Museum of Byzantine Culture

Opened in 1994 in a brick building designed by Kyriakos Krokos, the museum won the Council of Europe's museum prize in 2005 for the way it presents Byzantium as a lived society rather than a sequence of icons. Eleven permanent galleries move chronologically and thematically: early Christian churches and houses, with reconstructed interiors and mosaic floors; burial customs, including a full painted tomb moved here from a Thessaloniki excavation; the fortified middle Byzantine city; icons, manuscripts and metalwork; and the twilight of the empire. Objects come largely from Thessaloniki and Macedonia, so the collection has a coherence that broader museums lack, and the natural-light galleries make the material approachable rather than devotional.

History

A nationwide architectural competition was held in 1977 and won by Kyriakos Krokos; construction began in March 1989 and was completed in October 1993, and antiquities from the Byzantine and Christian Museum in Athens were moved here in June 1994 (Wikipedia, Museum of Byzantine Culture).

What's there

• The painted tomb - a complete early Christian burial chamber with frescoes.
• The house reconstructions - domestic interiors of the early Christian city.
• The icon galleries - painting, metalwork and manuscripts by period.
• The everyday objects - jewellery, tools, coins and textiles of Byzantine life.

When to go

Year-round; the building is cool and quiet, an easy escape from summer heat. Temporary exhibitions are frequent and often excellent, so check the current programme.

Things to know

Byzantine material can feel repetitive to visitors without an interest in religious art, though this museum works harder than most to avoid that. Allow two hours minimum. Labelling is bilingual and thorough.

Nearby

The Archaeological Museum is next door; the White Tower and seafront are five minutes away.

Key facts