The Churches of Butrint

Butrint, from the 5th century, had a bishop and the Great Basilica was the bishop's church. It was constructed in the early 6th century AD, at the same time as the Baptistery. The original basilica would have had three aisles separated by colonnades of columns and capitals reused from earlier buildings, some of these can still be seen inside. The floor was paved with a mosaic, which was created by the same craftsmen who made the Baptistery mosaic, and there was a polygonal apse.

In the medieval period the Basilica was substantially rebuilt with stone piers and a new semi-circular apse. A flagstone floor was placed over the mosaic pavement. Elsewhere in the town another eight churches have been found so far. The most significant of these is located on the plain on the opposite side of the Vivari Channel.

 

• The Great Basilica
• QTVR of the great Basilica
• Other Churches at Butrint
• The monastery at Diaporit
• QTVR of the monastery at Diaporit
• Reconstruction of the monastery at Diaporit
• The basilica on the Vrina Plain
• Excavating the Vrina Plain basilica (QTVR)
• The mosaic pavement of the Vrina Basilica
• The mosaic pavement in detail