The The Late Antique Church of Saint Demetrius in Sirmium: Problems of Evidence

Abstract

The question of the Late Antique Church of Saint Demetrius in Sirmium (Sremska Mitrovica, Serbia) is a complex interdisciplinary issue involving archaeology, history, and hagiography. Saint Demetrius, martyred in Sirmium in 304, later became primarily associated with Thessaloniki, where his cult likely evolved after its transfer from Sirmium. Passio altera (BHG 497) states that the Praetorian Prefect Leontius built a church to Saint Demetrius in Sirmium near that of Saint Anastasia, whose existence is epigraphically confirmed, though its remains are unknown. Recent hagiographic scholarship questions the accuracy of the Passio altera (BHG 497) and reassess Justinian’s Novella 11 (535), the only sources naming Sirmium as the prefectural seat in the early 5th century. In light of this new research, this article re-evaluates all evidence for identifying the church at Site 59 in Sremska Mitrovica as that of Saint Demetrius.