The wonders of Constantinople are often noted, rightfully so of course! However the splendor of medieval Thessaloniki should be appreciated as well! To appreciate the wonder of Thessaloniki it is helpful to read this vivid 10th century description from John Kaminiates, a man who truly loved his city with a pure fondness.
“The city is, as has been mentioned, of ample proportions, with extensive walls and fortifications affording the inhabitants the full security associated with such defensive structures. It has its slanting coastline washed by the waters of the gulf which extends southward to meet it, so that it offers easy access to shipping sailing in from every quarter of the globe. A magnificent deep-water harbor adjoins the city, allowing mariners to bring in their ships in safety and berth them in an anchorage undisturbed by wind or wave, which its designers cut off from the rest of the sea…”
“The terrain on the northern side is rugged and unaccessible in the extreme. A mountain range stoops over it with overhanging ridges and causes a considerable amount of the city to be situated on high ground, so what whereas one part of it is level and suited to the needs of its inhabitants, the other stretches right up into the hill country and the mountain peaks. But the mountain range does not extend in such a way as to impair the city’s defenses: it does not allow an enemy to come down from its heights in safety and attack the walls of the city.”
“The plain which is situated to the south of the mountain and to the east of the city is extraordinarily beautiful and attractive. It is is singularly blessed with huge shady trees, multicolored gardens and an abundant supply of water from both springs and rivers which the mountain thickets bountifully bestow on the plain…Vines planted side by side wreathe the fields in dense array and urge the beauty-loving eye to gladness with the multifarious clusters of their fruit.”
“Large numbers of monasteries, perched on tablelands, nestling in valleys or ensconced in especially delightful locations, add a novel touch for wayfarer and citizen alike.” Kaminiates also mentions lakes stocked with so many fish that “it is almost as though the lakes were competing with the sea.” Aside from lakes and monasteries “the rest of the plain is given up to agriculture and to animal husbandry, providing a habitat both for the obedient animals of the field and for the freely-roaming creatures of the mountain. Deer, in fact come down from the mountains, rejoicing at the sight of water in the lakes, where they drink their fill and mingle with the herds of cattle for a common meal.”
On the western side was another plain which also had vineyards and gardens “and adorned with innumerable dwelling and chapels, most of which have been divided up and held in common by companies of monks, who practice every kind of virtue and live for God alone.”
Kaminiates even says that he spent more time than he meant to on describing Thessaloniki: “But without realizing it, I have gone over the length I had set for myself initially for the account of these matters which I promised to give. Nostalgia for my native land is responsible for what has happened, because I was drawn on by happy memories, and I fondly imagined that I was present in the places I described.”
What a relatable passage, which should remind us all that people of the past were more similar to us than we often realize!
SOURCES:
John Kaminiates, On the Capture of Thessaloniki
shadowsofconstantinople.com 