Case file · Apparition / miracle
Saint Demetrius on the walls of Thessaloniki
The 'Miracles of Saint Demetrius', written in the 7th century, say the city's patron saint appeared in arms on the walls during the Avar–Slav siege of Thessaloniki in the 580s.
586 CE · 40.64, 22.95 · status: legend
The account
Archbishop John of Thessaloniki, who compiled the first book, describes the saint as a soldier leading the defenders, and the besiegers later claiming to have seen him. The collection is also one of the most important sources for the Slavic settlement of the Balkans.
The sceptical view
The text is hagiography, written to glorify the city's saint; the sieges are historical, the apparitions are not independently attested.