Macedonia: Mosaics of Old Bishop Basilica in Stobi Made Available for Public

With the support of the Ministry of Culture, the final stage of the conservatory and restoration work on the mosaic which used to embellish the floor of the oldest early Christian church in Macedonia - the Old Bishop's Basilica in Stobi - have been completed. 

The project entailed detailed processing of the fragments of the mosaic floor, with a total surface of 160 square meters and its return to the original place in the basilica.

For the first time in history of conservation, and presentation of the mosaics in situ, a free-standing steel construction was built that serves as a new carrier of the mosaic. The steel platform was built in order to prevent the destructive influences of the atmosphere and the capillary waters on the mosaic, and in order not to disturb the older architectonic structures which were unearthed from below the mosaic.

This way, a the conservation and restoration process was completely reversed. After placing the mosaic fragments in their original position, a final merger and retouching of the fragments was carried out in order to obtain the authentic look of the mosaic. This was the last process conducted in 2014, which had almost completely finalized the conservation, the restoration and the final presentation of the biggest mosaic discovered on the territory of the Republic of Macedonia, the culture ministry said in a statement.

This mosaic was removed for the first time in 1991 due to conservation and restoration activities, and until this day, it was not available for the scientific public and the visitors of Stobi. The project on its final conservation, restoration and presentation started in 2012 when the entire surface under the mosaic in the basilica was archaeologically researched, and it continued in 2013 when the removed mosaic fragments were placed on new carriers made out of aluminum honeycombs.