

But also the rare textiles of the early Byzantine period (loans from the Benaki Museum), or tomb-works and mosaics are of particular importance.

Selected artifacts are temporarily handed over to other museums at home and abroad as hiking exhibitions.

More than 1,000 individual works comprise the storage space of the museum; including the 442 icons that were sent to Athens during the First World War.

The woolen and linen tunics from Egypt are permanent loans of the Benaki Museum from Athens.

In addition to individual finds, the coins mainly come from larger hoards, which were probably created by their owners for emergency periods.

They are considered important historical sources to understand the administrative Byzantine system and the church hierarchy.

The most important seals are of Tiberius II (698–705), Constantine VII (913–959), the patriarchs Photios (858–886) and Michael Keroularios (1043–1059).

The collection includes 70 mosaics that adorn the walls and floors of churches, private houses and public buildings.

Almost all were found in Thessaloniki and the surrounding area; most of them are architectural in nature, such as capitals in the Ionic and Corinthian style.

The few, discovered sculptures from the late Byzantine period point to the decline of the empire, which fell to the Franks in 1204 and to the Ottomans in 1453.

They are predominantly modern paintings by Greek artists, inspired by the early Christian, Byzantine spirit.

In addition to velvety envelopes one finds silver-framed covers, which depict Christian scenes or the crucifix.

They are housed on 2750 m2 of space, each department has a fireproof storage room and a suction system for the indoor air.

They workshops are well equipped; modern and scientifically internationally recognized methods of diagnosis and preservation are applied.

Originally preserved in this workshop documents for the exhibition "Treasures of Mount Athos", which took place in 1997 in the rooms of the museum.

Since the year 2000, the specialized conservators have been working in a separate room, taking care of the diagnosis, documentation and preservation of fonts made of paper or parchment.

She is an advisor and works for the Hellenic Institute of Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Studies in Venice, the city of Kozani and the monasteries of Athos.

After finding a Byzantine ship, it was found that amphorae could be stacked in a space-saving manner without damaging the clay vessels.