Last Fragment Of Early Christian Christogram Found In Ancient City Of Parthicopolis, Bulgaria

Last fragment of early Christian christogram dated to the 6th century AD, has been discovered in the so-called Bishop's Basilica in the ancient city of Parthicopolis in southwestern Bulgaria.

It consists of a monogram of letters standing for the name of Jesus Christ.

The 'monogram of Christ', also known as the 'seal of God' and Chi Rho after the respective Greek letters, has now been put together by archaeologists at the Sandanski Museum of Archaeology, reports Archaeology in Bulgaria.

The fragments making up the 6th century AD marble slab with a christogram and a donor's inscription below it have been discovered by the archaeologists excavating the Bishop’s Basilica of Ancient Parthicopolis in Bulgaria’s Sandanski over a period of 25 years. Photo: TV grab from BNT

The slab also bears an inscription of the name Anthim, who built the church and compared its beauty to Solomon’s temple in Jerusalem. Petkov adds that the carving served as a decoration in a room that may have been a scriptorium or a library.

“This is a christogram, from the Greek letters Chi Rho which stands for Jesus Christ. It also features the Greek letters alpha and omega which also appear in the central part of the christogram.

The Early Christian christogram, a monogram of Christ, found in fragments in Bulgaria’s Sandanski. Photo: TV grab from BNT

It is decorated with geometric elements, and has a large diameter of over 55 cm. It was used as a decoration,” explains Vladimir Petkov, Director of the Sandanski Museum of Archaeology.

The christogram was probably used as a decoration of a newly unearthed space which was either the scriptorium (a room for the writing and copying of books in medieval monasteries), or the ancient library at the Bishop’s Basilica in the Roman and Byzantine city of Parthicopolis.

A donor’s inscription consisting of “two small pages” has been found engraved on the marble slab below the christogram. Photo: TV grab from BNT

What is additionally interesting about the Sandanski christogram is that there is a donor’s inscription engraved on the same marble slab below it.

“These are two small pages in which “God's servant” Anthim mentions that he built this beautiful and magnificent building, and compares it to Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem,” Petkov said.

AncientPages.com

Source: Archaeology in Bulgaria