Museums

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Byzantine Museum of Veria

The Byzantine Museum is housed in a recently refurbished three-story industrial building in the historic district of Kypariotissa in Veria, where the "Marcos Mill" was once located. It is a stone-built structure with an area of 720 m², built between 1908 and 1911 and served as a mill until the 1960s. A fire in 1981 burned down much of the building but due to its historical value, it was bought by the Ministry of Culture and turned into a museum that opened its doors to visitors in 2002.

Although a small museum, it hosts a fine collection of portable icons (including double-sided ones), ceramics, mosaics, frescoes, religious relics and decorations from old mansions in the town. Also of considerable interest are ancient manuscripts, Byzantine coins, woodcuts and much more. They are all well displayed and laid out based on time period, making it easier to understand the historical progression of the Byzantine period in the Veria area.  The museum is particularly helpful in understanding the architecture and art of churches and in explaining the logic for certain kinds of icons being in certain areas of a church. Even if you know nothing about Byzantine art, you will learn a lot.

The museum houses an exhibition entitled “Veria, Part of the Byzantine Empire”. It is a permanent exhibition for the rich culture and civilization of the city of Veria and its surroundings from the Early Christian period until the post-Byzantine times. The exhibition focuses on the elements of Byzantine culture related to the city of Veria and the relations of the city with the main Byzantine cities of Constantinople, Thessaloniki and Kastoria. In addition to the permanent exhibition, the museum regularly hosts temporary exhibitions.