Bk. IX. Ch. 11. THESSALONICA. 421 siderable advance towards the moi'e complicated form of a Christian church. Botli these cluirc'ncs have capacious galleries, running above the side-aisles, and probably devoted to the accommodation of the women. The date of St. Demetrius is most probably among the first years of the 6th century.^ The general ordinance of the pillars will be understood frona the woodcut (No. 847). Generally they are placed on ele- vated bases or stools, like those at Spala- tro and in the Dome of the Rock at Jerusalem, and all have a l)lock above the capital, which in the Jerusalem ex- ample represents the arcliitrave, but has here become an essential feature placed on the capital to support the springing of the arch. In this form it is found very generally between the age of Constantine and Justinian, but after his reign it fell into disuse. This is not surprising, as it is far (i J 845. Eski .Tvima, Thessalonica. (From Texiei- ami Pullan.) Scale 100 ft. to 1 in. 846. St. Demetrius, Thessalonioa. (From Texier ami PuUau.) Scale 100 ft. to 1 in. S4T Arches in St. Demetrius at Thessalonica, A. D. 500 to 520. from being agreeable, though just such a characteristic as generally occurs in ages of transition. So far as we now know, there is only one church of this clnss at Constantinople — that known as St. John Studios, — a three-aisled basilica, 125 ft. long by 85 in width externally. Its date appears 1 The partipulars for these churches are taken from Texier and Pullan's splendid work on Byzantine architec- ture, published by Day, 1804; hut, as will be seen, T differ essentially from the authors as to the dates of the build- ings they describe.
