Thessaloniki No. 2 / Salonika / Thessalonika / Thessalonica / Άγιος Δημήτριος / Aghios Demetrios / Agios Demetrios / Agios Dimitrios / Hagios Dmetrios

The Church of St. Demetrius [Aghios Demeterios] was built originally in the 5th century, but destroyed by a fire in 1917. It was rebuilt in a 7th-century Italianate style. There are two objects in, or about this church that may be related to baptism. The "Roman forum" below the present church holds a baptistery-like construction consisting of a round arcade of eight tall round arches the lower sides of which are closed by large square stone plates decorated with a potent Latin cross on each, forming thus an octagonal raised tank of the type used for baptisms in Italy. [NB: the fragment at Laodicea, Turkey --cf. Index entry-- appears of similar design as these decorated plates]. [cf. Index entry for Thessaloniki No. 3 for the other object listed in this church]