The association of Friends of the Museum of Byzantine Culture forms the link between the museum and the general public, and its main aims are to provide the museum with moral and material support, assist its running, help to augment its collections, and raise public awareness regarding the artefacts related with Byzantine history and art.


St Gobdelaas, 1655, donated by the Friends of the Museum
 St. Gobdelaas, by Emmanuel Janes, 1655 
The association was founded in 1988, immediately after construction work on the museum began. It is a non-profit organisation recognised by the state and a member of the Hellenic Federation of Friends of Museums (EOSFIM) and, through EOSFIM, also belongs to the World Federation of Friends of Museums (WFFM). Its membership currently stands at over 800 and rises every year.

The icon of St. Gobdelaas was donated to the Museum of Byzantine Culture by the Friends of the Museum Association, with the contribution of Kalfayan and Yannoukou families


D.Sgouros Concert
Music recital with 
D. Sgouros on piano and C. Galilaias on violin, June 11th 2003
Ever since the association was founded, the Friends of the Museum have pursued all sorts of cultural activities -including lectures, guided tours, educational trips, publishing, celebrations, and music performances-  to support the museum in various ways: financial support, purchasing materials and machinery, purchasing art objects for the museum, and finding sponsors and donors. The Friends finance the publication of the museum's annual bulletin and an annual desk-diary, each time on a theme taken from the museum's collections.

The Friends of the Museum of Byzantine Culture have a membership card, which offers the following privileges:
-Free entrance to the Museum
-Free entrance to the other hellenic public museums and archaeological sites
-Reduced prices in copies and books of the National Archaeological Receipts Fund
-Information about the Friends' activities, which include lectures, guided tours, educational trips in Greece and abroad for cultural purposes, and various kinds of celebrations
-Information about the museum's latest acquisitions

For further information, contact the office of the Friends of the Museum:
2, Stratou Avenue, Thessaloniki 546 40, Greece
Mailing address: P.O.B. 17517, GR-540 13 Thessaloniki, Greece
tel. (0030) 2310 849829