Bishop's Basilica of Philippopolis
Bulgaria · Europe
About
The Bishop's Basilica of Philippopolis, also known as the Great Basilica, (Bulgarian: Епископска базилика на Филипопол) is a ruined church from the ancient city of Philippopolis in Plovdiv and built in the mid-4th century AD. It is the largest late antique early-Christian church discovered in Bulgaria and one of the largest from that period on the Balkans. Its architecture included a central and two side naves, an apse, a narthex (anteroom), and a colonnaded atrium (inner court). A marble-decorated presbyterium (a platform for the bishop and the clergy) rose in the central nave.
The Great Basilica with its magnificent floor mosaics has been excavated over many years and is now preserved in a new museum (2021).
Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)。Photography via Wikimedia Commons.