The Early Christian Basilica at Elounda
In the location of the ancient city of Olous, at the isthmus of Poros, the settlement of Alyngos, as Elounda was called in the sources of the sixth century, developed in the early Byzantine period. The most important excavated monuments of the settlements are, until today, the two early Christian basilicas of the 5th century, in the inlets of Poros and Kolokytha of the large natural port of the area. The early Christian basilica of Exo [Outer] Poros, on the peninsula of Nisi, belongs to the architectural plan of the three-aisled, timber-roofed basilica with a semicircular apse and an elongated narthex to the west. In a section of the nave of the basilica a floor mosaic with white, black and brick tesserae preserves geometric framework and floral motifs as well as depictions of fish and birds. The names of the donors, who had paid a semissis each (half a gold coin) for the creation of the mosaic, are mentioned in the inscription, also made of tesserae. It has been argued that the mosaic probably pre-dated the basilica and belonged to an older building because of the non-organic composition of the mosaic and its placement at a slanting angle with regard to the walls of the building of the basilica.
