Church of St. Mary of Blachernae
Church of St. Mary of Blachernae Θεοτόκος των Βλαχερνών | |
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Saint Mary | |
Architecture | |
Completed | 1867 |
The Church of Saint Mary of Blachernae (full name in
History
In 450,
Emperor
During the first quarter of the 6th century, Emperors Justin I and Justinian I restored and enlarged the church.[2]
The growing importance of the complex encouraged the Emperors to move to the surrounding area and start building what would become the imperial Palace of Blachernae.[4] Skarlatos Byzantios, in his influential work called "Constantinople", mentions the original Greek tradition that the district was named after the fish species called "Lakernai" in latin, which the locals fished there in large quantities and called "Blachernai".[5] According to a Romanian author, Ilie Gherghel, the name may derive from an old term used for the Romanians (Vlach, Blac, etc.) and from a small colony of Vlachs.[6]
The church contained a famous
At the end of the siege, the Byzantines learned that the church (which at that time lay outside the Walls) was the only one not to have been plundered by the invaders.[7] When the victorious Heraclius returned to Constantinople, bringing back the True Cross which had been captured by the Persians in Jerusalem, the Patriarch received him at Saint Mary's. Sometime later, the Emperor built a single wall to protect the church, thus enclosing the suburb of Blachernae within the city.[4]
The Byzantine victory during the
On 15 August 944 the church received two more important relics: the letter written by King
As a centre for the veneration of images, the Church of St Mary also played an important role in Byzantine religious disputes. During the
The Blachernitissa was discovered again during restoration works executed during the reign of
According to Anna Komnene, the Icon of the Virgin Vlachernitissa in the church underwent what became known as the "habitual miracle" (Greek: to synetís thavma).[13] On Friday after sunset, when the church was empty, the veil which covered the icon slowly rose, revealing the face of the Virgin, while twenty-four hours later it slowly fell again. The miracle did not occur regularly, and ceased completely after the Latin conquest of the city.[13]
After the Latin invasion of 1204, the church was occupied by the Latin clergy and placed directly under the Holy See. 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.[10]
On 29 June 1434, some noble children hunting pigeons on the roof of the church accidentally started a fire, which destroyed the whole complex and the surrounding quarter.
Description
The religious complex of Blachernae comprised three buildings: The Church of Saint Mary, the Chapel of the reliquary (Ayía Sorós), and the Sacred Bath (´Ayion Loúsma).[13]
The church proper, defined by all the sources as "large" (mégas naós), was of the
The walls at that time were covered with coloured marble panels, while originally a silvery mortar was used.[13] Near the middle of the nave there was a silver ambon, while at the end stood a rich iconostasis covered in images.[11] The upper walls were decorated with mosaics representing the miracles of Christ and episodes of his life up to his Ascension.[11] The church also had tribunes and an oratory. The Imperial Palace of Blachernae - lying further up the slope of the hill - overlooked the church and was connected to it through a porticus and a stairway.[15]
To the right of the church stood the circular parekklísion of the Ayía Sorós, which contained the dress and robe of the Virgin. The veil and a part of
To the right of the parekklesion and connected to it by a door was the bath where the Emperor immersed himself. It was made up of three parts: the robing room where he undressed, the kólymbos (pool for immersion) and the hall of Saint Photinos. Adorned with icons, the kolymbos consisted of a large room surmounted by a dome with the pool in the middle; water flowed into the pool from the hands of a marble statue of the Virgin. An image of Saint Photinos decorated the centre of the dome.
The small church which today encloses the ayazma (holy spring) has a trapezoidal plan with a sloping roof, and is adorned with modern icons and frescoes. It is oriented in a northwest–southeast direction. The holy spring, which is believed to have healing powers, is still a popular destination for Orthodox and Muslim pilgrims, who toss coins and hairpins into the pool.
The church is run by an episkopos and two papades.[19] Every Friday morning the Akathist Hymn, composed by Patriarch Sergius during the Siege of 626, is sung there.[18]
Gallery
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Saint Mary of Blachernae sacred bath
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Saint Mary of Blachernae sacred bath
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Saint Mary of Blachernae icon at sacred bath
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Saint Mary of Blachernae exterior
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Saint Mary of Blachernae iconostasis
References
- Cherson in Crimea) many churches were put under the same dedication. Janin (1953), p. 169.
- ^ a b c d e Janin (1953), p. 169.
- ^ The parekklesion is a chapel leaning to the side of the church or of the narthex.
- ^ a b Müller-Wiener (1977).
- ISBN 9786054640652.
- ^ Gherghel (1920), p. 4.
- ^ a b c d e Janin (1953), p. 170.
- ^ a b c Janin (1953), p. 171.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-88402-248-0. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
- ^ a b Janin (1953), p. 172.
- ^ a b c d e f Janin (1953), p. 175.
- ^ On that occasion Romanos also covered the capitals of the columns with gold and silver foil. Janin (1953), p. 169.
- ^ a b c d Janin (1953), p. 174.
- Anthologia Palatinarecord this fact. Janin (1953), p. 175.
- ^ a b c d Janin (1953), p. 176.
- ^ A pious legend says that the Blachernitissa survived the disaster, and that after 1453 it was brought to a monastery on Mount Athos and finally to Moscow.
- ^ a b c Mamboury (1953), p. 308.
- ^ a b c d Ronchey (2010), p. 715
- ^ Ronchey (2010), p. 714
Sources
- Mamboury, Ernest (1953). The Tourists' Istanbul. Istanbul: Çituri Biraderler Basımevi.
- Janin, Raymond (1953). La Géographie ecclésiastique de l'Empire byzantin. 1. Part: Le Siège de Constantinople et le Patriarcat Oecuménique. 3rd Vol. : Les Églises et les Monastères (in French). Paris: Institut Français d'Etudes Byzantines.
- ISBN 978-3-8030-1022-3.
- Ronchey, Silvia; Braccini, Tommaso (2010). Il romanzo di Costantinopoli. Guida letteraria alla Roma d'Oriente (in Italian). Torino: Einaudi. ISBN 978-88-06-18921-1.
- Gherghel, Ilie (1920). Cateva consideratiuni la cuprinsul notiunii cuvantului "Vlach" (in Romanian). Bucuresti: Convorbiri literare.