ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE OF THE SYNAGOGUE-BASILICA

This small archaeological site (Sinagoga dhe Bazilika Onhezmi) is squeezed between buildings in the city center. It houses the remains of an astonishing complex combining a synagogue and a Christian basilica. These were discovered during urban development work in 1978. On site, a map shows the location of the various buildings. The synagogue to the west corresponds to the first Jewish place of worship created when a Hebrew community was established in the Byzantine town of Anchiasmos (now Saranda) in the ^2nd century A.D. It consists of a small prayer hall and adjoining rooms, the pavement of which included a mosaic depicting a seven-branched candlestick. A second, larger synagogue was built to the northeast around the ^4th-5th century. It follows a basilica layout, with a rectangular prayer hall with three naves. In the ^6th century, this was converted into a Christian church. The Jewish mosaics were replaced by Greek inscriptions and early Christian mosaics (birds, geometric symbols, etc.). Finally, the complex seems to have been destroyed around 580-588, during the Avar and Slav incursions. The site is important for researchers: it provides an insight into how Christianity developed here from a Jewish community. The mosaics uncovered at the site are covered with gravel for protection. But one of them is on display at the nearby Archaeological Museum.