The church is located in the upper quarter of the old city, and dates to the
Palaiologan period, but its original dedication is unknown. In
Ottoman times, it was known as the
Saraylı Mosque (
Palace Mosque or
Court Mosque), and through a misinterpretation of this name came about its modern dedication to
the Prophet Elijah. The structure was traditionally identified as the
katholikon of the
Nea Moni Monastery, built on the site of a former palace destroyed in 1342 by the
Zealot uprising. Its architectural style, a variant of
cross-in-square church, known as the "Athonite" type, is unique in the city, and was always reserved for
katholika of monasteries. The careful masonry, of alternating courses of bricks and white ashlar, is also unusual for Thessaloniki and its region; it is copied from
Constantinopolitan architecture. Fragments of the church's original decoration survive in the form of wall paintings, fine examples of late-Palaiologan art, which influenced later paintings in
Serbia. == See also ==