{"id":4268,"date":"2026-05-06T15:01:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-06T12:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/?p=4268"},"modified":"2026-05-06T15:01:00","modified_gmt":"2026-05-06T12:01:00","slug":"lina-mendoni-we-organically-connect-the-monuments-of-thessaloniki-with-the-needs-of-the-modern-city","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/?p=4268","title":{"rendered":"Lina Mendoni: “We organically connect the monuments of Thessaloniki with the needs of the modern city”"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni <\/strong>has conducted an autopsy on iconic culture <\/b> projects<\/a> underway in the city of Thessaloniki<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

In the heart of the city, at the Secular Church of St. Demetrios<\/strong>, the Minister of Culture was informed about the ongoing conservation and restoration projects implemented by the Ephorate of Antiquities of Thessaloniki<\/strong>. The Holy Temple, a World Heritage Site of UNESCO<\/b>, is one of the most important examples of Byzantine temple architecture in the world. The project is funded by the Public Investment Programme of the Ministry of Culture with a budget of 500,000 euros<\/b>. This intervention is the first practical result of the research project “Monuments and the modern urban fabric”, which explored the possibilities of the revitalisation of the temple and its archaeological site.<\/p>\n

After the autopsy, Lina Mendoni<\/b> said: “The Holy Church of St Demetrios is the spiritual and historical core of Thessaloniki. With this project, we are not just restoring utilitarian infrastructure, but we are giving the monument the respect it deserves. Improving accessibility and creating modern reception areas is our obligation to the international community visiting the sacred site. The Ministry of Culture remains consistent in its commitments, implementing projects that organically link our monuments with the needs of the modern city.”<\/em><\/p>\n

The project includes the construction<\/b> of two new courtyards<\/b> that will accommodate modern sanitary facilities and essential storage areas. Particular emphasis is placed on ensuring universal accessibility to the monument. In this context, work is being carried out for the construction of a new staircase and a special access ramp (catwalk), which will allow the comfortable and safe movement of disabled and handicapped persons in the archaeological site. It is also ensured that the new structures will be fully integrated into the historic environment, without altering the character of the Byzantine monument.<\/p>\n

\"5169584.jpg\"<\/figure>\n

Subsequently, the Minister of Culture conducted a inspection <\/strong>at the Hamza Bay<\/strong>, known as “Alcazar”. The project, with a total budget of \u20ac9,908,239.29, financed by the Recovery and Resilience Fund, is one of the most complex and important interventions in the historic centre of Thessaloniki.<\/p>\n

The Minister was informed about the successful completion of an extended range of works.<\/b>To date, preventive fixings of the interior decoration, removal of loose mortar, grouting and crack stitching have been carried out, as well as critical maintenance of the timberwork and metal tractors. Of particular importance is the completion of the cladding of the domes of the peristyle courtyard and the north hall with lead sheeting, while the internal and external scaffolding has already been removed in a large part of the monument.<\/p>\n

Culture Minister Lina Mendoni, after the end of the autopsy, said: “The Temenos Hamza Bey, <\/b>a landmark inextricably linked to the multicultural history of Thessaloniki, is regaining its structural health and architectural glory. Despite major technical challenges and new archaeological data that came to light, our services reacted with speed and scientific competence. With the recent modifications of the studies, we are more effectively protecting the original material of the monument and will deliver it to the residents and visitors of the city, not as a closed monument, but as a living core of culture that enhances its historic centre as a whole.”<\/p>\n

During the autopsy, emphasis was placed on the flexibility shown by the Ministry’s services in the face of unforeseen technical issues. The discovery of traces of the pre-existing minaret on the south side on Egnatia Street, combined with the existence of utility networks, necessitated the updating of the foundation study. In addition, the identification of new archaeological finds in front of the frontage in the period January-February 2026, led to an innovative update of the structural reinforcement study.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni carried out an autopsy on emblematic cultural projects underway in the city.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4269,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4268","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4268","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4268"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4268\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4269"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4268"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4268"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4268"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}