20 II 2025: Tomasz Derda (UW), Tomasz Borowski (UW), Julia Burdajewicz (ASP) & Piotr Zakrzewski (UW) For Body and Soul. A Bath Complex and a Church, or on Monumentalism in Philoxenite on Lake Mareotis

After two seasons of excavations of the northern bath compound in Philoxenite, the sheer scale of this architectural project became apparent. Covering over 1200m2, it was the largest bath complex in the region of Mareotis and also one of the most lavishly decorated. Apart from murals, it is already clear that at least 113 tonnes of marble was used for its furnishings. In 2024 a substantial portion of the ‘hot’ section of the baths was excavated, revealing a laconicum, fragment of tepidarium and two caldaria with well-preserved hypocaust system powered by its own praefurnium. Major works were also carried out closer to the lakeshore, where painted ‘double gate’ was investigated, showing evidence of several rebuilding campaigns, some conducted when the bath compound was no longer in use.

In the southern section of the city, the third season of excavations revealed the final, western section of a church, allowing for complete reconstruction of its plan and furnishings. It also extended south, exposing the northern wing of the courtyard, with several chambers and possible side chapel, as well as a well in the centre of the courtyard. High quality of decorations, including marble columns, indicate that, contrary to earlier assumptions, the church was not cleared of all elements of value before being abandoned in the 8th century.

The research results in both of these sectors shed new light on the monumentalism of the architecture and the scale of the urban project carried out in the second half of the 6th century on the southern shore of Lake Mareotis. The buildings that were erected served pilgrims heading to the sanctuary of Saint Menas, providing them with comfortable lodgings for rest and opportunity to participate in religious services in a prestigious church right on the way out of the city, towards Abu Mena.