Medijana

Mediana - the most important information

The ancient settlement 5 km from Nis is a unique complex that was created in the time of Constantine the Great (306-337) and his sons. Numerous archaeological excavations have established the existence of about 20 buildings on this site, and the most researched are thermal baths, wine cellars, a villa with a peristyle, a villa with an octagonal tower and large halls, as well as two early Christian churches and a necropolis. With its area of 40 hectares, this site is among the most important archaeological parks in Serbia. There are 3 construction phases that cover the periods from the end of the 3rd and the beginning of the 4th century, to the middle of the 5th century. Life in Mediana was active from 337 to 361, which includes the time of Constantius and Constantius II together with the short reign of Julian the Apostate.

History of Mediana
In addition to being an agricultural estate, Mediana was an imperial villa built with the aim of carrying out state affairs and for social gatherings and leisure. Objects decorated with mosaics, sculptures and frescoes formed a residential part; warehouses and workshops are run as an economic part of the complex.

The central part of the complex is occupied by a villa with a peristyle, thermal baths and two stibadiums, and is separated from the rest of the settlement by a fence wall. These walls form one large courtyard in the north and two smaller ones in the south. The villa is located in an area of 98x63 meters and opposite the entrance to the courtyard was a large reception hall. Two smaller dining rooms within the villa were intended for more intimate receptions and feasts. There is a fountain in the central part of these stibadiums. The rooms located on the east, south and west sides of the villa had an administrative character and are considered to have served the royal office when the king visited.

At 150 meters from the villa was a wine cellar whose rectangular base was oriented in the east-west direction. In front of the wide entrance there was a covered porch from which the entrance was divided into two separate rooms. In addition to these rooms, there was a separate tract with a series of rooms that served to house the imperial administration, which supervised the collection of taxes and the distribution of grain and wine.

The northwestern part of the villa was connected to the thermal baths by an area of 625 square meters, with the central space that had a larger exercise room (palestra). The water used in the baths was warm and was brought by pipes from Niška Banja. The floor and wall decoration is mostly preserved, marble strips and marble slabs with reliefs were found in the area of the villa and in its immediate vicinity. Part of the villa and two stabiums are decorated with mosaics depicting geometric and vegetable motifs. Smaller sculptures belonging to the group of iatric-soterological character were found in 1972 in one of the western rooms of the villa. It is assumed that they were brought in the time of Emperor Julian in 361 and were part of a smaller sanctuary in the reception building.

Early Christian churches from the end of the 4th and the beginning of the 5th century were discovered 45 meters from the east wall of the villa, where they are at a distance of 7 meters from each other. The southern church was built of fragments of ancient bricks, river pebbles and pieces of broken stone. Within it, there is a mosaic of representations of Christogram and its entrance was at the junction of the church wall and the wall of the military barracks room. The foundation of the northern church is complex and consists of several parts; the entrance was at the northwest corner.

Significance of Mediana

Mediana is included in the central register of cultural monuments as an immovable cultural asset of exceptional importance
Scientific and archaeological research conducted in this area is important for the history of Nis, as well as the history of the world, because it completes the stories of the ancient period
Conditions have been created for complex on site analyzes, which is a great opportunity for young researchers

What to see
During the visit to this park special attention is drawn to the well-preserved mosaics, among which the most prominent are the mosaics with depictions of the mythological, river deity Fluvius and the head of Medusa. An unavoidable part of the visit are:

Villa with peristyle
Military barracks
Wine cellar
Roman Christian churches
Water tower
Villas A and B

How to get to Mediana?
A well-developed system of public transport in Nis offers a choice of lines that can be used to reach the archaeological site of Mediana. These lines go from the city center or at the Main Bus Station. Taxi services can also serve as transportation.

Bus lines: 1, 3
Taxi stations: Prvi Taxi 018 /4500005, Bros Taxi 018 /4155541, City Taxi 0800 / 000022

Additional information

The project, which includes covering the archaeological site, is still active (as of August 2021), so the visits have been canceled until further notice.