The Second South East Europe World Heritage Youth Forum, Zajecar, Serbia 2013

2. Kyveli Mavromati
Prof. Antonis Mavromatis
• Mandoulides school
Thessaloniki

3. The Church of Saint (Agia) Sophia
in Thessaloniki, Greece:
Our byzantine identity
Mandoulides Schools, Thessaloniki, Greece
Kyveli Mavromati, 11th grade
Antonis Mavromatis, Head of New Technology Department

4. Thessaloniki
O Established in 316 BCE by Kassandros
O Named after Kassandros’ wife,
Alexander’s the Great half sister
O Place where Apostle Paul first brought
the message of Christianity
O The city’s patron saint is Demetrius, a
roman officer who died in martyrdom (303
CE)
O The second biggest city of the Byzantine
Empire

5. Thessaloniki (cont.)
O Harmonic combination of the ancient
Greek culture, the byzantine elements and
the modern aspects
O An Actual open-air Byzantine Museum
O Designated by Unesco as a World
Heritage Site, because of the numerous
and priceless value of its Byzantine and
post-Byzantine churches.

7. Church of Saint Sophia
O Located in the centre of Thessaloniki
O One of the most important paleo-Christian
monuments
O Dates back from the early 8th century,
during the reign of Leo III the Isaurian.
O Transitional style between the domed
basilica and the domed cruciform church.
O Based on the famous nameshake in
Instanbul (6th century)

8. Church of Saint Sophia (cont.)
O Until the 3rd century, there were
O A Roman building
O An Early Christian basilica beneath.
O In the Iconoclastic era, the apse of the church
was embellished with plain gold mosaics with
only one great cross.
O In 1585, converted into a mosque by the Turks
O Reconstructed in 1907-10
O Rededicated for Christian worship in 1912

10. Mandoulides Schools
O Α private, coeducational
school with a European
character and a global
orientation.
O It constitutes a modern,
dynamic community of
education, culture and sports
which offers schooling for
students from Day Care
through twelfth grade.
O It is considered to be one of
the most prestigious and
selective institutions in the
country with nearly 2000
students.

11. Mandoulides Schools
O Honors and Awards
O International Olympiad in Informatics
O International Mathematical Olympiad
O International Biology Olympiad
O International Physics Olympiad
O Balkan Olympiad in Informatics
O Basketball Championships
O Harvard Model Congress Europe
O Yale Model Government Europe
O European Youth Parliament Members

12. Our project @Mandoulides Schools
O Identify the byzantine identity of Thessaloniki
O Learn more about the Church of Saint Sophia
O Show that byzantine culture is part of who we
are
O Pinpoint the differences and the similarities
between the Church of St. Sophia in
Thessaloniki and that in Istanbul which is now a
museum
O Raise awareness of UNESCO World Heritage
sites and sustainable development

13. Comparison of Agia Sophia
In Thessaloniki
O Built in the 8th
century
O Domed basilica and
domed cruciform
church.
O Mosque 1585-1890
O Built to honor the
wisdom of God
In Istanbul
O Built in the 4th
century
O Domed Basilica
O Roman Catholic
cathedral 1204-
1261
O Mosque 1453-1931
O Built to honor the
wisdom of God

14. Methods
O Internet will be a valuable source of
information
O In addition, books concerning the byzantine
churches can be easily found and boost our
research about the church of St. Sophia.
O Excursions to the centre of the city and visits
to museums so students will realise that
Greek heritage and history are not only a
subject at school but also a part of who they
are.

15. Methods
O student exchange programs among
neighboring countries
O enhance the historical and cultural
connection between the Church of Agia
Sohia in Thessaloniki and the one in
Bosporus.
O speeches and interviews with people
related to the analysis of the byzantine
monuments.

16. Objectives
O Help the students to be in contact with
their cultural heritage
O Revive historical facts in front of the eyes
of the students and make them realise the
value of history and cultural heritage
O Understand how Byzantine churches
played an important role throughout the
history of Thessaloniki

17. Objectives (cont.)
O Reveal the relation between the Church
of St. Sophia in Thessaloniki and the
Church of St. Sophia in Constantinople
O Create experiential educational interactive
sessions in order to implement a better
understanding of the historical and cultural
heritage of Thessaloniki and Byzantium
O Improve the relation between the subject
of history in schools and the students

18. Outcomes
O Essays and posters about the value of the
Church of St. Sophia written by the students
that can be presented by them in conferences
or cultural events
O Students that are well informed about history
and the world heritage and that crave for
knowledge
O A better relation between students and
teachers, since they will have worked together
during the preparation of the projects

19. Thank you very much
for your attention!