DECORATIVE ARCHITECTURAL DETAILS IN THE BASILICA N4 AT THE TOWN OF SANDANSKI (ANCIENT PARTHICOPOLIS), SOUTH-WEST BULGARIA (original) (raw)

At all the seven Early Christian basilicas found so far in Sandanski (South-West Bulgaria) the application of river boulders as construction material is documented. The walls of Basilica N4 are made of granite boulders as well as porphyry granite stones whose feldspar admixtures are coloured in pink. Also made of granite are the Roman-Dorian style columns and capitals from atrium of the basilica. The study of the marble ornaments from Basilica N4 shows that they are from two mineral types: calcite and slightly dolomite marbles. Some of them have middlegrained massive texture, light yellow knotted shell surface. Other marble material is presented in white, middle-grained but homogenous texture. The light-grey marbles are presented by shining crystal reflecting the light again with middle-grained homogenous massive texture. The application of different rocks together with the presence of several stone-pits in the region proves that the quarrying and stone-cutting was one of the main crafts in the region during Antiquity.