Rotunda

The Rotunda of Agios Georgios is one of the oldest and most imposing monuments in Thessaloniki. You can visit and admire its unique beauty by renting a low priced car from our car rental company. This will save unnecessary hassle with public transport and money on taxis. Around 300 AD, in Thessaloniki, Caesar Galerius built a large complex that included the palaces, an octagonal building and the hippodrome. Originally, it was built by Galerius to function as a mausoleum. It never fulfilled the goal for which it was intended, because Galerius died and was buried out ofl Thessaloniki. During the Turkish occupation it was transformed into a mosque, named Hortatzis Efendi Mosque. A relic of this particular era is the minaret, the fountain in the courtyard and the lobby on the west and south entrance of the building. At the time, it was also called as metropolis Eski (Old Cathedral), from travellers' descriptions of the 18th and 19th century. Then it was converted into a Christian shrine called martyrdom on the grounds that it was a place of worship of the relics of martyrs. Its name derives from its circular shape, but also from a church that was nearby attributed to St. George. It was the west entrance of the building that belonged to the monastery of St. Gregory of Agio Oros. After the liberation of the city in 1912, the building was used again as a Christian church. In 1914 excavations were made by the French Army in the East, supervised by Greeks and Danes. In 1917 El. Venizelos declared the building a Macedonian museum, so it was a Christian sculpture exhibition until the earthquake of 1978. Do not miss the chance to visit such a prestigious and valuable place such as the Rotunda by doing a tour with our affordable rental cars.

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