Mesimeri.
Chortiates.
MACEDONIA
131
108
. Mesimeri.
At the modern village cemetery an earlier cemetery has been
excavated, in use 13th-15th c., attesting to the existence of a
settlement here at this period of time, as also reported in writ-
ten sources.
109.
Epanomi.
At the site of Bgiadoudi excavations has revealed an Early
Christian three-aisled basilica with narthex and annexes, which
includes baptistery and workshops. The church featured ar-
chitectural sculptures, mosaics and marble inlays on the walls.
At the same complex, an Early Christian vaulted tomb with
painted decoration of the 5th-6th c. has been found. At the
adjacent site of Limori a large cemetery has been investigated,
in use mainly in the 4th and the first half of the 5th c.
110.
Peristera.
The first reference to the church of Saint Andrew occurs in the
Life of Aghios Euthymios the Younger, where it is reported that
the ruined church lies close to a spring called Peristerais,
at
the top of a mountain E of Thessaloniki (Chortiates). Aghios
Euthymios, guided by divine direction, looked for the church,
originally a tetraconch martyrium, and, as reported in his Life,
excavated and reconstructed it by adding two adjoining chap-
els dedicated to Aghios Ioannis Prodromos and Aghios Eu-
thymios. The building was completed in 870 and operated as
a catholicon of a male monastery. The present-day church is
a tetraconch, free-cross church with five domes. The central
octagon dome, the largest and highest of all, is supported by
four columns. Part-images from the painted decoration are
preserved at different points − mainly on the central dome −
some of which feature unusual representations that are dif-
ficult to interpret (e.g. anthropomorphic birds), while their dat-
ing remains problematic.
111.
Chortiates.
The Byzantine Metamorphosis church is located in the cen-
tre of the village of Chortiates, a unique example of the Mid-
Byzantine simple domed octagon type preserved in Macedo-
nia. The church has a square ground plan and was covered
111. Chortiates, Metamorphosis church, ground plan (Χορτιάτης,
Μεταμόρφωση, κάτοψη)
110. Peristera, Saint Andrew, ground plan (Περιστερά, Άγιος Ανδρέας,
κάτοψη)
109. Epanomi, basilica at Bgiadoudi, ground plan (Επανωμή, βασιλική
στη θέση Μπγιαδούδι, κάτοψη)
