The Byzantine and Christian Museum
The
Byzantine and Christian Museum (BCM) in Athens is the first national museum
dedicated to Byzantium. Founded by special legislative decree in 1914, its
mission is to study, preserve and disseminate knowledge of Byzantine and
post-Byzantine heritage. It was initially housed on the ground floor of the
Academy of Athens.
Part of the original collection came from the National Archaeological Museum, which
made over the Byzantine sculptures found on the Acropolis, and from the Christian
Archaeological Society, which first began collecting artefacts from churches
and monasteries in the late 19th century. The artefacts (crosses, chalices, trays, tabernacles, holy vestments, icons,
etc.) were donated in 1923, and first went on display in five halls in the
Academy building.
The museum's collections grew considerably in the interwar years, with the
addition of excavation finds and purchases from individuals and dealers.
In 1926 the Byzantine and Christian Museum moved to new premises granted by the
Greek army - a two storey townhouse originally built for the Duchess of Piacenza,
on Vassilisis Sofias Avenue in central Athens. Following modifications it was
inaugurated in 1930 as a permanent home for the museum collections.
The exhibition of that time was set up on academic lines, to serve teaching
purposes. The ground floor rooms were turned into mockups of Christian churches
from different periods, so as to illustrate the evolution of eccelsiastical
architecture and church building. Minor objects, mosaics, frescoes and icons
were exhibited on the upper floor, arranged chronologically and by type, while
sculptures were placed in the garden.
In the 1960s and 1970s the collections grew and were re-classified. New
exhibitions were established, the museum’s first photographic collection was
put together, and the conservation lab reorganized. Over the next decades new
spaces were created and the museum took part in exhibitions both in Greece and
abroad.
Further reorganization and expansion continued into the first decade of
the 21st century. Now extending over approximately 5,000 square meters, the museum exhibition space houses more than thirty thousand objects,
including icon collections, sculptures, miniatures, wall paintings, ceramics, textiles,
architectural members, manuscripts and copies from Greece and other areas in
the Byzantine Empire, such as Asia Minor, the Black Sea, Eastern Thrace, Coptic
Egypt, etc.
The permanent exhibition numbers approximately three thousand artifacts, divided into two sections.
The first contains objects
and artworks dating to the Byzantine period (3rd - 15th century AD). Exhibits
are organized so as to narrate stories and show different aspects of the
Byzantine and post-Byzantine world, while also reflecting the changes in
society and doctrine brought about by the arrival, dissemination, and eventual
consolidation of Christianity within the borders of the Byzantine Empire. The
second part of the permanent exhibition displays objects dating from the 15th to
the 20th century, which demonstrate the evolution of the institutions, customs,
religion, language, and common perceptions that moulded Greek identity.
In addition to housing the permanent collection, the Byzantine and Christian
Museum in Athens organizes temporary exhibitions, offers educational programs
to familiarize students with various aspects of Byzantine life and culture, and
holds extensive photographic and historical archives.
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