On our last day in Thessaloniki we took a taxi to the Ano Poli, upper city, to visit the church of Osios David, Monastery of Latomou to see its mosaic.
Although the church is one of the 15 monuments of Thessaloniki listed as UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITES there is no helpful notice to explain the details of the mosaic and I had not done my homework. However, the young man, who was looking after the church, gave us an explanation of all the symbols depicted in the mosaic, the Dream of Ezekiel, the symbol of Saint Mark, a lion, the symbol of Saint Luke an ox and a beardless Christ sitting on a rainbow.
In GREEK MOSAICS OF THE BYZANTINE PERIOD, a book issued in 1964 by FONTANA UNESCO ART BOOKS, I found this photo of part of the mosaic. I like that Ezekiel is standing among some, what looks like, grass and has a river at his feet.
I quote from the book
“The reproductions show us, first, two important details from one of the loveliest mosaics of the earliest period, a composition which occupies the apse of a modest chapel known as Hosios David, or Christ Latomos, and situated on the heights of Thessaloniki.This mosaic, which dates from the fifth century, depicts Christ surrounded by the attributes of the Evangelists and encircled by a large aureole of light, appearing in a vision to two prophets. One of them is seated placidly in the midst of a rocky landscape , recording the miracle in a book ,while the other [Ezekiel] is standing before the theophany with both hands raised in an attitude of fear , gazing with awe at the miraculous apparition”
Some of the history of this small church can be read here,
ttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_Hosios_David
There are a few plants in pots in the small church yard and a very handy Fig Tree, just ready for a photo opportunity.
A good view is to be had over the red tiled houses of the Ano Poli down to the grey buildings of central Thessaloniki and on to the waters of the Thermaikos Gulf
The new seafront walk, mentioned by Jorun on June 7th in this thread, can be seen as a green area on the left of the photo and now we know the pink building at the end of the new walk, hardly visible in the photo, is the Thessaloniki Concert Hall.