THE LITTLE BASILICA

This archaeological complex (declared a cultural monument of national importance in 1995) is composed of several elements: a portion of an old street, the ruins of a bourgeois house, the remains of ramparts, a well and a primitive Christian church with a baptistery. The small basilica is a building with three naves and an apse dating from the 5th-6th centuries A.D. In 471 the citizens of Philippopolis built it as a token of their gratitude to Basiliscus who defended the city from the Goths' invasion. The building was built in two stages. The mosaics on the floor date back to its origin. They consist mainly of ornaments and decorative geometric patterns. A few distinctive symbols stand out. One of them is the knot of Solomon, an ancient symbol of eternity and faith. The vase represents the vessel where celestial myrrh was collected. The rosette symbolizes the blood of Jesus. The swastika is an ancient cosmic symbol or symbol of the sun, and the meander is interpreted as a simplified labyrinth. At the beginning of the 6th century, the basilica was burnt down and rebuilt with the addition of a baptistery. It had two separate entrances (one for pagans and one for baptized Christians), a cross-shaped pool and a ciborium. The floor around the pool is decorated with beautiful mosaics depicting a pair of doves and a deer, symbols of the Holy Spirit and religious piety. The basilica was active until the end of the 6th century.