Web Information System Engineering

The “Byzantine” walk titled “Of peacocks and tortoises”, takes place in the old town of Thessaloniki, where one can bare witness to some very rare and special aspects of medieval art and history. This image-seeking tour starts at a 14th century monastery, where a panoramic view of the city will accompany us, as we take the opportunity to delve into subjects such as the role and purpose of images in the medieval world, the importance of Thessaloniki as the second city of the Byzantine Empire, treason and peacocks. From there we shall walk a downward path through the centuries and along the medieval fortifications, to arrive at a  “hidden” location in order to marvel at, talk about and ponder upon a  5th century mosaic, quite “surreal” and unique in the History of Art. We continue our stroll through the colourful alleys of the old town towards a humble church, where one has the chance to stand before a complete iconographic programme of late-byzantine fresco painting, an exquisite example of the Palaeologian Renaissance, created in the twilight of an empire steadily and inevitably coming to its end.