Chalke
The Chalke Gate (
History
The gate lay on the southeastern corner of the
The first structure in that location was erected by the architect Aetherius during the reign of Emperor
Emperor Romanos I Lekapenos (r. 920–944) attached a small chapel dedicated to Christ Chalkites (Χριστός Χαλκίτης), which was later rebuilt on a grander scale by Emperor John I Tzimiskes (r. 969–976), who endowed it with relics and was himself buried there.[7][8][9] This rebuilding was facilitated by the fact that his predecessor, Emperor Nikephoros II Phokas (r. 963–969), had enclosed the palace precinct with a new wall of reduced girth, to which the Chalke was no longer attached.[7] The main gatehouse, denuded of its bronze gates by Emperor Isaac II Angelos during his first reign (1185–1195), is not mentioned by Byzantine chroniclers after c. 1200.[7][10] The chapel however survived long after: it is mentioned as being largely intact by Russian pilgrims in the 14th century,[11] and in Ottoman times, the ruins of the chapel were known as Arslanhane and functioned as a menagerie.[12] The remains of the chapel are depicted in 18th-century drawings, until finally demolished in 1804.[7]
Description
Several literary descriptions of the gate survive. Procopius is the earliest and most prominent source, but accounts of the statues decorating the gatehouse's façade also come from the later Parastaseis syntomoi chronikai.[13]
Justinian's Chalke was a rectangular building, with four engaged piers supporting a central dome on pendentives, which in turn rested on four barrel arches in the typical Byzantine fashion. The piers to the south and north were somewhat lower than those to the east and west.[14] The central structure was adjoined by two smaller chambers on either side to the south and north, each again featuring a vaulted roof.[15] The relation of the Church of Christ Chalkites with the gate is unclear; Cyril Mango suggested that it was located to its left, but it has also been proposed that it was actually built atop the gatehouse itself.[16] It is known that the chapel was placed atop an elevated platform, and 18th-century depictions locate it some 100 m southeast of the Hagia Sophia.[7]
The vestibule's interior decoration is also described by Procopius: the walls were decorated with slabs of multi-colored marble, while the ceilings were covered with mosaics, which depicted Justinian and his wife
The external decoration is comparatively unknown, but the Parastaseis syntomoi record the existence of various statues, probably placed in niches above the central doorway.
Icon of Christ Chalkites
Above the main entrance of the Chalke, there stood an icon of
The exact appearance of the icon is unclear: although the early image has been interpreted as a bust of the
References
- ^ Kazhdan (1991), p. 405
- ^ Kazhdan (1991), p. 232
- ^ PLRE II, "Aetherius 2", p. 19
- ^ Kazhdan (1991), pp. 405–406
- ^ Procopius, De Aedificiis I.10.11–20
- ^ Mango (1958), p. 34
- ^ a b c d e f g Kazhdan (1991), p. 406
- ^ Janin (1968), pp. 529–530
- ^ Mango (1958), p. 149
- ^ Mango (1958), pp. 34–35
- ^ Majeska (1984), pp. 241–242
- ^ Mango (1958), pp. 149–169
- ^ Cameron & Herrin (1984), pp. 48–51
- ^ Procopius, De Aedificiis, I.10.12–14
- ^ Procopius, De Aedificiis, I.10.13–14
- ^ Mango (1958), p. 154
- ^ Procopius, De Aedificiis, I.10.16–18
- ^ Mango (1958), pp. 99–104
- ^ Cameron & Herrin (1984), p. 63
- ^ Cameron & Herrin (1984), p. 95
- ^ Cameron & Herrin (1984), pp. 121, 159
- ^ Cameron & Herrin (1984), pp. 159, 207–208
- ^ Mango (1958), p. 102
- ^ Cormack (2000), pp. 32, 91
- ^ Mango (1958), pp. 103, 108–112
- ^ Cameron & Herrin (1984), p. 175
- ^ a b Kazhdan (1991), pp. 406, 440
- ^ Cormack (2000), p. 114
- ^ Kazhdan (1991), p. 440
- ^ Mango (1958), pp. 135–142
Sources
- Cameron, Averil; Herrin, Judith (1984). Constantinople in the early eighth century: the Parastaseis syntomoi chronikai (introduction, translation, and commentary). Brill Archive. ISBN 978-90-04-07010-3.
- Cormack, Robin (2000). Byzantine art. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-284211-4.
- Janin, Raymond (1964). Constantinople Byzantine. Développement urbaine et répertoire topographique (in French). Paris.
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: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ISBN 978-0-19-504652-6.
- Majeska, George P. (1984). Russian Travelers to Constantinople in the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Centuries. Dumbarton Oaks. ISBN 978-0-88402-101-8.
- Mango, Cyril (1959). The Brazen House; a study of the vestibule of the imperial palace of Constantinople. Copenhagen.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
External links
41°0′21″N 28°58′38″E / 41.00583°N 28.97722°E