Jeanne Thil (French, 1887–1968)
Salonica
Gouache on paper, 11 x 12 1/2 in.
DM446

Salonica is another name for Thessaloniki, the second largest city in Greece. Thil’s view of the city is focused on the Rotunda of St. George, a large church filled with shimmering mosaics. Originally commissioned by the pagan emperor Galerius in the early 4^th century AD as either a mausoleum or temple, the building was converted into a church sometime in the late 4^th or early 5^th century. In 1590, after the city was taken by the Ottomans, the church was repurposed again, this time transformed into the mosque of Suleyman Hortaki Effendi with a minaret added. Greeks captured the city during the Balkan war in 1912, and shortly thereafter priests converted the Rotunda back into a church, fortunately preserving the minaret. When Jeanne Thil visited this site, then, it was once again an orthodox church, which it continues to be to this day.