Church of St. Mary of Blachernae (Istanbul)
Encyclopedia
Saint Mary of Blachernae (full name in Greek
: Θεοτòκος τών Βλαχερνών (pr. Theotókos tón Blachernón); Turkish
name: Meryem Ana Kilisesi) is an Eastern Orthodox church in Istanbul
. The little edifice, built in 1867, got the same dedication as the shrine erected in this place in the fifth century which, until its destruction in 1434, was one of the most important sanctuaries of Greek
Orthodoxy.
, in the district of Fatih
, in the neighbourhood of Ayvansaray, along Mustafa Paşa Bostanı Sokak. It lies a few hundred meters inside the walled
city, at a short distance from the shore of the Golden Horn
. The building is protected by a high wall, and preceded by a garden.
Aelia Pulcheria
started to build a church near a fountain of holy water
situated outside the walls of Theodosius II at the foot of the sixth hill of Constantinople
. After her death in 453, the shrine was completed by her husband, Emperor Marcian
.
Emperor Leo I
erected near the church two other buildings: a parekklesion, named Hagia Soros ("holy reliquary"), since it hosted the holy mantle and robe of the Virgin brought from Palestine
in 473, and the Hagion Lousma ("sacred bath") edifice, which enclosed the fountain.
The importance assumed by the whole complex encouraged the Emperors to lodge in the surroundings and to build there the nucleus of what would in later centuries become the imperial palace of Blachernae. During the first quarter of the 6th century, Emperors Justin I
and Justinian I
restored and enlarged the church.
Saint Mary hosted a famous icon
of the Virgin
, named after the church Blachernitissa
. It was painted on wood and revetted with gold and silver. This icon and the relics of the Virgin kept in the parekklesion were considered by the Byzantines as most powerful talisman
s, useful during a war or in case of natural disasters. The first proof of the power of these objects came in 626. During that year Constantinople was besieged
by the combined armies of the Avars
and the Persians
, while Emperor Heraclius
was away, fighting the Persians in Mesopotamia. The son of the Emperor, Constantine, together with Patriarch Sergius
and Patrician Bonus carried in procession along the ramparts the icon of the Blachernitissa. Some time later the fleet of the Avars was destroyed. The Khan
of the Avars afterwards said that he had been frightened by the vision of a young woman adorned with jewels scouring the walls.
After the end of the siege, the Byzantines learned with joy that the building of the church, which at that time lay outside the Walls, was the only one not to have been plundered by the invaders. When the victorious Heraclius came back to Constantinople, bringing back the True Cross
which had been captured by the Persians in Jerusalem, the Patriarch received him at Saint Mary. Sometime later, the Emperor built a single wall to protect the church, thus enclosing in the City the suburb of Blachernae.
The protection of the Virgin of the Blachernae was also credited with the Byzantine victories during the Arab siege of 717-718
, and in 860, during the invasion of the Rus'
. In this occasion, the Veil of the Virgin (maphorion), which by that time had joined the other relics in the church, was shortly plunged in the sea to invoke the protection of God on the fleet. Some days later the Russian fleet was destroyed. In 926 too, during the war against Simeon of Bulgaria
, the potency of the relics of the Virgin helped convince the Bulgarian Tsar to negotiate with the Byzantines instead of assaulting the City.
On August 15, 944, the church received other two important objects: the letter written by King Abgar V of Edessa
to Jesus
and the Mandylion
. Both relics were then moved to the Church of the Virgin of the Pharos
.
St. Mary, being a centre of the worship of the Images, played also an important role in the religious fights of the Byzantines. During the Iconoclastic period
, the final session of the Council of Hieria
, where the cult of the images was condemned, took place in the church. As a consequence of that decision, Emperor Constantine V
ordered the mosaics of the interior destroyed, and substituted them with others representing natural scenes with trees, birds and animals. On that occasion the Icon of the Blachernitissa was also hidden under a layer of silvery mortar. In 843, with the end of Iconoclasm, the Feast of Orthodoxy
was celebrated for the first time in the church of Blachernae with an Agrypnia ("holy Vigil
"), which occurred on the first Sunday of Lent
.
The Blachernitissa was discovered again during restoration works executed during the reign of Romanos III Argyros
, and became again one of the most venerated icons of Constantinople. The Church of Saint Mary was completely destroyed during a fire in 1070, and was rebuilt by Romanos IV Diogenes
and Michael VII Doukas
respecting the old plan.
According to Anna Komnene
, the so-called "habitual miracle" occurred in the church before the Icon of the Virgin Blachernitissa. On Friday after sunset, when the church was empty, the veil which covered the icon moved up slowly, revealing the face of the Virgin, while 24 hours later it fell again slowly. Anyway, the miracle did not occur regularly, and ceased completely after the Latin conquest
of the City.
After the Latin invasion of 1204
, the church was occupied by the Latin clergy and placed directly under the Holy See
. Already before the end of the Latin Empire
, John III Doukas Vatatzes
redeemed the church and many monasteries for the Orthodox clergy in exchange for money.
On February 29, 1434, some noble children who were hunting pigeons on the roof of the church accidentally started a fire, which destroyed the whole complex and the surrounding quarter. The area was largely neglected during the Ottoman period
. In 1867, the Guild of the Orthodox furriers bought the parcel around the holy fountain, and build there a small church.
The church proper, defined by all the sources as "large" (megas naos), was of basilica
type, with the space divided into three aisles by two colonnade
s. This plan is similar to that of other churches of the early type in Constantinople like St. John of Stoudios. It had a rectangular plan with sides of 96 m and 36 m. Justinian apparently built a dome on the church, since Procopius, in his work De Edificiis, mentions that both colonnades bent in the middle of the nave
describing a semicircle. Emperor Justin II
added the two side arms, giving to the plan the appearance of a cross. The reconstruction of 1070 possibly respected this plan. The Spanish ambassador Ruy Gonzáles de Clavijo
, who visited Constantinople in 1402, writes that the building was divided into three aisles, with the central higher than the flanking ones. The columns were made of green Jasper
, while the capitals and the bases of the columns were gilded and carved in white marble. The church by that time had no dome anymore, but a multicoloured compartmented ceiling, decorated with golden garlands.
The walls at that time were covered with coloured marble panels, while originally a silvery mortar
was used. Near the middle of the nave, there was a silver ambon
, while at the end lied a rich iconostasis
surrounded by sculptures. On the upper part of the walls, there were mosaics representing the miracles of Christ and several episodes of his life up to his Ascension. To the church belonged also tribunes and an oratory. The shrine communicated through a porticus and a stairway with the imperial Palace of Blachernae, which – lying on the slope of the hill – overlooked it.
On the right of the church lied the parekklesion of the Hagia Soros, which contained the dress and robe of the Virgin. The veil and a part of her belt were later also kept there. The building was round and had a narthex
and tribunes. An icon of the Virgin donated by Emperor Leo I and his wife Verina
was also worshipped there. On its right was kept the casket – adorned with gold and silver – which contained the relics. They were rescued from the Latin occupation, and after the restoration of the Empire were kept in the church, but were all destroyed during the fire of 1434.
The bath where the Emperor immersed himself comprised three parts: the robing room where he undressed, the kolymbos (pool for immersion) and the hall of Saint Photinos. It lay to the right of the parekklesion, and communicated with it through a door. The pool consisted of a large room surmounted by a dome with the basin in the middle. It was adorned with icons, and the water poured in the basin from the hands of a marble statue of the Virgin. An Image of Saint Photinos decorated the centre of the dome. Each year, on August 15 (the feast of Dormition
), after the adoration of the Maphorion (holy veil) of the Virgin, the Emperor plunged three times in the sacred pool.
The small church which today encloses the Hagiasma has a trapezoidal plan with sloping roof, and is adorned with icons and frescoes. It is oriented in northwest-southeast direction. The holy fountain, which is believed to have healing powers, is always a favourite destination for Orthodox and Muslim pilgrims, who pour in the pool coins and hair pins. The pilgrim can also ritually wash his eyes at a line of faucets. Above them a modern palindrome
inscription says: "Nipson anomemata me monan opsin
" (Greek
: "Wash the sins not only the eyes"). The water falls into an underground gallery, which according to a tradition links the Hagiasma with that in Balıklı
. The church is run by an episkopos
and two papades. Each Friday morning the Akathist
Hymn
, composed by Patriarch Sergius
during the Siege of 626
, is sung there. Since the nearby area is not urbanized, it would be possible to explore it in order to understand more about the ancient complex.
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
: Θεοτòκος τών Βλαχερνών (pr. Theotókos tón Blachernón); Turkish
Turkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
name: Meryem Ana Kilisesi) is an Eastern Orthodox church in Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
. The little edifice, built in 1867, got the same dedication as the shrine erected in this place in the fifth century which, until its destruction in 1434, was one of the most important sanctuaries of Greek
Greek Orthodox Church
The Greek Orthodox Church is the body of several churches within the larger communion of Eastern Orthodox Christianity sharing a common cultural tradition whose liturgy is also traditionally conducted in Koine Greek, the original language of the New Testament...
Orthodoxy.
Location
The church is located in IstanbulIstanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
, in the district of Fatih
Fatih
Fatih is a municipality and district in Istanbul, Turkey that encompasses most of the peninsula coinciding with historic Constantinople. In 2009, the district of Eminönü, formerly a separate municipality located at the tip of the peninsula, was merged into Fatih...
, in the neighbourhood of Ayvansaray, along Mustafa Paşa Bostanı Sokak. It lies a few hundred meters inside the walled
Walls of Constantinople
The Walls of Constantinople are a series of defensive stone walls that have surrounded and protected the city of Constantinople since its founding as the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire by Constantine the Great...
city, at a short distance from the shore of the Golden Horn
Golden Horn
The Golden Horn is a historic inlet of the Bosphorus dividing the city of Istanbul and forming the natural harbor that has sheltered Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman and other ships for thousands of...
. The building is protected by a high wall, and preceded by a garden.
History
In 450, EmpressRoman Emperor
The Roman emperor was the ruler of the Roman State during the imperial period . The Romans had no single term for the office although at any given time, a given title was associated with the emperor...
Aelia Pulcheria
Pulcheria
Aelia Pulcheria was the daughter of Eastern Roman Emperor Arcadius and Empress Aelia Eudoxia. She was the second child born to Arcadius and Eudoxia. Her oldest sister was Flaccilla born in 397, but is assumed she had died young. Her younger siblings were Theodosius II, the future emperor and...
started to build a church near a fountain of holy water
Holy water in Eastern Christianity
Among Eastern Orthodox and Eastern-Rite Catholic Christians, holy water is used frequently in rites of blessing and exorcism, and the water for baptism is always sanctified with a special blessing....
situated outside the walls of Theodosius II at the foot of the sixth hill of Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
. After her death in 453, the shrine was completed by her husband, Emperor Marcian
Marcian
Marcian was Byzantine Emperor from 450 to 457. Marcian's rule marked a recovery of the Eastern Empire, which the Emperor protected from external menaces and reformed economically and financially...
.
Emperor Leo I
Leo I (emperor)
Leo I was Byzantine Emperor from 457 to 474. A native of Dacia Aureliana near historic Thrace, he was known as Leo the Thracian ....
erected near the church two other buildings: a parekklesion, named Hagia Soros ("holy reliquary"), since it hosted the holy mantle and robe of the Virgin brought from Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
in 473, and the Hagion Lousma ("sacred bath") edifice, which enclosed the fountain.
The importance assumed by the whole complex encouraged the Emperors to lodge in the surroundings and to build there the nucleus of what would in later centuries become the imperial palace of Blachernae. During the first quarter of the 6th century, Emperors Justin I
Justin I
Justin I was Byzantine Emperor from 518 to 527. He rose through the ranks of the army and ultimately became its Emperor, in spite of the fact he was illiterate and almost 70 years old at the time of accession...
and Justinian I
Justinian I
Justinian I ; , ; 483– 13 or 14 November 565), commonly known as Justinian the Great, was Byzantine Emperor from 527 to 565. During his reign, Justinian sought to revive the Empire's greatness and reconquer the lost western half of the classical Roman Empire.One of the most important figures of...
restored and enlarged the church.
Saint Mary hosted a famous icon
Icon
An icon is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, from Eastern Christianity and in certain Eastern Catholic churches...
of the Virgin
Mary (mother of Jesus)
Mary , commonly referred to as "Saint Mary", "Mother Mary", the "Virgin Mary", the "Blessed Virgin Mary", or "Mary, Mother of God", was a Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee...
, named after the church Blachernitissa
Blachernitissa
Blachernitissa , also called Theotokos of Blachernae or Our Lady of Blachernae , is a 7th-century encaustic icon representing the Most Holy Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary...
. It was painted on wood and revetted with gold and silver. This icon and the relics of the Virgin kept in the parekklesion were considered by the Byzantines as most powerful talisman
Amulet
An amulet, similar to a talisman , is any object intended to bring good luck or protection to its owner.Potential amulets include gems, especially engraved gems, statues, coins, drawings, pendants, rings, plants and animals; even words said in certain occasions—for example: vade retro satana—, to...
s, useful during a war or in case of natural disasters. The first proof of the power of these objects came in 626. During that year Constantinople was besieged
Siege of Constantinople (626)
The Siege of Constantinople in 626 by the Avars, aided by large numbers of allied Slavs and the Sassanid Persians, ended in a strategic victory for the Byzantines...
by the combined armies of the Avars
Eurasian Avars
The Eurasian Avars or Ancient Avars were a highly organized nomadic confederacy of mixed origins. They were ruled by a khagan, who was surrounded by a tight-knit entourage of nomad warriors, an organization characteristic of Turko-Mongol groups...
and the Persians
Sassanid Empire
The Sassanid Empire , known to its inhabitants as Ērānshahr and Ērān in Middle Persian and resulting in the New Persian terms Iranshahr and Iran , was the last pre-Islamic Persian Empire, ruled by the Sasanian Dynasty from 224 to 651...
, while Emperor Heraclius
Heraclius
Heraclius was Byzantine Emperor from 610 to 641.He was responsible for introducing Greek as the empire's official language. His rise to power began in 608, when he and his father, Heraclius the Elder, the exarch of Africa, successfully led a revolt against the unpopular usurper Phocas.Heraclius'...
was away, fighting the Persians in Mesopotamia. The son of the Emperor, Constantine, together with Patriarch Sergius
Sergius I of Constantinople
Sergius I was the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople from 610 to 638.In 626 during the absence of Emperor Heraclius on campaign against Sassanid Persia, the Avars laid siege to Constantinople. Along with the magister militum Bonus, he had been named regent and was in charge of the city's defense...
and Patrician Bonus carried in procession along the ramparts the icon of the Blachernitissa. Some time later the fleet of the Avars was destroyed. The Khan
Khan (title)
Khan is an originally Altaic and subsequently Central Asian title for a sovereign or military ruler, widely used by medieval nomadic Turko-Mongol tribes living to the north of China. 'Khan' is also seen as a title in the Xianbei confederation for their chief between 283 and 289...
of the Avars afterwards said that he had been frightened by the vision of a young woman adorned with jewels scouring the walls.
After the end of the siege, the Byzantines learned with joy that the building of the church, which at that time lay outside the Walls, was the only one not to have been plundered by the invaders. When the victorious Heraclius came back to Constantinople, bringing back the True Cross
True Cross
The True Cross is the name for physical remnants which, by a Christian tradition, are believed to be from the cross upon which Jesus was crucified.According to post-Nicene historians, Socrates Scholasticus and others, the Empress Helena The True Cross is the name for physical remnants which, by a...
which had been captured by the Persians in Jerusalem, the Patriarch received him at Saint Mary. Sometime later, the Emperor built a single wall to protect the church, thus enclosing in the City the suburb of Blachernae.
The protection of the Virgin of the Blachernae was also credited with the Byzantine victories during the Arab siege of 717-718
Siege of Constantinople (718)
The Second Arab Siege of Constantinople was a combined land and sea effort by the Arabs to take the capital city of the Byzantine Empire, Constantinople. The Arab ground forces, led by Maslamah ibn Abd al-Malik, were held off by the massive city walls, decimated by an outbreak of plague and...
, and in 860, during the invasion of the Rus'
Rus'-Byzantine War (860)
The Rus'–Byzantine War of 860 was the only major military expedition of the Rus' Khaganate recorded in Byzantine and Western European sources. Accounts vary regarding the events that took place, with discrepancies between contemporary and later sources, and the exact outcome is unknown...
. In this occasion, the Veil of the Virgin (maphorion), which by that time had joined the other relics in the church, was shortly plunged in the sea to invoke the protection of God on the fleet. Some days later the Russian fleet was destroyed. In 926 too, during the war against Simeon of Bulgaria
Simeon I of Bulgaria
Simeon I the Great ruled over Bulgaria from 893 to 927, during the First Bulgarian Empire. Simeon's successful campaigns against the Byzantines, Magyars and Serbs led Bulgaria to its greatest territorial expansion ever, making it the most powerful state in contemporary Eastern Europe...
, the potency of the relics of the Virgin helped convince the Bulgarian Tsar to negotiate with the Byzantines instead of assaulting the City.
On August 15, 944, the church received other two important objects: the letter written by King Abgar V of Edessa
Abgar V of Edessa
Abgar V the black or Abgarus V of Edessa BC - AD 7 and AD 13 - 50) was a historical Syriac ruler of the Syriac kingdom of Osroene, holding his capital at Edessa....
to Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
and the Mandylion
Image of Edessa
According to Christian legend, the Image of Edessa was a holy relic consisting of a square or rectangle of cloth upon which a miraculous image of the face of Jesus was imprinted — the first icon ....
. Both relics were then moved to the Church of the Virgin of the Pharos
Church of the Virgin of the Pharos
The Church of the Virgin of the Pharos was a Byzantine chapel built in the southern part of the Great Palace of Constantinople, and named after the tower of the lighthouse that stood next to it...
.
St. Mary, being a centre of the worship of the Images, played also an important role in the religious fights of the Byzantines. During the Iconoclastic period
Iconoclasm
Iconoclasm is the deliberate destruction of religious icons and other symbols or monuments, usually with religious or political motives. It is a frequent component of major political or religious changes...
, the final session of the Council of Hieria
Council of Hieria
The iconoclast Council of Hieria was a Christian council which viewed itself as ecumenical, but was later rejected by the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches. It was summoned by the Byzantine Emperor Constantine V in 754 in the palace of Hieria opposite Constantinople. The council...
, where the cult of the images was condemned, took place in the church. As a consequence of that decision, Emperor Constantine V
Constantine V
Constantine V was Byzantine emperor from 741 to 775; ); .-Early life:...
ordered the mosaics of the interior destroyed, and substituted them with others representing natural scenes with trees, birds and animals. On that occasion the Icon of the Blachernitissa was also hidden under a layer of silvery mortar. In 843, with the end of Iconoclasm, the Feast of Orthodoxy
Feast of Orthodoxy
The Feast of Orthodoxy is celebrated on the first Sunday of Great Lent in the liturgical calendar of the Eastern Orthodox Church and Greek-Catholics...
was celebrated for the first time in the church of Blachernae with an Agrypnia ("holy Vigil
Vigil
A vigil is a period of purposeful sleeplessness, an occasion for devotional watching, or an observance...
"), which occurred on the first Sunday of Lent
Lent
In the Christian tradition, Lent is the period of the liturgical year from Ash Wednesday to Easter. The traditional purpose of Lent is the preparation of the believer – through prayer, repentance, almsgiving and self-denial – for the annual commemoration during Holy Week of the Death and...
.
The Blachernitissa was discovered again during restoration works executed during the reign of Romanos III Argyros
Romanos III
Romanos III Argyros was Byzantine emperor from 15 November 1028 until his death.-Biography:...
, and became again one of the most venerated icons of Constantinople. The Church of Saint Mary was completely destroyed during a fire in 1070, and was rebuilt by Romanos IV Diogenes
Romanos IV
Romanos IV Diogenes was a member of the Byzantine military aristocracy who, after his marriage to the widowed empress Eudokia Makrembolitissa was crowned Byzantine emperor and reigned from 1068 to 1071...
and Michael VII Doukas
Michael VII
Michael VII Doukas or Ducas , nicknamed Parapinakēs , was Byzantine emperor from 1071 to 1078.- Life :...
respecting the old plan.
According to Anna Komnene
Anna Komnene
Anna Komnene, Latinized as Comnena was a Greek princess and scholar and the daughter of Emperor Alexios I Komnenos of Byzantium and Irene Doukaina...
, the so-called "habitual miracle" occurred in the church before the Icon of the Virgin Blachernitissa. On Friday after sunset, when the church was empty, the veil which covered the icon moved up slowly, revealing the face of the Virgin, while 24 hours later it fell again slowly. Anyway, the miracle did not occur regularly, and ceased completely after the Latin conquest
Fourth Crusade
The Fourth Crusade was originally intended to conquer Muslim-controlled Jerusalem by means of an invasion through Egypt. Instead, in April 1204, the Crusaders of Western Europe invaded and conquered the Christian city of Constantinople, capital of the Eastern Roman Empire...
of the City.
After the Latin invasion of 1204
Fourth Crusade
The Fourth Crusade was originally intended to conquer Muslim-controlled Jerusalem by means of an invasion through Egypt. Instead, in April 1204, the Crusaders of Western Europe invaded and conquered the Christian city of Constantinople, capital of the Eastern Roman Empire...
, the church was occupied by the Latin clergy and placed directly under the Holy See
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
. Already before the end of the Latin Empire
Latin Empire
The Latin Empire or Latin Empire of Constantinople is the name given by historians to the feudal Crusader state founded by the leaders of the Fourth Crusade on lands captured from the Byzantine Empire. It was established after the capture of Constantinople in 1204 and lasted until 1261...
, John III Doukas Vatatzes
John III Doukas Vatatzes
John III Doukas Vatatzes, Latinized as Ducas Vatatzes |Nymphaion]]) was emperor of Nicaea 1221–1254.-Life:John Doukas Vatatzes was probably the son of the general Basileios Vatatzes, Duke of Thrace, who died in 1193, and his wife, an unnamed daughter of Isaakios Angelos and cousin of the Emperors...
redeemed the church and many monasteries for the Orthodox clergy in exchange for money.
On February 29, 1434, some noble children who were hunting pigeons on the roof of the church accidentally started a fire, which destroyed the whole complex and the surrounding quarter. The area was largely neglected during the Ottoman period
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
. In 1867, the Guild of the Orthodox furriers bought the parcel around the holy fountain, and build there a small church.
Description
The religious complex of Blachernae comprised three edifices: The Church of Saint Mary, the Chapel of the reliquary (Hagia Soros), and the Sacred Bath (Hagion Lousma).The church proper, defined by all the sources as "large" (megas naos), was of basilica
Basilica
The Latin word basilica , was originally used to describe a Roman public building, usually located in the forum of a Roman town. Public basilicas began to appear in Hellenistic cities in the 2nd century BC.The term was also applied to buildings used for religious purposes...
type, with the space divided into three aisles by two colonnade
Colonnade
In classical architecture, a colonnade denotes a long sequence of columns joined by their entablature, often free-standing, or part of a building....
s. This plan is similar to that of other churches of the early type in Constantinople like St. John of Stoudios. It had a rectangular plan with sides of 96 m and 36 m. Justinian apparently built a dome on the church, since Procopius, in his work De Edificiis, mentions that both colonnades bent in the middle of the nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
describing a semicircle. Emperor Justin II
Justin II
Justin II was Byzantine Emperor from 565 to 578. He was the husband of Sophia, nephew of Justinian I and the late Empress Theodora, and was therefore a member of the Justinian Dynasty. His reign is marked by war with Persia and the loss of the greater part of Italy...
added the two side arms, giving to the plan the appearance of a cross. The reconstruction of 1070 possibly respected this plan. The Spanish ambassador Ruy Gonzáles de Clavijo
Ruy Gonzáles de Clavijo
Ruy González de Clavijo was a Castilian traveller and writer. In 1403-05 Clavijo was the ambassador of Henry III of Castile to the court of Timur, founder and ruler of the Timurid Empire...
, who visited Constantinople in 1402, writes that the building was divided into three aisles, with the central higher than the flanking ones. The columns were made of green Jasper
Jasper
Jasper, a form of chalcedony, is an opaque, impure variety of silica, usually red, yellow, brown or green in color; and rarely blue. This mineral breaks with a smooth surface, and is used for ornamentation or as a gemstone. It can be highly polished and is used for vases, seals, and at one time for...
, while the capitals and the bases of the columns were gilded and carved in white marble. The church by that time had no dome anymore, but a multicoloured compartmented ceiling, decorated with golden garlands.
Mortar (masonry)
Mortar is a workable paste used to bind construction blocks together and fill the gaps between them. The blocks may be stone, brick, cinder blocks, etc. Mortar becomes hard when it sets, resulting in a rigid aggregate structure. Modern mortars are typically made from a mixture of sand, a binder...
was used. Near the middle of the nave, there was a silver ambon
Ambon (liturgy)
The Ambon or Ambo is a projection coming out from the soleas in an Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox and Eastern Catholic church. The ambon stands directly in front of the Holy Doors...
, while at the end lied a rich iconostasis
Iconostasis
In Eastern Christianity an iconostasis is a wall of icons and religious paintings, separating the nave from the sanctuary in a church. Iconostasis also refers to a portable icon stand that can be placed anywhere within a church...
surrounded by sculptures. On the upper part of the walls, there were mosaics representing the miracles of Christ and several episodes of his life up to his Ascension. To the church belonged also tribunes and an oratory. The shrine communicated through a porticus and a stairway with the imperial Palace of Blachernae, which – lying on the slope of the hill – overlooked it.
On the right of the church lied the parekklesion of the Hagia Soros, which contained the dress and robe of the Virgin. The veil and a part of her belt were later also kept there. The building was round and had a narthex
Narthex
The narthex of a church is the entrance or lobby area, located at the end of the nave, at the far end from the church's main altar. Traditionally the narthex was a part of the church building, but was not considered part of the church proper...
and tribunes. An icon of the Virgin donated by Emperor Leo I and his wife Verina
Verina
Aelia Verina was the Empress consort of Leo I of the Byzantine Empire. She was a sister of Basiliscus. Her daughter Ariadne was Empress consort of first Zeno and then Anastasius I. Verina was the maternal grandmother of Leo II.-Family:...
was also worshipped there. On its right was kept the casket – adorned with gold and silver – which contained the relics. They were rescued from the Latin occupation, and after the restoration of the Empire were kept in the church, but were all destroyed during the fire of 1434.
The bath where the Emperor immersed himself comprised three parts: the robing room where he undressed, the kolymbos (pool for immersion) and the hall of Saint Photinos. It lay to the right of the parekklesion, and communicated with it through a door. The pool consisted of a large room surmounted by a dome with the basin in the middle. It was adorned with icons, and the water poured in the basin from the hands of a marble statue of the Virgin. An Image of Saint Photinos decorated the centre of the dome. Each year, on August 15 (the feast of Dormition
Dormition of the Theotokos
The Dormition of the Theotokos is a Great Feast of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches which commemorates the "falling asleep" or death of the Theotokos , and her bodily resurrection before being taken up into heaven. It is celebrated on August 15 The Dormition...
), after the adoration of the Maphorion (holy veil) of the Virgin, the Emperor plunged three times in the sacred pool.
The small church which today encloses the Hagiasma has a trapezoidal plan with sloping roof, and is adorned with icons and frescoes. It is oriented in northwest-southeast direction. The holy fountain, which is believed to have healing powers, is always a favourite destination for Orthodox and Muslim pilgrims, who pour in the pool coins and hair pins. The pilgrim can also ritually wash his eyes at a line of faucets. Above them a modern palindrome
Palindrome
A palindrome is a word, phrase, number, or other sequence of units that can be read the same way in either direction, with general allowances for adjustments to punctuation and word dividers....
inscription says: "Nipson anomemata me monan opsin
Nipson anomemata me monan opsin
Nipson anomēmata mē monan opsin , meaning "Wash the sins, not only the face," or "Wash my transgressions, not only my face," is a Greek palindromic phrase which was inscribed upon a holy water font outside the church of Hagia Sophia in Constantinople...
" (Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
: "Wash the sins not only the eyes"). The water falls into an underground gallery, which according to a tradition links the Hagiasma with that in Balıklı
Church of St. Mary of the Spring (Istanbul)
The Monastery of the Mother of God at the Spring or simply Zoödochos Pege , is an Eastern Orthodox sanctuary in Istanbul...
. The church is run by an episkopos
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
and two papades. Each Friday morning the Akathist
Akathist
The Akathist Hymn is a hymn of Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic tradition dedicated to a saint, holy event, or one of the persons of the Holy Trinity...
Hymn
Hymn
A hymn is a type of song, usually religious, specifically written for the purpose of praise, adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification...
, composed by Patriarch Sergius
Sergius I of Constantinople
Sergius I was the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople from 610 to 638.In 626 during the absence of Emperor Heraclius on campaign against Sassanid Persia, the Avars laid siege to Constantinople. Along with the magister militum Bonus, he had been named regent and was in charge of the city's defense...
during the Siege of 626
Siege of Constantinople (626)
The Siege of Constantinople in 626 by the Avars, aided by large numbers of allied Slavs and the Sassanid Persians, ended in a strategic victory for the Byzantines...
, is sung there. Since the nearby area is not urbanized, it would be possible to explore it in order to understand more about the ancient complex.