Episkopeion and Churches
Churches A and B and the Building C are located at the centre of the Acropolis. This seems to be an area of religious character from the Byzantine period. These structures and the area are thought to belong to an episkopeion, i.e. Bishop’s Palace. Episkopeia are known as the place where the bishops occasionally meet with their clergy, with a function of dining and meeting. Considering similar examples, it can be said that Sillyon’s Episkopeion covers a much larger area than others and that there are also other structures with various functions.
South facede of the Hellenistic Structure reused in the Byzantine period
There are two churches identified so far in Sillyon, namely Church A and Church B. Church A consists of the main structure and the annex building on the south. Church A, which is located approximately in the centre of the complex, has a rectangular layout oriented in the east-west direction; it measures 10.40 x 7.45 m inside, excluding the apse. The west wall of the church was completely destroyed, the north and east walls partially, and the south wall stands up to the roof level. The church and its annex were built making use of a Hellenistic structure. The annex, called Building A1, on the south side of Church A measures 9.40 x 5 m inside and has a rectangular layout oriented in the north-south direction. The building probably was two-storied. Although the upper parts of the northern and southern walls of the building were destroyed the other walls are standing slightly above the superstructure level of the ground floor. Although the roofing has not survived, extant architectural traces indicate that the ground floor was covered with a barrel vault in the north-south direction. Church A and the bishop’s residence to its south are the earliest structures of the Episkopeion complex. Church A and Building A1 are dated to the beginning of the fifth or sixth century.
Vaulted Structure C within the Episkopeion
Church B, just west of the Church A, has a rectangular layout oriented in the east-west direction, and measures 10.90 x 8.12 m inside, excluding the apse. The superstructure of the church was completely destroyed, but the lower parts of the walls remain to an extent. On the east of the church are three circular apses protruding out. The interior aisle separation was probably achieved with four pairs of columns placed on a 0.56-m-wide stylobate and arches resting on pilasters on the east and west ends. The nave is 3 m and the other two side aisles are 2 m wide. The aisles should have been covered with barrel vaults extending in the east-west direction. The north and south walls of the building were made thicker to support the stone vaulting. On the north and south walls of the building, there is another 1.4-m-wide doorway opposite each other. To the west of the naos of Church B, there is a north-south oriented rectangular narthex measuring 8.85 x 4.25 m inside. It is proposed that Church B was built at the end of the seventh and the beginning of the eighth century after the city became a metropolitanate.
South wall of Church A
Building C, 2.5 m north of Church A, has a rectangular layout oriented in the north-south direction and measures 14.55 x 12.75 m on the interior. Although the superstructure of the building has been completely destroyed, the southern wall stands up to the top of the doorway and the other walls up to the superstructure. The interior of the building is filled with rubble of the collapsed superstructure and the south wall. Architectural traces indicate that the building was oriented in the north-south direction, its superstructure was a barrel vault and it was three-aisled. The aisles were separated by three pairs of columns extending in the north-south direction connecting to two arches resting on the walls. Of the columns, only the northwestern one is lying by its original spot, and traces of the barrel vaulting and arches can still be seen on the walls. There is a doorway in each wall. On the west and south walls are two window openings, each measuring 0.90 m wide at the bottom and 1.2 m high. The upper level of the east, north and west walls each have three loophole window openings. There should be three more loophole window openings in the upper part of the collapsed south wall. The superstructure of the building is flat when viewed from the outside. The superstructure is surrounded on four sides by a 0.55 m thick gable wall. It is thought that Structure C, which was used as a meeting place of the bishopric, was built in the same period as Church B based on the similarity of masonry material and bonding technique.