A contribution to the topography of Byzantine Belgrade in the 11th and 12th centuries

Abstract

The focus of the paper is the stone fragment of a Byzantine architectural element discovered in Belgrade several decades ago. It has served as a basis for reconstructing the original appearance of the element which has been identified as the plinth of a chancel screen column. The plinth, which flanked the north side of the central templon door, is decorated in low relief on three sides, and has been dated by style to the 11th century. It presumably formed part of the templon of Belgrade’s cathedral church, of which no remains have survived. Based on analogies, the church might have been a three-aisled basilica, probably located in the urban zone of 11th- and 12th-century Byzantine Belgrade. Archaeological excavations indicate that this urban zone was situated within the walls of the former Roman castrum.

Keywords

• Byzantium
• Belgrade
• cathedral church
• chancel screen
• low-relief decoration