The Ministry of Culture is proceeding with the restoration of the stage building and the backstage of the great theater in the Ancient Nikopolis of Preveza, including specific interventions in the overall plan to highlight the archaeological site.
According to what has become known, the restoration programs concerning the hollow of the theater in Ancient Nikopolis of Preveza have been completed, while the work of restoring the orchestra is in progress.
At the same time, the fixing-restoration, maintenance and remodeling work on the House of Georgios Ekdikos, the luxurious mansion of the Roman official, and on the Basilica I of Dometio are progressing at an intensive pace, while the restoration of the Gate was completed by the Directorate for the Restoration of Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Monuments of the Basilica of Alcisonos.
The Minister of Culture, Lina Mendoni, in her recent autopsy, at the archaeological site of Nikopolis, stated: “The project of restoring the great theater, the house of the Avenger George and the very important early Christian Basilicas, is part of the overall project of highlighting the monuments of Nikopolis. The construction of the theater is part of Octavian’s building program and is linked to the revival of the “Aktions”, games in honor of Apollo. The proposal to restore and restore the stage building and the backstage of the theater follows the ancient building system according to Roman standards and aims to protect, highlight and reuse the monument. The restoration project in the theater’s orchestra is also underway.
The resources for the project in the large theater come from the Epirus Regional Operational Program of the NSRF 2014-2020 and 2021-2027 and I want to thank the Regional Governor Alexandros Kahrimanis for our excellent cooperation, all these years. The work on the other monuments of Nikopolis is financed by the Ministry of Culture with resources from the Recovery Fund. The holistic promotion of Nikopolis, a particularly extensive and important archaeological site, is a priority for the Ministry of Culture. Our goal is to initiate the candidacy of Nikopolis for inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List.”
Ancient Nicopolis was built by Augustus Octavian, according to the Roman rectangular urban planning system in honor of the gods for his victory against Mark Antony and Cleopatra in the naval battle of Actium, in 31 BC. The Theater in the 2nd century AD it became more luxurious than the original, with a taller stage building and a perimeter portico.
It had the capacity to accommodate 8,000 spectators and with the maximum utilization of the space 10,000 spectators. In 1960, the oldest research was carried out – an excavation in the theater area, with sections on the stage. In 1997, extensive cleanings led to the completion of the theater floor plan. In 2001, fixing work was carried out on the east window of the stage floor and on a large crack in the front of the stage.
In 2004 – 2007, as part of a research program, an analysis of the monument’s materials was carried out. In 2011, a study for the protection and restoration of the theater was approved. In 2014, a digital mapping of parts of the stage building was carried out and a geotechnical study and investigation of the subsoil was prepared. In 2015, a static temporary support study was carried out for the stage and backstage walls of the Theatre.
From 2013 to 2018, extensive additions were made to the northern wall and the southern face of the stage building. In 2020, a supplementary geotechnical study was prepared for the hollow and the eastern background of the theater. In 2021, a study of visitor traffic routes to and from the interior of the theater was prepared, and in 2023, a restoration study for the theater’s orchestra.
The scenic building of the Theater consists of the main building of the stage, in the face of which a monumental wall with colonnades (scaenae frons) is formed on four pedestals, the proscenium with its front wall (fonts pulpiti) and the backstages on either side of the proscenium. Outside the stage building, a P-shaped portico was formed, which led to the two entrances of the passages. Internally, at the ground floor level, the scenic building is divided into seven symmetrically arranged vaulted spaces, three of which are passageways – the central entrance and two on either side of it, east and west.
All rooms on the ground floor have semi-cylindrical vaults resting on the transverse walls. The layout of the floor is similar to that of the ground floor. The monument shows disintegration and extensive collapse of walls, domes, arches, precarious balance and major distortions.
In order to restore the form of the stage building and the backdrops and to ensure the static stability of the monument, after the removal of the metal support structure that alters its form, it is planned to recover the arches of the openings and to connect the two elongated walls through the recovery of parts of the of transverse walls and the vaulting of the ground floor, repair of cracks, recovery of transverse masonry and restoration of foreground.
The House of Ekdikos Georgios, a large and luxurious town house is developed in a hill, surrounded by four streets and occupying a building island, approximately 9,000 sq.m. On the mosaic floor of the house, the name of Ekdikos Georgios, the official who was charged with defending the rights of the citizens against the state, is witnessed. Based on the structural systems, three building phases are recognized from the 1st c. until the beginning of the 7th c. A.D.
Basilica I, known as Dometius’ Basilica, after the name of two homonymous bishops – according to inscriptions on its mosaic floors – was dedicated to Saint Demetrius. Its construction by the first Dometius dates back to around the middle of the 6th century, while the completion of the voting of the temple is placed by his successor of the same name on the episcopal throne, in 550-575.
The Second Basilica, also known as the Alcisonos Basilica, is part of a wider ecclesiastical complex of approximately 6,000 sq.m. Its construction dates back to the middle or the second half of the 5th century AD and is associated with the bishop Alkisonas. Due to its size and luxurious construction, it is considered to have been the episcopal seat of Nikopolis.
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