What I can see

A Byzantine bath is “hidden” among newer buildings. It was recently restored to its original form, as far as possible, without eliminating elements from later times. It has two domes and despite the additions of 6 centuries, its basic tripartite layout had not changed significantly. Today, it is a museum site where cultural events take place. A rare example in Greece of a bath from the Byzantine era, it operated continuously until 1940. These operations over the centuries brought changes and additions which altered its original form. The entrance was initially on the south side, then locker rooms were added along with the cold room, and finally came the addition of the tepid and the hot rooms. The floor is based on hypocausts, which are columns located in a small basement, in which the air and floor are both heated and the hot air is transferred through wall air ducts.

What I can't see

It is one of the many baths of Thessaloniki. The baths were a status symbol of the bourgeoisie as opposed to the rural class, and were used as places of social coexistence and rest. They stopped operating during the “Dark Ages” (6th-7th centuries) due to high maintenance costs, after which they were operated as private baths. When this bath was built, it probably belonged to a monastery (Taxiarches Monastery). The water tank was north of the bathing rooms, was and stood on a heating stove, with the hot air from the stove passing through air ducts. The original windows of the dome were gradually built, which limited natural light but increased insulation. When these windows were finally built, natural light came in through light holes. In the Byzantine period, it was a single bath, ie only for men or only for women, but during the Ottoman period it became a double bath and the bathing rooms were separated. It was also called Kule Hammam or the Hammam of Kule Café and the bathtubs were removed because they were banned. According to the Koran, the purification of soul and body should only be done with a natural flow of water.

Info

• Address: Romfei Sq. & Theotokopoulou

Bibliography