Small Basilica of Philippopolis

The Small Basilica is an early Christian church built around the 5th-6th century AD in honor of the Byzantine emperor Basiliscus. An inscription reveals the reason for the erection of the church – the cessation of the Gothic rebellion in Plovdiv, orchestrated by the military leader Flavius Basiliscus in 471. A mere 4 years later, he went onto dethroning Emperor Zeno and taking his place. 20 months later, the former emperor takes back his title and executes Flavius and his entire family. It was around this time that the church was first destroyed. It was later restored and existed up until the 6th century. It took more than 14 centuries for it to be revived. Its ruins were first uncovered in 1988. After a restoration campaign that began in 2010 and saw its end in 2014, the remains of the basilica were finally uncovered, restored and opened to the public. The structure that acts as a museum and shelters the landmark today is a reconstruction of the church’s original design, and visitors have the chance to safely walk over the floor mosaics on a glass podium suspended just above them. The most interesting mosaic in the Small Basilica depicts a deer drinking water – an ancient Christian symbol. On its second floor, one can watch a video briefly describing the history of Plovdiv on a small theatre system, available in multiple languages.