The Architecture of Butrint
The Great Basilica
The Great Basilica was the main church of Late Antique Butrint. Its earliest phase dates to the sixth century AD and at least one major reconstruction took place after the initial construction.
The earliest phase of the Great Basilica could be established by comparing its mosaics with that of the Baptistery, which dates to the sixth century AD. The church featured three aisles and a tripartite transept. The church measured 31,7 by 23,7 m at its largest extent. Part of this early phase still stands to this day.
A subsequent phase saw the reconstruction of large parts of the church. The colonnades, part of the façade and apse were all altered. The original mosaic floor was overlain by a floor of large limestone slabs. The exact date of these alterations is still subject of debate: dates range from the later ninth to the thirteenth century AD.
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The Great Basilica as it still stands today (Photo: Pudelek - Wikimedia Commons).
Plan and reconstruction of the Great Basilica (Figure: Hodges et al. 2004)
Part of the uncovered mosaic of the earliest phase of the Great Basilica (Photo: Piotrus - Wikimedia Commons).