30/03/2006
Ruins of a temple outside Porto Lagos
Georgios Tsigaras
Source: C.E.T.I./R.C. Athena
© Region of Eastern Macedonia & Thrace |
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LOCATION:The temple,which ruins are still preserved,are on on the jaw of Vistonida lake.
THE MONUMENT:The temple was discovered by D.Lazaridis and the excavational resurch was completed by Ch.Bakirtzis in 1980. Mr.Ch.Bakirtzis claims that the temple was founded on the foundation of the paleochristian building, which considers it as the episcopic temple of Poros and dates it in the 9th or 10th century.
The temple is a quadrilateral building with three semi circular conchas of the bema and three entrances on the west side leading to the narthex.It was an early enrolled cruciate type temple with a baptistery and a sacrarium and which was probably dedicated to Saint Theodora.There are pieces of four pessaries which are situated on the built bases.The floor was veiled with marble plates,some of them have been preserved.The basis of the altar was located at the centre of the arch of the bema.The coloured plaster which was found at the narthex indicates that the temple was narrated.According to the excavators,there are two structural stages prooved by the two floors of the temple as well as the obstruction of the two side doors which led to the narrowing of the central one.
On the North and the east of the temple there is a cemetary which is proved by the pit shaped toombs which were found around the temple.The toombs were covered with porous stones.Three coppery coins of Maximianos Galerios(4th century),Istouninos the second(565-578) and Alexios Komninos (1081-1118)the first were found in the graveyard.
The archaeological findings in the region of actual Porto Lagos lead the archaeologists and the Historians to formulate that the today's archaeological area of Porto Lagos was the settlement of the old περιθεωριο or Poros the centre of which was this temple.
In the late 18th century this temple is not reported and it was possibly replaced by the vivarium of Saint Nicolaos.It is also possible that the reigion suffered great damages and the Metropolis of Poros joined with the Metropolis of Xanthi.
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