14 - 17

TANTSIS, Anastasios
Heritage Management and Cultural Appropriation in Thessaloniki: From the Roman to the
Ottoman Rotunda
The Rotunda of Thessaloniki is a building illustrating the ways Thessaloniki’s cityscape accommodated for
Christianity during the 5 th and 6 th centuries. Its transformation into a Christian structure exemplifies the cultural significance
of architectural heritage management during late antiquity.
Scholars have long debated on the meaning and value of the transformations the Rotunda underwent to become
a Christian church. Yet they have somewhat refrained from discussing the fact that it was a building constantly changing.
It acquired yet additional historical layers when it was reshaped into an Ottoman mosque. Its history and significance,
although basically unknown to us, can be perceived by details of its state of preservation and the way the transformation
was carried out. Apparently issues of identification of the Ottoman administration with the glory of the Roman and the
Byzantine past were accommodated. The celebrated mosaics covering its dome were most probably visible. Was it because
they were viewed as imperial rather than Christian? When the Rotunda was discovered by western travelers and scholars,
its Roman identity was emphasized. Its first restoration under Ottoman administration catered for completing what was
missing from the mosaic decoration. Was the building already seen as a historic monument?
The transformation of historic buildings is a well known process. Yet in the case of the Rotunda as an Ottoman
mosque, the Roman past adds a layer of importance hitherto overlooked. We are in need of a reevaluation of the significance
of the process, seen as cultural heritage management with ideological overtones.
|241