GREECE's second city, Thessaloniki, has been chosen as this year's European cultural capital and there are a few surprises in its programme, writes Patrick Comerford. For the first time, women will by able to see a unique example of Byzantine art from Mount Athos, the autonomous "theocratic republic" which bans women from its peninsula and 20 monasteries.

Almost 600 items, from gold leaf icons to rare manuscripts, will be sent from Mount Athos to the exhibition in 16 halls in the city's new Museum of Byzantine Culture, and the exhibition is expected to draw more than a million visitors. According to the Minister of Culture, Mr Evangelos Venizelos, it may prove to be the most important social, scientific and cultural event in Greece this year.

Thessaloniki was named after the sister of Alexander the Great, the Macedonian king who spread Greek culture as far east as India. But the city wants "to project Greek culture as continuing to the present, not a relic of the past," says Mr Venizelos, one of the city's deputies.

The programme for Thessaloniki ranges from ancient Greek drama to plays by Samuel Beckett; and from Puccini and Verdi to modern jazz. New ventures include a Museum of Photography, a Museum of Culture, and a Museum of Chamber Music.

Thessaloniki was the birthplace of the founder of modem Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, and became part of the modern Greek state as late as in 1913. The city of Alexander of Great, known as "the garden of the muses and the graces", was twice visited by Saint Paul. Later, it became the largest Jewish city in Europe. Its streets are lined with Byzantine churches, Ottoman mosques and bath houses, and it is proud not only of its Hellenic and Classical legacy but also of its heritage from the Roman and Byzantine empires, the Saracens and Crusaders, the Venetians and Ottoman Turks.

Today it is famous for its International Trade Fair in September, Festival of Greek Song in October, and its International Film Festival in November.