| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
|---|---|
 The bath after its restoration | |
 Interactive map of Byzantine Bath | |
| Location | Thessaloniki,Macedonia,Greece |
| Part of | Paleochristian and Byzantine monuments of Thessaloniki |
| Criteria | Cultural: (i), (ii), (iv) |
| Reference | 456-015 |
| Inscription | 1988 (12thSession) |
| Area | 0.049 ha (0.12 acres) |
| Coordinates | 40°38′22.5″N22°57′9.5″E / 40.639583°N 22.952639°E /40.639583; 22.952639 |
  Byzantine Bath Location of Byzantine Bath in Greece | |
TheByzantine Bath of the Upper City (Greek:Βυζαντινά Λουτρά Άνω Πόλης,Vyzantiná Loutrá Áno Pólis) inThessaloniki is one of the few and best preserved of the Byzantine baths that have survived from theByzantine period inGreece. It is located on the Theotokopoulou Street in theUpper Old Town of Thessaloniki.[1]
The baths date to the late 12th/early 13th century, and functioned continuously until 1940, when they shut down probably due toWorld War II and theGerman occupation of Greece.[2][3] TheByzantine sources do not mention it, hence it is likely that it originally belonged to a monastery complex. InOttoman times, it was known asKule Hammam, i.e. "bath of thecitadel".[2]
The bath's long use led to numerous alterations of the original structure over time. The original architecture follows the typical conventions ofRoman baths. The original entrance in the south leads to the rectangularfrigidarium rooms, which were used as dressing rooms. Then came two vaultedtepidarium rooms and finally twocaldarium rooms. The latter were square in shape and featuredhypocausts below the floor. One was covered by a dome supported by an octagonal base with eight windows, the other had a domed ceiling. To the north of the baths was the cistern that provided it with water, with a hearth beneath to warm it.[4] In Byzantine times the building was alternately used by men and women, but in the Ottoman period the bath was divided into exclusively male and female sections, by blocking off each pair of rooms from each other.[4]
The bath was one of several in the city—the 14th-century writerNikephoros Choumnos claims that Thessaloniki had more baths than inhabitants[4]—but is the only surviving in Thessaloniki and the largest and most complete of the handful of Byzantine baths surviving elsewhere in Greece: five ruined public baths—two inCorinth, one inSparta, one inParamythia, one inIoannina Castle—and one each in the monasteries ofKaisariani andZoodochos Pigi.[2]
Although closed since 1940, the bath was subject to neglect and damage during the 1978 earthquakes, and only survived standing through heavy propping up by the 9thEphorate of Byzantine Antiquities and the protection offered by an external metal sheet covering.[2] In 1988, it was included among thePaleochristian and Byzantine monuments of Thessaloniki on the list ofWorld Heritage Sites byUNESCO.[5][6]
Following four years of restoration work, the bath was re-opened to the public as a museum and cultural space in June 2015.[2]
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