The roman public baths of Odessos were erected between the end of the 2nd – beginning of the 3rd c.AD., during the rule of Emperor Septimius Severius. The building is distinguished by its plan and structure as a “small-size imperial type”.
With their more than 7000 sq.m. of build-up area the Odessos Thermae are the 4-th largest public baths discovered in the European provinces of the Roman Empire. The building gives a vivid nation about the imposing architectural ambiance of the town in the Roman period and a testimony about its efflorescence towards the beginning of the 3rd c.AD.
Shortly after a general crisis spread throughout the empire, reaching a point of a profound deterioration. This seems to be the principal reason for relatively brief-term functioning of the Thermae. Obviously the town could no longer afford the costly maintenance and the daily expenses needed for keeping the baths operational. Around 280 AD. they were abandoned and later partially destroyed.
Photography: Nikolay Dimitrov