Abstract:

Side ancient city is located in the east of Antalya in the latest point of the peninsula. During all historical ages lots of explorers and researchers visited this place but the first academic research has been started by Arif Müfid Mansel. There are lots of pieces from Byzantine and Roman period. Especially in the south of Side you can find holy temples of Roman Empire with early beginning works of young Byzantine basilicas and Martyrium. It is noticeable that the little basilica has been designed by changing the plan of the big basilica and its construction stones. Grand Basilica’s bema has been changed into little basilica’s bema with the necessary arrangement. Good conditioned construction stones and some of the decoration materials such as ambon, heading and railing has been reused for building little basilica. Most of the main side walls of the little basilica can still be seen today with the arch’s high level but its abscissa and narthex can only be recognized from the plan. Inside and outside of the basilica has strengthen by using plaster pillar-wall during construction but still found not strong enough and the interior supported with extra walls and the outside supported with extra layer on abscissa. The construction traces shows us that the southern wall was decomposed while finishing and the northern wall was decomposed in the half way and supported with these extra materials. Existing remains shows that the dome was lifted with four pillars and a tambour also the middle axles supported by the cradle vault and corners supported by the crossed vaults. Also half cylindrical building stones related to the pillars and bottom bases which can be thought used as a base and upside down little pillar headings have been found. Little Basilica has passed two different phase of construction. As we can tell from the base traces of the building, the main site and the narthex has been planned together but only the main site has been finished and in the next phase the narthex with two side entrances and one front entrance has been added. Later on two side entrances has been locked by paving. We can think that two granite pillars which exist in narthex are not only giving monumental look to the entrance but also carries the roof. Although, there is no certain findings to determine construction date of the little basilica the architectural structure of cross vaults and Grecian type closed cross plan style match up with that it has been built after the VIIIth century. That kind of plan style spread on very wide geography but shows local differences in details. Grecian type closed cross plan scale was very popular in the provinces, Anatolia and the Islands and has been used intensely until the XIIIth century. Late period characteristic of oblong form which used in east and west part of the basilica and also brick built blind vaults specify Komnenos Period Architecture. The architectural materials which are found in the field such as headings and pedestals are not fitting the scales so we may think that those have been revaluated as secondary materials.

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