A large part of the original Byzantine Bank of the 10th century in Vatopedi Monastery comes to light

As part of the work for its fixation and restoration bank of the Vatopedi Monasterythe Ephorate of Antiquities of Halkidiki and Mount Athos carried out selective excavations with the aim of searching for the Byzantine Bank.

The work brought to light much of the original 10th-century Byzantine bank, which it turns out that it was also cruciform, like today’s. The 12th-century extension of the bench to the west (Fig. 3) and the occasionally overlapping floors and bases of the tables were also identified, evidence of restoration work carried out over a period of approximately 700 years. The superimposed phases are documented by a sufficient number of sherds from glazed vessels, which cover a wide period of time from the end of the 10th c. until the late post-Byzantine years.

From the written sources we know three moments related to the Byzantine Bank: a) the first is related to the foundation of the Monastery at the end of the 10th century. , b) the second with the enlargement of the bank in the last years of the 12th century, c) and the third with the renovation of the bank in 1319. The results of the excavation are in remarkable agreement with the data from the historical sources.

The current bank of the Vatopedi Monastery was built in 1785 to the west of the catholicon (Fig.1). It has a cruciform plan, niches at the ends of the three antennae of the cross and two auxiliary spaces in the northeast and southeast corners. The frescoes inside it were created in 1786 by the monk Makarios from Galatis. The Byzantine marble tables, apparently from the earlier bank, were then reused inside. According to historical evidence, that oldest bank was located in approximately the same location as the current one.

Also very important for the history of the site of the Vatopedi Monastery are the building remains revealed by the excavation sections deeper than the floor level of the Byzantine bank, which can be dated to the Early Byzantine period (Fig. 4) and possibly related to the remains of basilica that were found 20 years ago under the Catholic Church of the Monastery, during an excavation outside its northern side.

The excavation section in the north-eastern auxiliary compartment of the existing bank revealed a Byzantine workshop with a fragmentary surviving ceramic kiln, cistern and depository (Fig. 5 and Fig. 6). From the characteristics of the kiln’s operation, we can assume that it was intended for firing mainly small table vessels (plates, mugs). The presence of the kiln indicates the on-site production of ceramics to cover the daily needs of the Monastery.

The restoration of the bank as well as the excavation research was done with the funding of the Urban Non-Profit Society Cultural and Public Benefit Project AEGEAS of Athanasios and Marina Martinos.