Liturgical furnishings of the City Basilica at Patara (Lykia): Templon arrangement and its suggested reconstruction

Abstract

The City Basilica of Patara, which dates back to the second half of the 5th century AD, offers valuable evidence regarding the interior design of buildings of this type and the liturgical traffic-flow within them. Excavations conducted at the basilica have revealed diverse liturgical furnishings, including the templon, the altar, column bases associated with the ciborium, the sacred water well, the synthronon, and a section of the opus sectile flooring in the bema. This study focuses on the analysis, evaluation, and indication of potential connections among the remains of templon elements found at the City Basilica of Patara, encompassing templon stylobates, bases, slabs, columns, and column capitals. Its primary objectives are to examine the marble objects excavated in the basilica, particularly those attributed to the templon, with the intention of proposing a reconstruction of the basilica’s interior, as well as to describe these objects, especially their decorative motifs, and assess their resemblance to other examples of Byzantine art and architecture. The remains of the templon in the City Basilica at Patara are carefully examined and compared to similar specimens. The analysis considers the characteristics of the decoration, dimensions, style, and materials used in the high templon arrangement. Based on this evaluation, the templon is assigned to the second half of the 5th century AD, which corresponds to the dating of the first phase of the basilica.