}）;
§§§
§§
Ķ
■* " .º 8 ：
• • • • . ~~~~ ~~~~ *********
* : * ~ *
* , "sº, ºf ſº
*
ſº
* * * * * * * *
º


¿~~~~. --★ºff..….…..:-7.№.2： №žº:
22:32：3:::：:…_ſ3=ż:?????:（{！！!！！！--~~~~
Źź（№sſae;
2！！！！！！！！！！
?！?！！?！


THE GREAT PALACE OF CONSTANTINOPLE
THE
GREAT PALACE
OF
C O N S T A N T IN O P L E
*
§
N - , º,
By ºf J:
pſ 2.95
W *
THE LATE DR. A. G. PASPATES
TRANSLATED FROM THE GREEK
BY
WILLIAM METCALFE, B.D.
WITH A MAP
*
ALEXANDER GARDNER
& H}ubligijer to 39er ſºlajesty tije (Aueen
PAISLEY: AND 26 PATERNOSTER SQUARE, LONDON
*==
1893

ºc.J., •
Co-le-º-º:
(e– \\ – 3 |
* -\ \ ^C.
NOTE BY TRANSLATOR.
IN offering this translation of Dr. Paspates' work,
Tà Bvčavtwo 'Aváktopa, to the English public, the
Translator desires to state that he has carefully
verified all the references to the works of the
Byzantine writers, and such others as were acces-
sible to him. The translation was undertaken
with the consent of the Author, who, up to the
time of his death, had read the proofs of the
first eight chapters. Those of the remaining
chapters were read by the k. D. Bikelas, to whom
also the Translator is indebted for many valuable
suggestions. The map, with the exception of the
names, is an exact reproduction of that which
appeared in the original work.
E. R. R. A. T A.
Page 154, for follis, read folles.
,, 177, note 2, for Tpos, read trpès.
,, 239, for Giùno, read Gioián.
CONTENTS.
PAGE.
INTRODUCTION, - - - - - - 1
The Byzantine Historians—Excavations in the Akropolis
—Archaeological facilities in Rome and Constan-
tinople—Former writers on the Palace.
CHAPTER I., - tº- * * * $º g- tº 11
Early allusions to the Palace—Byzantine writers—
Gyllius—Du Cange—Banduri—Byzantios—Labarte
—The excavations—Cyclopean Wall—Arista Sok-
aghi-House of Justinian—Gallery of Marcian—
Karean gate—Boundaries of the Akropolis—Modern
Walls—Foreign settlements in Constantinople—The
Genoese—Manuel Komnenos—The Saracen Mosque
—S. Demetrios.
CHAPTER II, tº- sº * - $º tº tº- 38
The Hippodrome—Its Pavement—The Factions—Di-
mensions—The Kathisma—Mangana—Seats—Pic-
ture by Onuphrius Panvinius—Gyllius’ Description
—Arrangement of the Course—The Obelisk—The
Three-headed Serpent—The Bronze Pillar—Other
Monuments-—Gates—Insurrection of the Nika.
CHAPTER III., tº e gº sº tºº tºge º 66
The Augustaion — Hospital of Sampson — Baths of
Zeuxippos — Senate-House — Patriarcheion — Its
Chapel — Secreta — Church of Our Lady in the
Copper-Market—Covered Staircase—Metatorion in
S. Sophia—Holy Well—Spiral Stair.
viii. CONTENTS.
CHAPTER IV., - - - - - -
Dimensions of the Augustaion—Statue of Eudoxia–
Church of the Deaconesses — Milion — Statue of
Justinian—The Middle—Pittakia—Horologion—S.
John's, the Baptistery—S. John's, the Diippion—
Church of Alexios—Baths of Achilles—Passages of
Achilles.
CHAPTER W., - - - - - -
C. Porphyrogennetos’ allusions to the Augustaion—
Gates of the Palace—Destruction of Buildings—
Configuration of the Palace Site—Remains of the
Numera—Of the Monothyros.
CHAPTER VI., - tº- - sºme º *
Remains of the Aristeterion—of the Hall of Justinian—
of the Pharos—of the Manaura—of the Boukoleon
—the Papias—the Chrysotriklinos.
CHAPTER VII., - - - - - -
The Pentapyrgion—Tripeton—Aristeterion of the Chry-
sotriklinos–New Chamber—Long Chamber—Em-
peror's Chamber—Chamber of the Augusta—Church
of Our Lady of the Pharos—Terrace—Church of S.
Demetrios—Lausiakon—Church of S. Basil—Tri-
conchon—Sigma—Fountain of the Sigma—Door of
the Spatharikion—Gallery of the Forty Saints—
Hall of the Pearl—Eros—Church of S. John—
Carian Vestiary—Eidikon, or Treasury—Baths of
Theoktistos—Pyxites.
CHAPTER VIII., - sºme wº sº tº- -*
The Kamelas—Mesopatos—Westiary of the Augusta—
Mousikos—Chapel of S. Ann–Tetrakoubouklon-
Palace of the Daphne–Octagon—S. Stephen in the
Daphne—Bedchamber of the Daphne—Gallery of S.
Stephen—Hall of the Augusteus—Our Lady in the
Daphne — Holy Trinity—The Baptistery — Ther-
mastra—Ivory Gate—Golden Hand—-Onopodium—
Door of the Platform—Consistory—Church of Our
Lord—The Oval—Exaéron—Hall of the Nineteen
Couches—Dikionion—Schools—Lights—Tribune—
Hall of the Candidati-Curtains.
99
130
158
189
223
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER IX., - - - - - -
Church of the Holy Apostles—Bronze Gate--Chytos—
Porta Regia—Gate of Meletios—Monothyros—Hip-
podromes of the Palace—Hall of Justinian—Skyla
—Apse of the Skyla—Wooden Staircase—Cabal-
larius—Procession to S. Sophia.
CHAPTER X., - - - - - -
Ceremonies at the Augusta's Marriage—The Manaura—
A reception there. .
CHAPTER XI., - - - - - -
The Tzykanisterion—The Eagle—Pyramidal Houses —
Mesokepion—Palace of the Boukoleon—Harbour of
Boukoleon—The New Church—Chapel of Elijah—
of the Archangel Michael—of S. Clement—Por-
phyry Chamber—Five Chambers—Chapel of S.
Barbara—Gallery of Marcian—Chapel of S. Peter—
S. Michael — Monastery of Kalypas — Lists of
Churches and Chapels—Baths—The Katoptron—
Bath of the Household—Balnearia—Stables—Cis-
terns—Probable size of the Buildings—Conclusion.
INDEX, - - - - - - - -
305
331
371
INTRODUCTION.
IN the following account of the Palace of Con-
stantinople, the Hippodrome, and the neighbouring
Augustaion, I often recall the difficulties of the
task. Students of the Palace as it is presented in
the latest works of Greek and Western writers,
can form some idea of the confused nature of the
subject, which, indeed, none admit more frequently
than the writers themselves. Many are convinced
that in this inhospitable country, inhabited only by
the Turk, no remains can now be found. They
have never inspected the place for themselves,
but derive all their information from the extant
Byzantine historians and from modern topogra-
phers. The majority of the Byzantine historians
mention buildings and localities which were well-
known to their original readers, and give no
detailed accounts of the situation and size of the
different parts of the Palace. Their pages are
almost entirely occupied with theological contro-
versies, bloody encounters between the ungovern-
able Factions, and popular risings. The topogra-
phers of Constantinople lived in the sunset of her
power. The palaces were then mouldering away
uncared for. The festivals, so frequently mentioned
by Constantine VII., Porphyrogennetos, were for-
2 Introduction.
gotten, except a few which were performed in the
palace at Blachernai. Many buildings, which had
not been repaired, had fallen into ruin, and with
them had perished the memory of the founders of
the palaces on the Akropolis. A number of
buildings were afterwards erected in imitation of
them in the spacious precincts of Blachernai, and
are vaguely described by the historians, who wrote
after the Conquest. The identity of their names
has occasioned great confusion in the accounts
given of the Palace of the Akropolis, and the
ignorance of these writers is beyond belief.
It is useless to search in the writings of our his-
torians for the minute descriptions which charac-
terise modern topographers. Had our forefathers
taken thought for their descendants, and given more
exact descriptions of the buildings then existing,
our labours to-day would have been lighter, and
our knowledge clearer. The study of ancient
buildings in ruins, is indeed a difficult task. An
impenetrable mist obscures almost all the monu-
ments of our forefathers. Yet all that we so
painfully strive to learn, could have been made
perfectly clear by a methodical description of them.
This has often been brought home to me amid
the difficulties of my work. The unintelligible
patchwork of our own Byzantine and later his-
torians, the works of Western authors, and the
maps even of Labarte, the most eminent of them
all, can hardly be said to invite the reader to
their further study. Is it possible then that I can
ruake any substantial contribution to the history of
Introduction. 3
our country, on a subject which has already
engaged the attention of So many men of ability?
I frankly acknowledge that I often began the
study of the Palace of Constantinople, and as often
abandoned it dispirited and hopeless. I spent much
time in unprofitable researches. Things seemed
sometimes plain, sometimes obscure. I could not
reconcile the apparent vagaries of the historians.
They would sometimes describe as close together
a number of buildings, which were subsequently
found far apart. At other times, they give des-
criptions of buildings of which the very foundations
have perished and not one stone remains upon
another, while other writers describe them as if
in their original splendour. These discrepancies
are, no doubt, partly due to the mistakes of
ignorant copyists.
For a true account of the Palace buildings of
Constantinople, we are—in my opinion—largely in-
debted to the Thracian Railway, which was begun
in 1870, and ran through the whole length of the
Akropolis and the ancient Byzantine Palace.
Shortly before its commencement a great fire
destroyed the seafront of the Sultan's palace, which
lay beside the gate, formerly known as S. Barbara's
and now as Tóp Kapustí. The Sultans erected
new and more magnificent buildings on the Thra-
cian side of the Bosphorus. The navvies pulled
down some of the Sultan's buildings which had
been abandoned, cut down the ancient trees,
and tore away the climbing plants which had
everywhere concealed the walls. Hither, without
4 Introduction.
fear of Savage eunuchs and armed sentinels, came a
crowd of men of every rank and country, eager to
inspect the scene of the hitherto fabled pleasures of
the Sultans.
The excavations of the workmen, first uncovered
the ruins of the often mentioned shrine of the
Archmartyr Demetrios, which was richly adorned
by the Palaiologoi. The next discovery was the
great Cyclopean wall which extended to the sea,
and on which the Byzantine Emperors subsequently
built the landward or western wall of the Palace.
Further on, beside the sea-wall and under a hillock,
were revealed the wonderful and massive vaults of
the Boukoleon. Within these lay in shapeless heaps,
as if cast down by an earthquake, fragments of
marble columns, bases, capitals, and lovely cornices
with sculptured heads of oxen and lions. Upon
these vaults, above the sea-wall, was built a
beautiful palace, overlooking the sea and the
opposite shores of Asia Minor.
I myself often inspected this place. To me it
was a godsend, that might be the means of remov-
ing my despair, and throwing light on many
historical events hitherto unexplained.
The land, or western wall, rising from the sea,
and the buildings about the Boukoleon, at once
convinced me that the place laid open by the exca-
vations was part of the ancient Byzantine Palace.
I followed the excavators with the closest attention
as far as the Karean Gate, a vaulted structure
supported on four marble pillars. This gate was
one extremity of the site of the Palace. It stood
Introduction. 5
in the middle of the projected line, and was
demolished by the workmen.
To the right of this gate, within some Turkish
gardens, the lofty walls of which had been pulled
down, there stood some ancient remains. These
belonged to the so called gallery of Marcian,
which extended inland to a point behind the
grounds attached to the mosque of Sultan Achmet.
After many months' study, all things led me to the
conclusion that we were mistaken in regarding the
present walls of the Sultan's palace as the ancient
walls of the Byzantine Palace mentioned by
Porphyrogennetos and earlier historians. I had
not been alone in making this mistake. All who
describe the Palace have alike erred in taking these
for the walls of the earlier Byzantine Emperors.
They were erected by Michael Palaiologos, and have
led all modern historians and topographers astray.
All the descriptions and accounts by Byzantine
historians are far from agreeing with the actual
topography of the Palace and the celebrated
Akropolis. This is the problem which I have
endeavoured to solve in the following work, in
which I often recall the difficulty of the task, and
the vexation I experienced before finding the
wished for solution of these historical puzzles.
This work cannot, unfortunately, profess to
explain all the accounts left of the Byzantine
buildings. We cannot determine with certainty
the site of those only once or twice mentioned.
Others more fortunate may perhaps complete these
studies by further investigating the ruins which
6 Introduction.
remain, and penetrating into the huts and cellars
of the poorer Turkish population; for there, I think,
such remains are still preserved, as will throw light
on passages yet obscure.
I do not make these remarks in any spirit of
boastfulness at having solved this difficult problem.
In the proper part of this work, I mention the
labours and opinions of writers on the history and
topography of Constantinople, all of whom are
entitled to every honour. -
In consequence of the almost complete change
of the names of places, and the total indifference of
the inhabitants to the events which transpired in
their city, Constantinople has been to this day but
imperfectly described. Gyllius, who resided in
Constantinople about the beginning of the six-
teenth century, bitterly upbraids the Greek inhabi-
tants for having so soon forgotten the names of
churches and historic spots, and for their ready
adoption of the Turkish nomenclature."
Those who make comparisons between Constanti-
nople and Rome, forget that in the latter there
is no restraint placed on the excavation of ancient
buildings, and that every relic of the past is pre-
served with the greatest care. In Constantinople
however, ancient buildings are pulled down, master-
1 Adde Graecorum inertem inscitiam, qui videntur totum oblivionis
flumen ebibisse. Illorum enim nemo jam reperitur, qui ubinam essent
vestigia antiquorum monumentorum sciat, aut Scire curet, ut ne
Sacerdotes quidem ulli recognoscant loca, ubi paucis ante annis aedes
sacrae deletae sunt, et valde mirentur si quis talia inquirat. Gyllius,
De Constantinopoleos Topographia, lib, ii., cap. 1,
Introduction. 7
pieces of art are broken in pieces, and inscribed
slabs chiselled smooth. Excavations have never
been made to discover works of art or historical
remains. Even at the present moment, foreigners
have difficulty in obtaining access to most of the
surviving Byzantine buildings. Nowadays the
Turks set more store on the historical relics treasured
up in the Imperial Museum ; but the populace
hate everything that is not Mussulman, and those
in power unfortunately share their prejudice."
This natural prejudice which characterises the
warlike Ottoman, is inherited not only by their
fellow-citizens, the descendants of the original
Byzantines, but also by many of ourselves. Before
the day of our national resurrection, our histories of
Byzantion were few in number, and mere compila-
tions from European works. The majority were the
work of Catholics. The object they had in view,
was not a faithful narrative of facts, but the dense
ignorance of the Byzantimes, and their stubborn
resistance to the Pope and his claims. According
to some writers the conquest in 1453 came fortun-
ately to conceal entirely the enormities of the vile
Byzantines, and to inflict on them the punishment
they deserved.” To prove this, and to convince
1 Ibid.
2 Ils croyent que le Saint-Esprit me procede que du Père, et mon
du Fils et me veulent point admettre l’adjonction, filioque.
En punition de quoy il semble que Dieu ait permis la ruine
de leur Empire, et la prise de Constantinople par les Infidèles.
Théâtre de la Turquie, par Michel Fevre. Paris, 1686, p. 402. On
p. 418 the writer says that he and his companions entered S. Sophia
on horseback.
8 Introduction.
the ignorant, they described what they called the
religious frenzy of the Byzantines, vigorous even at
the moment of the death struggle with Mahomet.
It is a matter of regret that these writings have
corrupted not only the vulgar, but also our leading
writers.
To this day the histories of the Byzantines have
been regarded by most with little favour. Neither
the just laws of the earlier Emperors nor the
successful struggle against the Arab fanatics at the
beginning of the eighth century, which if it had
resulted otherwise, might have left the way open
for all Europe becoming Mussulman, nor the
numerous works of the Byzantine historians, to
which we owe our knowledge of life in mediaeval
Europe and the neighbouring countries, nor their
wonderful inventions of hydraulic machinery, nor
the distinctively Hellenic form given to Christian
ritual, not even the great Cathedral of S. Sophia,
a surpassingly worthy house of God, has availed
to bridle the tongues of those who speak evil of the
Byzantines.
Many Western writers have warmly commended
to us Greeks the study of the history of our own
country and of the Byzantine Empire, in which not
a few difficult problems invite our consideration.
I am sure that we are better fitted than Europeans
to elucidate them. This conviction has encouraged,
and will continue to encourage me, in this difficult
task. One of the first essentials for the student of
Byzantine history is to proceed regardless of the
unmerited accusations made by many Western
Introduction. 9
Writers, and by many also of our own wise men,
who derive their stock of learning from other
writers, in preference to investigating the sources
of history for themselves. Examples of this are to
be found in the works of Du Cange and Banduri,
who described Constantinople without leaving their
studies, and fell into numerous topographical
errors. From their voluminous works the more
recent historians of Byzantion have compiled their
books. Others again, though living in Constanti-
nople, shirked the trouble of perambulating a large
city, and drew the bulk of their material from
other writers. Witness Von Hammer's description
of Constantinople, an unpardonable tissue of ignor-
ance, on which many yet rely as a guide in their
studies."
Though I have never extolled the virtues of the
Byzantines, I have never admitted the unjust
accusations, so plentifully made by some writers.
We literally shudder when we read in Byzantine
history of malefactors being mutilated or having
their eyes put out. What shall we say of men in
Europe who were not malefactors, whose only fault
lay in their opinions, being stretched on the rack,
or burnt by the merciless followers of Christ—of
the God of mercy and love 7
My opinion is that if we were first to study the
history and politics of Byzantion in the original
authorities and in our native tongue;” and then
l Constantinopolis whd der Bosporos, Örtlich wind geschichtlich
beschrieben, von Jos. von Hammer. 2 Bde. Pesth, 1822.
* Skarlatos D. Byzantios, KwVatavruvottroXts, vol. III., p. 66.
10 Introduction.
proceed to Western historians and commentators,
our countrymen would form a more correct estimate
of the latter, and we should at least learn not to
revile the life and polity of our forefathers.
This work, one, as I said above, full of difficulties,
is the proof of all my statements. Taking the
Byzantine historians as my authorities, I have tried
to confirm the results of my investigations which
have been made during many years of wandering in
this place of palaces. In all cases I give references
to such of our writers as describe the Palace, to
convince every one of the accuracy of what I have
written, and to assist those who are anxious to
prosecute the study of the subject.
Such studies are wearisome to many. Students,
however, should bear in mind that without a know-
ledge of the country whose history they are study-
ing, the events recorded can be at best but
imperfectly understood.
In conclusion, I hope that this description of the
famous Palace of Constantinople may excite my
countrymen to a fuller and more intimate study of
Byzantine history.
A. G. PASPATES.
THE GREAT PALACE OF CONSTANTINOPLE.
CHAPTER I.
I HAVE never undertaken the discussion of any
Byzantine problem more difficult than the present.
My intention is to attempt to determine the site
and boundaries of the Byzantine Palace in the
Akropolis of Constantinople," which is often called
the Great Palace, to distinguish it from other
palaces erected by our Emperors both in Constan-
tinople and in the suburbs of Thrace and Anatole ;
namely, those of Eleutherios and of the Mangana,
the Pegaia near to the Church of the Blessed
Virgin styled the Life-receiving Spring (Zooë6xos
Tmyſ), the Palace of the Virtues now Daout Pasha,
that of Aphameia the present Makrochorion, the
Heraion,” and various others, where they resided
during the summer.”
According to the historians, the Akropolis, as it
1 Xp? Yuvégkew 8tt Tod Bºğavros Tà traXátia èv Tū 'AkpotóNet foav. G.
Rodinos, p. 24.
2 rôv traXartwy Täs Iepetas. Constantine Porphyrogennetos, Vol. I.,
pp., 373, 438, 497, 504; Nikephoros Patriarches, p. 28. Tà év Tó ‘Hpaig
Tra)\dºtta. G. Kodinos, pp. 117, 276.
8 Du Cange, Constantinopolis Christiana, lib. ii., p. 125. G. Kodinos,
p. 117,
12 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
appeared in Byzantine times, was the work of
Severus.' Xenophon calls it Akra.” It was sometimes
called the Eastern Akropolis, to distinguish it from
the Pentapyrgion and Heptapyrgion, to which the
name Akropolis was also frequently applied.”
When I say I have undertaken a most difficult
task, the reader must not suppose that I desire to
unduly magnify the labour which such works
involve. It would indeed be well if any one
desirous of going through this work, would first
read all that has been written both in Greece and
in the West on the topography of the Palace in
the Akropolis. For upwards of a thousand years
this famous spot has been the scene of the most
noteworthy events in our own history, and in that
of the present Ottoman dynasty. Yet all accounts
of the Palace are obscure or utterly unintelligible."
The student of the many years of Byzantine
history, as he reads of the horrors perpetrated
within the Palace—of men blinded or put to death,
of the collisions between the populace and the rulers
—is perplexed, because up to the present day we
have no knowledge of the Palace, or of the walls
that once surrounded its magnificent buildings,
* Els getſova kal repupavā kāagov ćtravāyaye rô Bušávrov [i.e., Severus].
Ibid., p. 12.
2 Anab., vii., 1, 5.
3 Cpolis Christiana, lib. i., p. 44; lib. iv., p. 171; Nikephoros Gregoras,
Vol. II., p. 779.
4 Les révolutions du palais tiennent en effet beaucoup de place dans
l'histoire de l'empire d’Orient. . . . Dans l’ignorance absolue ou l’on
est de la disposition des lieux cités, le récit devient obscur pour le lecteur
J. Labarte, Le Palais Impérial, p. 2.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 13
and protected them against popular risings and
pillage." -
As for the history of the Akropolis before the
time of Severus, it does not lie within the scope of
the present work. Very little is said of it in the
histories of Byzantion.”
Our Byzantine historians enumerate all the
Emperors, from Constantine the Great downwards,
who built or adorned the Palace ; * but it never
occurred to them to describe its walls. Of
the many halls, and splendid churches and
chapels, raised within the Imperial precincts,
nothing has been preserved to us, except some
pillars, bases or capitals, some sarcophagi with
inscriptions, and several foundations and vaults.
These alone bear witness to the former greatness
of the Akropolis, once filled with the wonders of
Greek art and Byzantine architecture.
I have often had occasion to complain bitterly of
the Byzantine historians. Most of the accounts of
Constantinople preserved in their writings are by
no means clear. Writing for contemporaries, they
never thought of posterity. To this short-sighted
neglect of the Mediaeval writers, we all alike owe
the depth of our ignorance and the barrenness of
our labour on this subject.
The Akropolis and its Palace are, as I before said,
I S. Byzantios, Kaovo Tavruvoſ Toxts, Vol. I., p. 206.
2 Nam quae fuerint Byzantii antiqui, antequam eversum fuisset a
Severo, monumenta, memo scribit. Gyllius, De Topographia Cpoleos., lib,
iv., e, ll.
G. Kodinos, p. 18,
14 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
mentioned by all the Byzantine historians, especi-
ally by Constantine VII. (Porphyrogennetos), who
gives us, in his invaluable "Ex6eats Tàs Saq i\etov
Táčeos, an account of the religious and civil cere-
monial of the Emperors. This record is a work of
great value to students of Byzantine history, and
from it alone much information about the Palace
may be derived. It belongs to the tenth century,
when the Palace and all the buildings surrounding
it, were still uninjured."
From that time the Emperors erected no more
buildings of any importance in the Akropolis. Many
enemies were coveting the wealth of the Empire.
The Byzantine traders were embarrassed by the
opposition of the Italian merchants, and the
Government was in financial straits.
I am convinced, however, that the extant
Byzantine historical writers, whether civil or
ecclesiastical, do not enable us to form a clear idea
of the boundaries of the wide area in which so
many palaces were built, and where stood the
strong walls to which they so often allude.
None of our countrymen have described the fate
of the Palace after the victory of the Crusaders in
1204. We do not know why the Emperors, during
the last two centuries of their power, forsook the
Great Palace on the Akropolis for the palace of
Blachernai, which lay in marshy ground, exposed
to bitter and pestilential winds.
From the capture of Constantinople by the Turks
1 Labarte, p. 5,
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 15
in 1453 to our own day, many foreigners and some
of our own countrymen have written on this
Palace, and attempted, with praiseworthy zeal, to
fix its true site and to reconstruct its former magni-
ficence. The earliest of these is Peter Gyllius,
who spent several years in Constantinople at the
beginning of the sixteenth century," and at great
risk explored the whole of Byzantion that he
might recount the ancient greatness of the city.
This learned and accomplished traveller is com-
pelled to admit, that not only did nothing of the
old Palace survive in his day, but also that the very
site was hard to find. His words are repeated by
Labarte, the latest investigator, who says that
absolutely nothing of the old Palace is now pre-
served.” Nevertheless, certain relics escaped the
eyes of both these learned writers, and still exist
to shed great light on the topography and history
of the city. Gyllius, moreover, was not aware
that two centuries before the capture by the Turks,
parts of the Palace, which had long been neglected,
were pulled down by the Emperors, while others
had fallen into ruins through age. Yet even in his
day some objects were preserved, both within and
outside the Imperial precinct, such as pillars and
statues, which are clearly described by him, and
explain the history of the adjoining buildings as
1 Nom accusanda, sed dammanda fortuna, in quam me conjecit Francisci
Regis mors, cujus mutu in Graeciam accesseram, non diu ut desiderem
Byzantii, sed ut conquirerem Codices Graecorum antiquos. De Topo-
graphia Cpoleos, lib. iv., ad fin. (Tr.)
2 Labarte, p. 220 ; Gyllius, lib, i., cc, 1, 17.
16 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
well as of the Palace. His account, however, of
the ancient walls is confused, since he was unac-
quainted with the Byzantine historians, more
especially Constantine Porphyrogennetos, whose
works have since been published.
Another writer, who resided in Constantinople
at the same time as Gyllius, was Busbequius," the
ambassador of the German Emperor ; but the par-
ticulars he gives are of no great importance.
After Gyllius I cannot name a single traveller or
writer before the publication of Du Cange's invalu-
able treatise Constantinopolis Christiana.” This in-
defatigable writer gives a description of Constanti-
nople based on the works of Byzantine civil and
ecclesiastical historians, as well as on those of
Western travellers and Crusaders. His book is
not a little remarkable as the work of a man who
never saw Constantinople. Though he borrows
from Western writers, his principal authorities, at
least, are Byzantine, so far as they were then
available. At that time the Byzantine historians
had not all been published, and he was therefore con-
fined to the few which were then accessible. Pub-
lished two centuries ago, his work is still without
question the leading authority on the subject. He
has fallen into some errors, due chiefly to inferior
MSS., and the ignorance of travellers, and his state-
ments on many points in connection with the
ºr
1 A. G. Busbequit omnia qua, eactant. Lugdun. Batavorum, 1633.
2 Constantinopolis Christiana, seu Descriptio urbis Constantinopolilanae
qualis extitit Sub Imperatoribus Christianis. Lutetiae Parisionum,
MDCLXXX,
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 17
palaces both in the Akropolis and outside the city,
are made simply on the authority of the then known
Byzantine writers.
Next there was published at Paris, in two
volumes, the work of Anselm Banduri, entitled
Imperium Orientale.' Though a more pretentious
performance than that of Du Cange, and conveying
more information respecting the Byzantine Empire,
Du Cange is, in my opinion, a safer guide. But no
One who reads these invaluable works, now scarce
and accessible to few, can fail to be struck by the
wealth of learning and the patient industry of these
two esteemed writers.
1 pass over Gibbon and von Hammer, the historians
of the Byzantine and Ottoman Empires, and our
own Paparregopoulos, from whose writings we gain
but few particulars concerning the Palace of
Constantinople.
Two of our countrymen, the Patriarch Constan-
tius (ever to be remembered) in 1824, and the cele-
brated Skarlatos Byzantios in the year 1852, de-
scribed Constantinople and its ancient Palace.
Both borrowed freely from the above mentioned
works of Du Cange and Banduri; but the reader soon
discovers that they had not personally inspected
the numerous remains described by their authori-
ties, on account of the dangers which beset the tra-
veller in Constantinople. Byzantios' book contains
a very minute account of the Palace buildings, and
1 Imperium Orientale, sive Antiquitates Constantinopolitance in quatuor
partes distributte. Parisiis, MDCCXI.
3
18 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
the festivals there celebrated. We may pass over
the many travellers who have described Constanti-
nople, and portrayed Byzantine life, or sometimes
made mention of the antiquities of the city.
In 1861 there was published at Paris the work
of Jules Labarte, Le Palais Impérial de Constanti-
nople." Labarte's principal authority was Constan-
tine Porphyrogennetos, and he follows his guidance
in describing the site and dimensions of the
buildings within the Imperial precinct. The
account which this distinguished writer gives of
these numerous ecclesiastical and civil buildings is
in many places confused, since, as he himself con-
fesses, he had not a clear conception of the walls
encircling the Palace. Of the remains which still
exist he makes no mention. I must, however, ac-
knowledge that his account of the Palace is ex-
tremely accurate, and more clear and full than
that of any previous writer. He also endeavours
to determine the dimensions of the buildings,
the domes, corridors, and varied adornments of
the Imperial halls, where the governors and
foreign ambassadors were wont to do obeisance to
the Emperor. The reader of Labarte's work is
struck by his quickness of perception and sound-
ness of judgment. But it seems to me that any
attempt to describe buildings of which no represen-
tations have been preserved, and no traces survived,
must always be hazardous. Those, however, who
1 Le Palais Impérial de Constantinople et de Ses abords, Saint-Sophie, le
Forum Augustéon, et l’Hippodrome, tels qu'ils existaient au diwième siècle.
Paris, 1861.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 19
are interested in such studies as the present, may
profit much from the work of the learned Labarte.
I have myself learned much from it.
After the mention of so many writers and such
elaborate books, I am not without justification in
saying that I have undertaken a most difficult
task. The reason for the great want of precision
in the accounts of the Palace is that some of the
writers never saw Constantinople, and that very
few went through the streets of the city inspecting
the existing walls, digging up heaps of rubbish,
and studying the remains of ancient Byzantine
buildings, which are still everywhere preserved.
To make the site of the ancient Byzantine Palace
clear to all, it will be well to describe, first the
walls built by Severus and Constantine the Great,
and then the walls of the Sultan's Palace, which
are those now visible.
The cuttings for the Thracian railway in the
previously inaccessible Akropolis threw great light
on many points of Byzantine history, by the dis-
covery of the chapel of the Archmartyr Demetrios,
the famous Palace of the Boukoleon, and the neigh-
bouring harbour of the same name, where the
Chelandia or Imperial barges were stationed.
At the spot where the railway coming from the
east curves towards the south, a great wall was
discovered, in the track of the line, some eight feet
below the surface of the ground. It extended to
the shore, and was dug up so far by the workmen
for the sake of the large stones composing it, which
were built into a retaining wall on the right, to
20 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
support the cutting above. This wall bore no
resemblance to the foundations of any known
Byzantine walls. While these are built of various
sized stones fastened together with mortar, this
was what is commonly known as a Cyclopean wall,
built of large stones, some as much as 10 feet long
by 2% broad and 1% thick. On the right similar
foundations appeared, on which subsequent gene-
rations had reared a wall of the ordinary Byzan-
tine type. This Cyclopean wall is probably
the work of Severus, or some one of the early
rulers of Constantinople. On the right side
of the railway, it runs inland to the top of the
rising ground, and is of various degrees of
thickness. Here and there strong stone walls,
built up like buttresses, support it where it
threatens to fall. The eastern part of the wall, as
it runs up the hill, is built of smaller stones, and is
in some parts very steep. This wall, now decayed
with age, seems to have been renewed by various
Emperors, and, doubtless, by the Sultans as well.
On the foundations of the southern portion the
stone treasuries of the Sultans were built, and the
eight domes of the Sultan's kitchens, mentioned
by Gyllius." Farther on, slight walls were built on
the same foundations as far as the old Ottoman
|Mint, which lay on the inner side of the Sublime
Porte. Beyond this, again, it meets the great
walls of the Sultans. I can find no mention of
this wall in the works of the writers I referred to.
1 Lib. i., cap. 7.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 21
To the east of the great Ottoman mosque called
Sultan Achmet,' or Alty Minarely, and along the
eastern side of the Hippodrome, a Byzantine wall
is preserved, almost entirely concealed by poor
Turkish houses. This quarter is called Ak bughiºſk
mahalese,” or the street of the white mustached,
and the southern portion Arísta sokaghi. This
non-Turkish word &piata recalls the following
passage from Anna Komnena —“The Augusta
was overjoyed, and received him outside the door
of her chamber, in the apartment formerly called
* Constantine Porphyrogennetos calls
this part of the Palace &pta TnTiptov.” To the great
significance of this word I shall refer in my account
of the Palace.
This wall is about 150 paces long. At the
north end a low arched doorway, clearly of Byzan-
time construction, is preserved. The bricks are
Byzantine, large and squared, such as appear in
the oldest walls. The stones, which are laid in
alternate courses with the bricks, are dark-coloured
and skilfully wrought. In some places battlements
appear. Through the backdoor of an Ottoman
house, I caught a glimpse of a vaulted chamber.
Owing to its situation in an obscure quarter of the
town seldom visited by travellers, this wall is unno-
2 / 25
aptatipuov.
I It was built by Sultan Achmet I. about 1610. Byzantios, KiroNus.,
Vol. I., p. 223.
2 Ibid., p. 67.
8 Lib. xiv., p. 351, ed. Venice, 1751 [Vol. I., p. 287, ed. Bonn.]; Cpolis.
Christ., lib. ii., p. 121.
4 Els to 8%Nov to Tpos to dpuotnTiptov, #yovu èutpogéev toº kottòvos,
Vol. I., p. 529,
22 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
ticed even at the present day. I searched the neigh-
bouring streets and houses carefully, but found
nothing. There are probably other remains in the
Turkish gardens of this quarter.
We proceed now to another Byzantine wall, lying
to the right of the railway, in a Turkish garden
opposite a lofty tower overlooking the sea, on
which a beacon used to be kindled before the erec-
tion of the modern lighthouse, which is situated to
the north of the gate Ahér Kapustí. Beside this
tower are preserved some brick arches on the sea
wall, which I regard as the remains of the house
occupied by Justinian the Great before he became
Emperor. I say this by way of warning, that those
who wish to inspect the ruins may not be misled.
This wall, which is about 65 ft. long, is double,
and in some places, traces are found of arches con-
necting the inner and outer portions. Thus
citizens and soldiers could cross by a passage
everywhere under cover. From the arches or roof
to the rampart is about a man's height. Here the
soldiers could muster safely to repel enemies or
insurgents attempting to sack the Palace. These
walls extended eastwards, and were called the
Gallery, or Covered Way, of Marcian" in the
Byzantine histories, the accounts given by which
we can now easily understand. Near this covered
1 [Awaffaruk& 3) Treptópopot Too Mapkaavoſ)]. 6tépxovrat 6té, Tóv ééo 6taffaruków
toū Mapkwavoú, kal &tépxovrat év Tó ékéſore e9/crmpiq, 700 ‘Aylov 'AtroaróAov
IIárpov. Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 122. Other galleries are mentioned ; Ibid.,
Vol. I., pp. 84, 125, 129, 169. Tà 6tagorakö, aſketraarā Toſ, traXartov, G.
Kodinos, p. 135,
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 23
way were raised the two churches of S. Peter and
All Saints, of which every trace had disappeared
by the time of Gyllius."
On the line of the projected railway, adjoining
the wall, there was preserved inside a Turkish
garden, a great covered Byzantine gateway sup-
ported on four pillars, which was destroyed during
the operations. This was the gate Karea, some-
times called the gate of the Emperors, but seldom
mentioned by the Byzantine historians. In his
account of the expulsion of the tyrant Andronikos,
Niketas says —“When the mob was gathered
inside the palace, having burst open the gate called
Karea, Andronikos took to flight; . . .” “ The
same name was given to another gate which leads
to the modern palace, near the quarter called Ahér
Kapustí. This gate is now called Ghiul Hamé Kapust?,
sometimes Kará Kapū or Kará Kapust?, the land
gate.”
The Covered Way of Marcian extended to the
lighthouse on the shore, near the house of
Justinian.
This finishes the account of these venerable
relics of the Byzantines, which have never before
been described. The consideration of them may put
an end to the errors of many years.
If through the wall running inward, we draw a
1 IIpêra pºèv IIétpºp Kai IIačAq, vedov ot. Tpérepov čura év Bušavtig óðeipato
['Iovo Tuvaavos] traoû Tiju 8aat)\éos ačXīv, ) 'Oppata dov Tó traXavöv étrévvuos fiv.
Prokopios, Vol. III., p. 1S6.
2 P. 452,
& G. Kodinos, p. 43.
24 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
line from the Cyclopean wall to the Eastern wall of
the Mosque of Achmet, and thence to the remains of
the Covered Way of Marcian and the gate Karea,
we have the true boundaries of the ancient Byzan-
time Akropolis, within which were reared the
palaces of our Emperors and the many churches
made famous by them. This wall passed behind
S. Sophia, 108 ft. from the bema, and 123 ft. from
the Mosque of Achmet. From the Covered Way to
the Cyclopean wall the distance is about 2000
yards; and the whole area enclosed is nearly
383,000 square yards.
In confirmation of this statement I will bring
forward various proofs. Above all things, I desire
to prove to every one that the Byzantine accounts
of the Palace are made much more intelligible by a
knowledge of this area.
The walls, which are now seen surrounding the
Sultan's Palace, are Byzantine structures of the
thirteenth century, built by Michael Palaiologos a
little after he ascended the Imperial throne in
1261." The Crusader Emperors, who took Constan-
tinople in 1204, lived sometimes in the palace at
Blachernai, and at other times in the Boukoleon. No
mention is made of the Great Palace which occupied
the above-mentioned area. Succeeding Emperors
* * *
1 Oiko66povs 6' étra rāgas TAetova's kal étratătas €646úpov to Teixos t fis
tróNews to Tpós 66 Maaſaavº Tô yöp Tpós thu Yāv 6eóttr)\wto Távtws. kal
Naow TXetarov Kal pad Xuov, 30 ov droxpovta Totaúrm trapaakevi troXéuov (jeto,
é at rās 6térattev. G. Pachymeres, Vol. I., p. 364. N. Gregoras (Vol. I.,
pp. 275, 470) mentions the buildings of Andronikos, son of Michael
Palaiologos.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 25
were unable to repair the old and already decayed
Palace so often mentioned by Porphyrogennetos,
much less to build it anew, and it is but seldom
alluded to during the last two centuries of the
Christian rule." The fact that our Emperors then
lived in the palace of Blachernai, convinces me
that the old Palace of Constantine the Great was
not habitable.
In construction, the modern walls differ greatly
from the sea and land walls erected by Constantine,
Theodosios the Younger, and Herakleios. The
great towers of the land walls have wide vaulted
entrances from inside the city. In the middle a
spiral staircase of stone leads to the roof. In the
modern wall each tower has two doors, one on
either side, through which one ascends to the
ramparts by means of stone steps, most of which
are still preserved. The towers are smaller, and
Some of them higher, than those on the land walls.
Anyone may examine these walls with his own eyes.
They extend from the east shore, near the present
Ahér Kapust?, and ascending between S. Sophia
and S. Irene, run down westward, till opposite the
gate Pasha Kapust?, and thence northward to the
shore of the harbour called Yialé Kiosk, anciently
the harbour of Eugenius.” Between the gate now
called Kará Kapustſ and the Sublime Porte,
Bab-i-humaghiºn, is preserved a fortified gate,
1 J. Kantakouzenos, lib. i., cap. 54. [Vol. I., p. 273.]
2 G. Kodinos, p. 22.
4
26 The Great Palace of Comstantinople.
which has no name. All the site of the ancient
Palace from the Covered Way of Marcian to the
modern gate Kará Kapusſ was neglected by the
Emperors. Probably it was from this later place that
the materials were obtained with which the modern
walls were built. A considerable area was included
in the new precinct, where the Sultans subsequently
reared their palace.
I come now to consider the problem, for such up
to this point I regard it, whether these walls were
the work of Constantine and other Emperors, and
to give my reasons for believing that they were not.
I shall also endeavour to determine what led
Michael Palaiologos to erect them after he had
acquired the sovereign power.
Labarte in his book says that the greater part
of the walls now visible, were built out of the ruins
of the ancient walls; but by whom, and when, they
were raised, he does not know. All the Great
Palace, the hall of the Magnaura, the Porphyry
Chamber, and the Five Chambers, remained outside
these walls. His opinion is correct."
Before the capture of Constantinople by the
Crusaders in 1204, the northern shore of Byzan-
tion from the Akropolis to the gate of the
Drungarii, now called Zindan Kapusſ,” was occu-
pied by numerous Italian traders. The Venetians
occupied the portion between the Ferry-gate, now
1 Le Palais Impérial, p. 107.
2 The prison gate,
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 27
Balék pazár Kapusſ, and the gate of the Drungarii.
They are mentioned by Ptochoprodromos."
I pass over the many references of the Italians
to the lodgings of the Venetians here—Bevétikot as
they are called by Ptochoprodromos and others.
The merchants of Amalfi, Pisa, and Ragusa dwelt
between the Ferry-gate and the neighbouring
chapel of S. Antony, on the site of which was
afterwards built the beautiful mosque Validé
Djamii or Yeni Djamii. Their quarter extended
further to the gate Bachtse Kapust?, the ancient
Neórion. From this gate eastward were the
Genoese traders. How far their dwellings and
warehouses extended we do not know. The
number living and doing business on that long
shore was considerable. Besides these, we learn
that there was a Mussulman chapel called wearyiólov
(mosque), and often witóTov. The Emperors wisely
put the Amalfitan and Pisan settlements between
the Genoese and Venetians, who were always at
daggers drawn with each other.
During the whole of their stay in Byzantion,
the Genoese were more friendly to the Greeks
than were the Venetians, They are not mentioned
as taking part in the Fourth Crusade of 1204.
Though summoned, they did not take up arms
with the Crusaders. During the whole succeeding
Latin domination, which lasted for 57 years, they
1 Kal 6tá8a k’ eis Tó Tépapua yopºyov dºs émºptépu,
épôTºge 's Tö 5udga gov ćtri Toys Bevettkovs,
Tô Trôs trovXuétat to Tupiv, Ti čxel Tô Kevt)wćpty.
Koraës, "Arakta, (Vol. I., lib. ii., col. 113.)
28 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
lived in outward peace with the ruling Germans
and Venetians, though indignant that all the
privileges granted them by the Emperors were in
the hands of the Venetians, and that they were
prevented by them from enjoying the lucrative
trade of the Propontis. These grievances moved
Genoa to conclude a secret agreement with Palaio-
logos, then living at Nymphaion in Asia. A little
before he made himself master of the throne in 1261,
they agreed to send ships to assist him in his pro-
posed expedition against the Latins in Byzantion.
In return for this desirable aid, Palaiologos promised,
if successful, to grant them their old privileges and
a great many more,
Strange to say, a little after his entry into Con-
stantinople, Palaiologos sent all the Genoese to the
neighbouring town of Herakleia in Thrace, while he
retained the Venetians, Pisans, and Amalfitans in
their former quarters. The Byzantines had great
grievances against the Germans and Venetians.
During the whole period of their rule in Byzantion
they had carried off many masterpieces of Greek
art to Italy, plundered the shrines, and secretly or
openly stolen the sacred relics venerated by the
Byzantines, and preserved in their churches and
monasteries." Nevertheless, no reprisals were
made. Palaiologos was desirous of keeping peace
with the all-powerful Venetians, and held his
subjects in check.
1 Kal éðeffm?\66 malav, oluot otpou, Tā āyaa, at àytat elköves Katetrată0mgau,
itrarográcia Yeyóvagu ol 6eſot vaoi, G. Kodinos, p. 163,
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 29
Baldwin, the last Latin Emperor, on his expul-
sion, returned to Europe and stirred up the
Italians, who were preparing an expedition to
recover their former dominion at Byzantion. This
threatened attack was a source of anxiety to
Palaiologos, who knew with what ease the Cru-
saders had seized the Empire in 1204.
All writers, both Greek and Western, who re-
cord these events, consider the banishment of the
friendly Genoese to Herakleia a most incomprehen-
sible act. For my part, I think the reason was
that Palaiologos took into his new palace all, or
the greater part, of the ground on which the
Genoese were formerly settled. Subsequently,
owing to the complaints of the traders, and the
representations of the mother city, they all returned
to Constantinople, not however to their old quarters
on the shore of Byzantion, but to Galata.
On this Pachymeres writes' —“The Genoese
. . he first took and settled in Herakleia of
Thrace; but afterwards he thought the only safe
place to let them dwell in, was right opposite on
the other shore, beside the fort of Galata. The
Venetians and Pisans, owing to their smaller
numbers, he allowed to remain in the city.”
All this apparent ingratitude, and—according to
some—malevolence of Palaiologos towards the
friendly Genoese, is explained by the study of
these walls. Many Italians looking to the
great wealth and fame of the Genoese, abuse
l Vol. I., p. 168,
30 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
Palaiologos for granting them the sheltered and
excellent harbour of Galata, which, subsequently,
gave them an overwhelming advantage over the
Byzantines across the water." In his description
of the entry of Michael Palaiologos into the city,
Pachymeres” writes —“In view of these events it
was resolved to raise the walls, especially those
towards the sea, which were very low because their
builder had command of the sea, and thought it
unnecessary to guard that side very strongly. He
was Constantine, who was no less famous for his
piety than for his civil and military achievements.
And since they were pressed for time, and were unable
to complete the building with stone and lime, they re-
solved to heighten the walls and towers with planks
and long beams, that they might be strong to resist
attacks; and further, that they might have a
sufficient force of defenders, to bring into the city
a body of troops from without.” And again, “they
raised the walls in proportion to the towers.” The
historian also describes the preparations made by
Palaiologos for a successful attack on his enemies
in Italy, who were about to march against him.
I have made this brief recital to shew that the
real reason for sending the Genoese to Galata, was
not the clamour of the Italians, but the building
of the walls, which took the greater part of the old
Genoese quarter into the new Imperial precinct.”
1 Sauli, Della Colonia dei Genovesi in Galata, 2 vols., Torino, 1831.
2 Vol. I., p. 186.
3 Geschichte des Levantehandels in Mittelalter, von Dr. Wilhelm Heyd,
2 Wols., Stuttgart, 1879. Vol. II., p. 208-291.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 31
I now come to review some prior events. Manuel
Komnenos (1143–1180), after the defeat of the
Paeonians,” sent a letter announcing his success to
the people. “A few days after,” writes the
historian, “he entered the city in a triumphal
procession by the East gate, which leads to the
Akropolis.” This gate, now demolished, was called
Top Kapust? by the Turks, and by the Byzan-
times the Gate of S. Barbara.” Niketas Choniates
writes of this triumph :-‘As befitted a great and
decisive victory, he had resolved on a triumph on a
magnificent scale, and had already ordered exten-
sive preparations to be made for the procession.
Every purple and gold-embroidered mantle was hung
out, and the citizens, flocking together from every
quarter to this procession, like water coursing
down a channel, completely deserted markets,
houses, workshops, vessels, and every part of the
vast city. . . . On either side of the route by
which the procession was to pass, stands were
erected, two and three stories high, affording a
view to every one, and the roofs of the houses
especially were packed with a great number of on-
lookers all in expectation.”
Before the Emperor went the magistrates and
distinguished citizens. After him followed the
cause of the triumph, Kontostephanos, “who went
into the Great Church and praised God in presence
2 N. Choniates, pp. 204, 205.
3 I\al treput)\eta as Tiju 'AkpótroXu, els to dikpatóratov toº jetpatos éX6&v,
épôppet trpós Thy Tās MápTwpos Bap&dpas KaNovuéumv TóAmv. J. Kantakouzenos,
lib. iv., cap. 31. Cpolis. Christ., lib. i., p. 56.
32 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
of all the people, and proceeded thence to the
Palace.”
From this description of Choniates, who was
well acquainted with Constantinople, we easily see
that Komnenos entered by the Eastern, or S.
Barbara's Gate, and went on to S. Sophia, through
the place where the Imperial Medical School now
stands. From the same authority we learn that
there was here a street by which Komnenos went
up to the Akropolis, with houses on either side,
from which people from all quarters of the city
could see the Emperor as he passed. Lofty stands
were also erected, from which many more obtained
a view of the procession. All this space from the
Gate of S. Barbara upwards is now vacant and
devoid of houses, and enclosed within the walls of
the Sultan's palace. If these are the walls of
Constantine the Great, or rather the ancient walls,
I do not think that the Emperors could have
suffered so many people to settle and trade within
the Imperial Palace.
Here is another proof. After the capture of
Constantinople by the Germans and Venetians in
1203, and the dethronement of Alexios, all the
Crusaders took up quarters in Galata, and there
awaited the promised gifts of Alexios and the
Greek army, which was to join them in an expedi-
tion for the recovery of Jerusalem. All the Italian
traders who until then had lived in Byzantium,
and even the friendly Genoese, went over to Galata
to escape the anger of the Byzantines.
On the 19th of August, 1203, some of the
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 33
Crusaders, accompanied by a few Pisans and Vene-
tians, sailed across the harbour to destroy the Saracen
mosque, which had been erected there for the use
of the Mussulman traders." The mosque lay on
the shore near the church called S. Irene on the
Shore.” The Praetorium, another Byzantine build-
ing frequently mentioned, was not far off. All
three buildings lay to the east of the old Genoese
quarter. The Crusaders, who could not tolerate
Mussulman worship in a Christian city, surprised
the building sword in hand, and sacked it. The
Saracens made a bold defence, and were aided by
the Byzantines, who gathered in from every side.
The crowd, incensed against the Crusaders, sent
them fleeing from the mosque, not, however, before
they had set fire to the adjoining buildings. The
mosque was burnt down and a disastrous conflagra-
tion raged for three days. Niketas Choniates, who
was in Constantinople at the time, after describing
the barbarous conduct of the Crusaders and the
loss of life, says –“Though many other fires had
occurred in the city, this made them all seem mere
sparks in comparison.” The flames devoured
colonnades and market-places. Many pillars fell
down. All the houses about the mosque, near the
spot where Komnenos had a few years before begun
1 Banduri, Vol. II., p. 49, Tów Xopakºváv ovvaiyūytov. N. Choniates,
p. 696.
2 Bučavtwal Mexétat, p. 336.
8 N. Choniates, pp. 730, 733. The houses in Constantinople were built
of wood. N. Gregoras, Vol. I., . p. Sl; J. Kantakouzenos, Vol. III., p.
290.
5
34 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
his progress, were burnt to the ground. The flames
were borne through the air, and assailed all the
neighbouring buildings. Fanned by a strong wind,
they disfigured the marbles, and reduced everything
to ashes. The fire spread to the walls of S.
Sophia, thence it went south as far as the Milion,
the Patriarcheion, and the Senate house." In
another direction, the fire consumed in the evening
the quarter to the west of the Hippodrome, where
there were very many dwellings. South of this it
extended through the hilly part of the city as far
as the church of SS. Sergius and Bacchus. In a
third direction it burnt many houses as far as the
Ferry Gate. This conflagration is recorded by
other historians.”
I have preferred Choniates as my authority
rather than any one else, because he confirms all
my previous argument. According to him the
Mussulman mosque was situated in the northern
part of the city, where the ground slopes down to
the sea.” Porphyrogennetos" tells us that it was
founded in the time of Leo the Isaurian, at the
demand of MeSalma, who was advancing on the
city. Niketas states distinctly that it was the
adjoining houses which the Crusaders fired in
several places during the sack of the mosque.
1 The building beside the Patriarcheion. Cpolis. Christ., lib. ii., p. 178.
Tpós 6é Tó, 66pewa Too qopov čari Tô Xevátov, Štrep &kač0m Utrö Aéovros toū
Tàs Bmptv.ms. G. Kedrenos, Vol. I., p. 565.
2 Bušavtual Mexérat, p. 188, note.
3 N. Choniates, p. 733. .
4 Vol. III., p. 739; G. Kedrenos, Vol. I., p. 787; Ephraimios, v, 6922.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 35
From this it would appear that up to the year
1203 the mosque near the site of the present
Medical School was in the midst of a quarter which
—as I have before said—could not have been inside
the Palace.
We have yet another proof. In 1872 excava-
tions for the Thracian railway were begun inside
the Akropolis. Just before one comes to the present
bridge, a heap of rubbish, consisting of marble slabs
and columns, stones and bricks, was unearthed.
Some of these remains, so long before buried under
the earth, were marbles of great artistic beauty."
Some were used to build a fence for the railway,
others were buried anew in embankments. These
fragments seemed to me to be relics of the famous
church of the Holy Archmartyr Demetrios,
called in the vulgar Byzantine dialect Megademe-
trios. This church was greatly ornamented under
the Palaiologoi." According to the testimony of
the Byzantines, it lay near the Akropolis, from
which fact this spot was called the Akropolis of
S. Demetrios, and according to Gyllius, the Gate
of S. Demetrios.” -
These remains were visible about 550 yards
along the track of the railway, beginning at the
Gate called S. Eugenius. Kodinos Kouropalates
1 On one square piece of marble there were sculptured vine-leaves and
- clusters in the best style of Greek art.
2 Ev Tú aegagata uovº rod 'Aylov Meya)\opºdptupos Kal AupoğAfftov Amum-
Tploi kai étrukek\muévu Tów IIa) ato)&yov. Acta Patriarchatus, Vol. I., p.
42; Kodinos Kouropalates, p. 80.
8 De Topographia, lib. i., cap. 20; N. Gregoras, Vol. II., p. 860.
36 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
says of this famous church —“The church of
S. Demetrios within the walls was built by Bardas
Caesar, uncle of the departed Michael.”
Joannes Kantakouzenos, writing about a cen-
tury after the elevation of Michael Palaiologos to
the throne, says:– “Coming to the church of the
Archmartyr Demetrios which is in the Palace,”
“Coming to the chapel of the Archmartyr Deme-
trios in the Palace.” From this mention of the
chapel as being in the Palace, I infer that Kanta-
kouzenos wrote for the information of foreigners,
who did not know that the chapel had some time
previously been enclosed in the new precinct of
the Palace. In Byzantine history the church is
regularly termed the church of S. Demetrios in the
Akropolis. So late as 1621, according to a French
traveller, the Byzantines called the place S. Deme-
trios.” We are justly surprised that none of the
Byzantine historians has recorded the building of
these walls by Michael Palaiologos. I said above
that till now it was not known how far east the
quarter of the Genoese traders extended. In their
negotiations with the Emperors, Genoese houses
near the monastery of S. Demetrios are mentioned.
1 These words of Kantakouzenos do not agree with the following passage
from Labarte (p. 98)——Un fait de l'histoire Byzantine, que mous emprun-
tons à Anne Comnene, va justifier la situation de Saint-Demétrius et de
Saint-Georges et établir que ces deux églises étaient en dehors du Palais
Impérial.
2 Voyage du Levant fait par le commandement du Roi en l'année 1621,
par Sr. D. C. Deuxième édition, 1629, p. 116. In the time of Gyllius,
the old gate of S. Barbara was still called the gate of S. Demetrios. De
Topographia, lib. i., cap. 20.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 37
No church in Byzantion dedicated to S. Demetrios
is known, except this one in the Akropolis,' and
another at Balata. Probably the inhabitants of
the quarter through which Manuel Komnenos'
triumph passed, as well as those near the Mussul-
man mosque, when they were driven thence, settled
in the old quarter of the Genoese, who thereupon
went away to Galata.
Such is the basis of the following investigations.
It is the enunciation of the problem. Next, with
the aid of the Greek historians, I wish to trace the
site of the ancient Palace, not merely to celebrate
its grandeur and the works of art it contained, but
to determine its site. We shall thus be able to
understand many events of our history, which have
hitherto, as I think, been extremely obscure.
In the course of my studies I have been persuaded
that many remains of the Ancient Palace of Con-
stantinople are still preserved, and that the walls
now visible are the work of Michael Palaiologos,
built a few years after his accession to the throne
in 1261.
1 "Io Tavrat āvrukpo toº vaoû Tod ‘Aytov Amuntptov. Cons. P., Vol. I., .
p. 124. This church stood within the Palace precinct. It is mentioned
again, Ibid., p. 170. The church in Balata is called Ó "Ayaos Ampºſitptos toū
Kaváðm.
3S The Great Palace of Constantinople.
CHAPTER II.
THAT we may obtain a clear idea of the site and
extent of the Palace, it will be advisable for me to
begin by describing the numerous buildings, so
often mentioned in our history, which were situated
outside of it. -
TEIE EIIR F O D R O ME.
The Hippodrome of Constantinople was originally
founded by the Emperor Severus. The site was
the property of two brothers and a widow. The
ground was level as far as the four-sided bronze
pillar. From this point it sloped downwards, and was
in some places almost precipitous. As the level ground
was not sufficiently extensive, Severus built the
vaults at the south end, which have survived fire
and earthquake to this day, and thus extended the
course to the Curve, anciently called the aqlevóóvn."
When the seats on the east side, and the decora-
tions of the Hippodrome had been partly completed,
Severus was summoned to Italy by the news of an
insurrection and disturbance in Rome. -
A subsequent Emperor, Constantine the Great,
added the portions which were wanting, viz., the
1 2pevöövm is also applied to a seal—2¢evöövmy, tod óakrv\tov ré Treptºpepès,
% a ppayts.-Hesychios, Souidas. This part of the Hippodrome probably
derived the name from its circular shape,
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 39
stands on either side, the goals (kauTTàpas), and the
ôňuot, or benches of the factions. He was the first
“to complete the Hippodrome, and furnish it with
bronzes and every kind of ornament.” He also
instituted the races and athletic contests held in
the Hippodrome on the 11th of May.” In his
reign the Sanguinary contests with wild beasts, and
the disgusting spectacles of gladiators butchering
One another, were banished from the circuses and
hippodromes. Such sights were abhorrent to the
Christian populace of Constantinople.” The Hippo-
drome had been built on the model of the Roman
circus, rather than on that of the Greek stadion or
theatre. Owing to the bloodless sports engaged in
On this race-course, it was not surrounded as in
Rome by a strong barricade to protect the specta-
tors from the attacks of Savage and infuriated wild
beasts. Sometimes, however, wild animals were
exhibited to please the populace." Many terms
borrowed from the Roman amphitheatre remained
in the Byzantine language, and may be rendered by
their Latin equivalents.”
During the Crimean war, some officers of the
1 Chronicon Paschale, I., p. 52S.
2 G. Kodinos, pp. 14, 19, 100, 181; Tú 6é étraúptov, Tô Yevé0\tov Tijs TóAews
ºyé yove, kal peya iTToöpópavov, ŠTe º TóNus (ºvopºda 6m Kaova TautuoſtroNus,
p. 44; Cpolis. Christ., lib. ii., p. 102; G. Kedrenos, I., p. 651.
3 Byzantios, KtroXts., I., p. 180. The Jewish traveller, Benjamin of
Tudela, mentions contests with wild beasts in the Hippodrome. He
visited Constantinople towards the end of the twelfth century, in the
reign of Alexios Komnenos. [Wright's Early Travels in Palestine, Bohn,
1848, p. 75] ; Voyages en Asie, par P. Bergeron, 1735, p. 12.
4 G. Kodinos, p. 103.
5 Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 799,
40 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
British army, then stationed in Constantinople,
made excavations round the bases of the three
ancient monuments preserved in the Hippodrome,
built walls round them, and protected them with
iron railings." The ancient pavement of the Hippo-
drome was then discovered about ten feet below the
modern level. On the way from the Bronze Column
through the Ottoman School of Arts towards the
Curve, where the Museum of the Janissaries is now
built, there is a flight of many steps reaching as
far as the Curve, on which the soil has not
accumulated.
In addition to these discoveries, on the erection,
in 1848, by the architect Fusati of the splendid
building Dar-el-Funan, behind S. Sophia, the
ancient pavement laid with long flags was dis-
covered about eight feet below the surface. All this
extensive quarter is now about ten feet above the
ancient Byzantine level.
Four Factions (Önuo.) are mentioned in Byzantine
history in connection with the Hippodrome—the
Blue, the Red, the Green, and the White.” These
divisions were borrowed by the Byzantines from
Rome. In course of time the Red joined with the
1 Before this the first lines of their inscriptions were barely legible. See
the Patriarch Constantius, 'EX&ora oves avy Ypaqal, Constantinople, 1866,
p. 374, note. The inscriptions were quite distinct in the time of Gyllius.
2 Onuphrii Panvinii Veronensis, de Ludibus Circensibus libri wi., de
Triumphis liber unus, quibus universa fere Romanorum veterum Sacra
Titusque declarantur, Parisiis, 1601, pp. 47, 48, 92, 96; trºXat XaXkat Tów
rea'ad pay pepôv. G. Kodinos, p. 50. They had their stables in the
neighbourhood of S. Anastasia Pharmakolytria. Leo Grammaticus,
p. 170.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 41
Blue, and the White with the Green, so that
latterly only two factions, the Green and the Blue,
are spoken of." Both are frequently alluded to by
Constantine Porphyrogennetos in his accounts of
the customary civil and ecclesiastical ceremonies of
the Palace, and all the historians record the feuds
and sanguinary riots in which these factions
engaged. From their narratives it appears that
the Blues were the followers of the Emperor,”
while the Greens, recruited chiefly from the popul-
ace, championed the people and supported their
claims. The name Ömuot is sometimes also applied
to the places in the Hippodrome allotted to these
societies.”
I mention these facts beforehand because the
factions figure largely in the history of the Hippo-
drome in Byzantine times.
The Hippodrome lies north and south with the
Curve or semicircular end at the south. South of
this stands the church of SS. Sergius and Bacchus,
now used as a mosque under the title of Little
S. Sophia." -
Three ancient monuments, the Egyptian Obelisk,
the Three-headed Serpent, and the four-sided
Bronze Column, stand in a straight line down the
middle of the Hippodrome, and divide it into
1 Cons, P., Vol. I., pp. 12, 13.
2 'Emel 6é àkmkóst troX\@ Tpótepov 'Iovo Tuvavöv 8aat)\éa xptºpatos toū
Bevérov, & 6), kváveóv čo Tuv, Šktöttws épáv. Prokopios, Vol. I., p. 203;
Chron. Pasch., Vol. I., p. 592.
8 G. Kodinos, p. 19. For the officers of the Hippodrome see Constan-
time Porphyrogennetos, Vol. I., p. 799.
4 Kiwtchuk Agia Sophia,
42 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
two equal parts. From the north end to the
Egyptian Obelisk the distance is 300 paces, from
the latter to the Three-headed Serpent 47, from
this to the Bronze Column 47 more, and thence
to the Curve 245. The total length is there-
fore 639 paces, or 639 cubits [320 yards], for
for my pace is equal to a cubit. The middle point
of the length is 23% paces to the south of the
Obelisk.
We know from the historians that these monu-
ments stood down the middle of the Hippodrome.
After the capture of Constantinople in 1453, the
Turks, during the reign of Suleiman the Great, built
mosques and houses on the course, so that the space
On either side of them was much reduced. In addi-
tion to these, there have been built within the
Curve the Museum of the Janissaries, the School
of Arts, and some religious buildings in connec-
tion with the adjacent mosque of Sultan Achmet.
Owing to the building of so many edifices on what
was once the site of the Byzantine Hippodrome,
some writers have been unable to determine the
distance between the side walls and the centre.
The Curve, however, owing to its greater solidity,
has been preserved. It is 158 paces in diameter.
From each of its ends lateral walls extended to the
north. Accordingly, the Obelisk is 79 paces distant
from each of these walls, and the total breadth of
the Hippodrome is 158 paces [79 yards]. It was
in the Curve that the heads of malefactors were
cut off. “They at once ordered their heads to be
cut off in the Curve,” “They were taken red-
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 43
handed and arrested, and were beheaded in the
Curve.”" The bodies of these criminals were buried
at the cemetery of Pelagios, outside the land walls,
in the Kosmidion.
On the eastern side the mosque of Sultan Achmet
was built, and its spacious courts extended 35 paces
into the Hippodrome. It has been encroached upon
to the same extent on the western side. The whole
space has thus been reduced in length and breadth.
Taking the length as 320, and the breadth as 79
yards, we get about 25,280 square yards as the
area of the ancient Hippodrome. The space now
unoccupied, from the north end to the School of
Arts, is barely two-fifths of this, namely, 216 by 44
yards.
These measurements are not exact. In default
of better, I have given them to indicate how largely
the original area has been encroached upon. The
whole thing could be easily settled by a regular
survey of the Hippodrome by the Government
Engineers, or others, as was done in the case of the
land walls of Constantinople.
I subjoin the figures of other writers, with which
mine may be compared. Peter Gyllius states that
the length of the Hippodrome exceeds two stadia,
and that the breadth equals one.” There were
various stadia in use among the ancients. In Greece
1 Theophanes Continuatus, pp. 791, 658, cf. 122, 823; G. Kedrenos,
I., p. 544, II. p. 281 ; Chron. Pasch., I., p. 558.
2 Hippodromi longitudo duo stadia excedit, latitudo stadium aequat.
JDe Cpoleos. Topogr., lib. i., cap. 7.
44 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
the Olympian stadium was employed." From long
and careful measurements on the Roman roads,
especially the Via Appia, we know that it was
equal to one-eighth of a Roman mile, i.e., to 202-25
yards. The length, therefore, would be over 404%
yards, and the breadth 200. Labarte accepts
these figures as sufficiently correct, and adds that
the Bronze Column stood in the centre of the
Hippodrome.” An earlier writer than Gyllius, the
Florentine Buondelmonti, who visited Constan-
tinople in 1422, states that the length of the Hippo-
drome is 690 ells, and the breadth 134.” Taking
the Florentine ell, which Buondelmonti in all likeli-
hood used, this would make it about 4084 yards long
and 79 yards broad, or less than half Gyllius' meas-
urement." Skarlatos Byzantios,” in his account of
Constantinople, mentions, in addition to these, the
English traveller Thomas Smith, who gives the
length of the Hippodrome as 550 paces and the
breadth as over 120 [458 by 100 yards];" and
Tournefort, who saw the Hippodrome in 1702, and
1 Le stade Olympique servait a determiner les distances dans le Pelo-
ponnèse et dans l’Attique. J. Labarte, p. 20.
2 Ibid.
3 Nikephoros Bryennios, p. 180.
4 J. Labarte, p. 20.
5 Byzantios, Kiro)\ts, Vol. I., p. 231.
9 Lechevalier gives the same dimensions. Il est long d’ environ cinqu-
ante pas ordinaires, et large d’ environ six vingt.— Voyage de la Propon-
tide et du Pont-Buzin. Paris, 1800. Vol. I., p. 128. See also Voyage
de Dalmatie de Grèce et du Levant, par Wheler, traduit de l’ Anglais,
Anvers, Vol. I., p. 139, [“It is about five hundred and fifty ordinary
paces long, and about an hundred and twenty broad.” A Journey into
Greece, by Geo. Wheler, Esq., etc. London, MDCLXxxII., p. 183. The
pace here is the usual 30 inches, Tr.]
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 45
writes that the length is 400 paces and the breadth
100 [333 by 83 yards]. The k. Byzantios con-
cludes that, “according to the latest measurements
the length is now about 250 paces and the breadth
150, so that from these different measurements it
is plain that the dimensions have been steadily re-
duced as the surrounding buildings spread.” I
quote this to show that the majority of writers
copy one another. The k. Byzantios' 250 paces
are not even half of the total length of the Hippo-
drome, and less than the distance from the north
end to the Egyptian Obelisk.
At the northern end, or rather side, of the
Hippodrome, beside the great street called Diván
Yºuliſ, which according to many writers is the
Byzantine Main Street (uéan 666) preserved almost
as it was in ancient times, a café with a garden
was erected a few years ago. On the south side
of the garden there appeared in several places
foundations of Byzantine buildings, constructed as
usual of large bricks. On this spot the Emperors
of Byzantion—Constantine the Great according to
some'—built the Imperial Stand called the Kathisma,
or the Palace of the Kathisma, in imitation of the
Podium in the Roman circus.* This, I should
think, occupied all the north end of the Hippo-
drome. Connected with it, they built a church
1 Tà 6é traXárta toû iTTukoj . . . 6 uéyas &vºyeupe Kaova Tavrivos.
G. Kodimos, p. 100. #yayev at Töv ću Tô Kaffiguatu, p. 134, cf. 183, 190;
kai traXártov uéya trouija as TXmatov too at Tow it.Tukov. Chron. Pasch., I.,
pp. 528, 610.
2 Remains of a similar stand are visible at the east end of the Athenian
stadion.
46 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
dedicated to S. Stephen, which is frequently
noticed by Porphyrogennetos." From this church
the Emperors proceeded to the Stand to witness
the games in the Hippodrome. On either side of
the Emperor were ranged the members of the
household, the patricians, generals and distin-
guished citizens. Under the palace were a number
of vaulted porches, where the chariots, horses and
competitors waited. These porches were called
adyyava, and by the Romans carceres.” They
were closed by strong fences to prevent the
competitors starting before the signal was given.
In the first porch there was a small oratory, of
which Porphyrogennetos writes—“ and entering
into the Hippodrome, they proceed to the chapel
of Our Lady, which is in the first porch, and
pray.” On the same page he mentions a fourth
porch. When describing another festival held
in the Hippodrome he says, “at the doorpost of the
great gateway.” The superintendent of the Man-
gana was called the Manganarios.” He had charge
of the contests and gave the necessary orders. The
name Mangana was also given to the arsenals in
the Akropolis. A stair called kox\tas” from its spiral
form, led to the Stand. Kodinos describes it as
1 Aetrovpyoja w św els Töv "Aytov 27épavov too tºrtroëpópov, Vol. I.,
p. 175. Kal &trépxeral els Thu èkk\ma lav too lirtroöpópov els Tów "Aytov
Xrépavov, p. 251.
2 G. Kodinos, p. 60.
3 Cons. P., Vol. I., pp. 334, 341, 310.
4 Ibid., pp. 310, 312 ; Meursii Glossarium, 8, v. Mayyavāotos.
5 Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 304,
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 47
dark." The Chronicon Paschale says” of Constan-
tine the Great—“And he made a great palace
beside the same Hippodrome, and the ascent from
the palace to the stand of the Hippodrome was by
means of the stair called ‘the spiral.’” “And he
|Armatus] was killed on the spiral stair at the
gate of Decimus.”
From this short review of our authorities, it is
evident that the seats of the spectators in the
palace could not have been more than 20 feet above
the ground. I think that on the top of the lower
porches there was a balcony supported on marble
pillars. It was in existence when Buondelmonti
visited the city in 1422. In the centre of it was
the Emperor's throne, and on either hand lower
seats for the courtiers and generals.” Stones were
sometimes thrown at the Emperor by the populace
and the factions' assembled in the Hippodrome.
The Emperor, when he addressed the people in the
Hippodrome, stood before the throne and spoke first
to the populace, and then to the Blues and Greens.
The palace was two-storied. In the upper story
the Emperor robed, and in the lower he was
congratulated and crowned, when successful in a
1 pp. 92, 112. 2 Vol. I., pp. 528, 562.
8 Xuvèvros at Tø tod ópxtetruo-kótrov 'Iodivvov Kai Tôv \outrów dipxo'vrov Tów
elwóótwvelo'épxed 6at eis Tó Ká6toga. Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 428 ; N. Choniates,
p. 156.
4 'EN0óvres étri to Ká0towa Śāśiyav \{00vs Kató too 8aat)\éa's 'Avao Taatov.
Chrom. Pasch., Vol. I., p. 608 ; Tpoköyaw offv diró Toà év tº iTToôpoptºp
ka.0lopatos, Kai Ömum yopia at Telpaffels Tpós Tóv \adu . . . §§peat Te travtaxóðev
TAvvópºevos kai \{00us KáTw0ev kal Tóšous 8a)\\ópºevos. G. Kedrenos, Vol. II.,
p. 538; J. Malalas, p. 394.
48 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
chariot-race." Mention is also made of a cell
(k\ov8tov) in the Stand.” -
Along either side of the Hippodrome from the
Imperial stand to the Curve, were benches sup-
ported on marble pillars.” Behind them was an
unroofed promenade, from which a vast crowd could
view the contests.” The benches were at first
made of wood ; but, as they were an easy prey to
fire, the Emperors subsequently made them en-
tirely of stone.” Many of the pillars supporting
them were preserved when Buondelmonti visited
the place in 1422, especially those in the Curve,
which were thicker and stronger on account of the
steep slope of the ground to the back. It is
impossible to say how many spectators could be
accommodated on the benches, for no writer has
thought of describing their situation and number.
With regard to the churches in the Hippodrome
mentioned in the histories, I am inclined to think
that they were built, not within its walls, but
alongside of, or near to them."
In studying the Hippodrome, and the adjacent
1 Cons. P., Vol. I., pp. 308, 316.
2 Jbid., p. 360.
3 The sedilia in the Roman circus are described by Panvimius, pp. 24, 25.
4 'O Kolvös Xads &v?\}ov Kal étrâmpd,0mgau Tà Bá0pa. Cons. P., Vol. I, ,
p. 305; 6 6& 6%uos to Taro èv roſs 66.600ts kal eighuet. Ibid., p. 423.
5 Banduri, Vol. II., p. 565; Chron. Pasch., Vol. I., p. 715.
6 G. Kodinos, p. 74. In the records of the Patriarchate (1402), Vol.
II., p. 495, there is a document of the Holy Synod concerning Aylov
'Iwdvvov repl rôv iTtróðpopov, lying to the west of it, repl rôv iTTóópouov
els öv čv6pwrot Tpôtepov Økovv, . . . Épmuov Tów olkovvrov, Tm
roj kapoº &voua)\tº karao Tóvra. Many of our historians record the destruc-
tion of the houses about the Hippodrome and S, Sophia.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 49
Augustaion and Palace, we are driven, for want of
drawings and exact descriptions, to derive all our
information from the historians, many of whom had
not an accurate knowledge of the places which they
described. Not only had many of the famous civil
and religious buildings in Constantinople been de-
stroyed or altered during the thousand years of
empire, and new buildings raised on the site of those
of the older Emperors, but the historians describe
buildings which were repaired by the Emperors, as
entirely rebuilt. All this helps to bewilder us
when studying Byzantine history.
Many of our historians have described S. Sophia;
not a few have inspected it; and yet after great
labour we are unable to explain all the passages in
which they refer to it. If our knowledge of S.
Sophia be so imperfect, what can we say about the
Hippodrome, the desolation of which we so justly
deplore ?
Fortunately, a picture of the Hippodrome has
been preserved for us by Onuphrius Panvinius, a
native of Verona, who lived about the middle of
the sixteenth century. Writing of the games and
equipment of the Roman Circus, he gives in pass-
ing a description of the Hippodrome, which he
has borrowed wholly from Gyllius." But where he
got the drawing, and who the artist was, he does not
say. That indefatigable student of Byzantine anti-
quities, Banduri, has reproduced it in his Imperium
Orientale, p. 664. Under the picture is the follow-
1 De Ludibus Circensibus, p. 144,
6
50 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
ing inscription —“ The ruins of the Circus or
Hippodrome of Constantinople, as they were a
hundred years before the capture of the city by the
Turks.” Its date, accordingly, is about 1353. This
picture gives a very confused view of the surround-
ings of the Hippodrome. The sea-wall of the
Akropolis is brought very close, and behind the
Curve the sea almost washes its foundations. The
picture, though crude, and inaccurate in many
particulars, bears out the accounts of several of
our writers, and throws light on some narratives,
which without it would be obscure. The marble
columns which stood on the outside of the Curve
are shewn, and in front of them is a strong wall,
on which were built the benches so often men-
tioned. The Imperial Stand, the Chapel of S.
Stephen,' and the Mangana, are represented. On
the right side of the picture— i.e., to the west of
the Hippodrome — appears a densely - crowded
quarter, consisting chiefly of one-storied houses and
a few domed churches. This district, populous
even in the time of Niketas Choniates, was burnt
down when the Saracen mosque was attacked, as
narrated in the last chapter. This picture is the only
representation which we have of Constantinople
before the capture.
Gyllius gives a long account of the Hippodrome
and the structures which were then preserved in
1 ‘‘Et primo versus Sophiam est ecclesia cum muro magnifico et innu-
merabilium fenestrarum ornatu, ubi dominae et juvenculae cum matronis,
suos prospiciebant dilectos.” Buondelmonti apud N. Bryennium, p. 180.
Women did not accompany the Emperor and his suite to the Kathisma.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 51
it." After describing the Egyptian obelisk and
the other monuments in the middle of the
Hippodrome, he states that when he came to
the city, there were seventeen pillars of white
marble, with their bases, capitals, and epistyles,
on the outside of the Curve towards the
Propontis. They were built upon the strong
vaulting of the Curve. The bases were 2 feet
8 inches in height, and 5 feet 6 inches broad. The
shafts were nearly four feet in diameter and 28 feet
in length. The total height was over 35 feet.
“To-day "-continues Gyllius—“the pillars with
their bases and capitals have been taken down, and
lie on the earth to build the mosque of Suleiman
the Great. I was sad at their fate; not so much
because they lie on the ground, but because some
of them have been cut into slabs to pave the
floor of the baths, and because capitals in the
ancient style have been hewn into barbarous
forms, or hollowed for mortars, and shafts and
capitals are now broken up and built into walls.”
The distance between the columns was eleven
feet. The capitals were all of Corinthian de-
sign. Iron rings hung from the tops of the
pillars by which the awnings were suspended. A
short time after the taking of Constantinople by
the Turks, there was in existence yet a second
row of pillars above this. After describing this
and other decorations of the Hippodrome, with
which we are acquainted from the narratives of
1 De Topographia Cpoleos., lib. ii., cap ll, et seq.
52 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
our historians, this painstaking writer adds—“But
now the Hippodrome of Constantinople is desolate,
stripped of all its ornaments, and they have lately
begun to build on it : at the sight of it I was filled
with grief.”
I have quoted these particulars, because they are
peculiar to Gyllius. Our historians tell us of the pil-
lars and benches of the Hippodrome, but none of them
give their height, breadth, and thickness. According
to Gyllius, the columns in the first row were about
35 feet high. If we suppose the height of those in
the upper row to have been 21 feet, we have about
56 feet as the height of the walls on which the
seats for the spectators were built. These would
accommodate about 60,000 spectators. We can
imagine what a magnificent spectacle the chariot
races must have presented when the Hippodrome
was in its splendour.
I have yet to describe the monuments in the
interior of the Hippodrome, which, as I mentioned,
have survived to this day.
The axis or centre of the Hippodrome was called by
the Romans the spina, from its dividing the course
into two equal parts, as the spine divides the body.
Down the centre of the Roman Circus, was a wall
of bricks, about 4 feet high and 12 feet broad. At
either end sufficient space was left for the chariots
to turn with freedom and safety. It is probable
1 Lib. ii., cap. 13. Bien loin d’édifier aucune chose pour embellir de
plus en plus leur capitale, ils [les Turques] laissent tomber en ruines les
antiquités . . . le Palais de Constantin dont il ne reste plus qu'une
masure. Theatre de la Turquie, par Michel Févre, Paris, 1686, p. 335.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 53
that the wall in the Byzantine Hippodrome was
built in the same manner." It was in existence in
the time of Buondelmonti, as he himself records.
By the Byzantines it was sometimes called
spina, as I have already mentioned. At other
times they designated it by the usual Greek
term vſaga.” The two ends of the spina
were rounded and were called the corners
* The south end was known
as the Green corner, and the north as the
Blue.” How far they were from the Curve and
the Imperial Stand respectively we do not know.
The space between the Stand and the northern
corner was called the stama (a Tāua). At great races
the prisoners of the Praetorium had their station
below the seats of the Green faction. Prisoners of
war also stood there in chains, when the Emperor
ordered their presence at the celebration of a
triumph.”
In the writings of Constantine Porphyrogennetos,
the course through which the competitors went is
sometimes called the II.”
(kauTTàpes, kauTTol ).
1 Panvinius, p. 79.
2 Con. P., Vol. I., p. 344.
3 G. Kodinos, pp. 19, 54; Chron. Pasch., Vol. I., p. 594; Cons. P.,
Vol. I., pp. 343, 344, 352, 353, 613, 614.
4 Toà Tây Terpiópav čov Kapattàpos, Šs étrékék\m to toº "Povatov, (which
was afterwards amalgamated with the Blue faction). N. Choniates,
p. 865; diró roſ, payyávov uéxpt toº kauTroö Tod Bevérov–Kai kāpirtovolv
Töv toº IIpaolvov Kaputtöv. Cons. P., Vol. I., pp. 613, 614.
5 Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 615; G. Kodinos, pp. 17, 40, 168; N. Choniates,
p. 866.
6'Avépxeral uéxpt tis pivas #yovv toº II—épxetat els to atápa #yovy els
to II. Cons, P., Vol. I., pp. 310, 338, 352, 590, 614.
54 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
On the spina, as I have already mentioned, three
monuments are still preserved,—the Egyptian
obelisk, the three-headed serpent, and the four-
sided bronze column. On the base of the obelisk
are two inscriptions, one in Latin the other in
Greek, which were first published by Gyllius. On
the four sides of the base are engraved representa-
tions of the machines and cables, by means of which
the obelisk was set up on its four bronze cubes. On
another side were represented the horse races and
the obelisk itself.” These rude sculptures represent
contemporary events in the reign of Theodosios
the Great, who caused the obelisk to be erected
(390 A.D.). They afford some indications as to the
position of the Emperor and State officials during
the races. The throne in the Imperial Stand, and
some steps are represented. Full and particular
accounts of all these matters are to be found in
works on the topography of Constantinople.
South of the obelisk is the three-headed serpent,
a work of great beauty. It originally consisted of
three huge serpents coiled on one another.” Accord-
ing to old accounts, the three heads with their
gaping jaws were flattened on the top to form a
support for the tripod of say some—the Oracle
of Delphi." It was brought thence by Constantine
I 'O €v rà MeyāAm 'Ekk\matg AeatroTukös 6póvos, Štrö T. Xpwooğépym.
A6%umat, 1861, p. 79. G. Kedrenos, Vol. I., p. 297.
2 Du Cange quotes from an unknown author, Kal ris àvöpiès to Tao 6at
éAéyéro Tptal 6tarviroſpevos kepa)\als. Cpolis. Christ., lib. ii., p. 104.
3 "Eatma e 6é [KovaTavrivos é Méyas] kará Ti roſ, itraroöpópov påpos kal Tów
Tp(Troöd. Toj čv AeXqoſs AtóX\ovos, Éxovira év éavrò kal rô Toſ, AtróA\ovos
āya)\ga. Zosimos, p. 97.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 55
the Great, and placed in its present position. In
the vicissitudes which the city has since experienced,
the heads have been destroyed, with the exception
of one which is now preserved in the Church of
S. Irene. It is well known that the names of all
the Greeks who fought together against the
Persians at Plataia, were inscribed on the pillar.
When it was uncovered by the English, as I
mentioned above, many scholars, both here and
in the West, published versions of this inscrip-
tion." Both the pillar and the inscription have
given rise to much discussion, and much has been
written about them. Skarlatos Byzantios,” dis-
cussing the question of this column, sums up the
opinions of others by saying, “It is perhaps the
identical pillar of Delphi, and consequently is
second to no piece of Greek handiwork in antiquity
and historic interest.” When and by whom the
heads were taken off we do not know.”
South of this stood the four-sided bronze pillar,
so called because it was formerly entirely covered
with bronze plates, as is still shewn by the nails
driven into the stone. I have no doubt that the
plates have, like many more valuable works in
bronze, been melted down for coining." Private
citizens, no matter how daring, would hardly have
1 This inscription has been published recently by Mr. Grosvenor, Pro-
fessor of History in Robert College, Constantinople.—[See Rawlinson's
Herodotus, Vol. IV., p. 452 note, and note A, p. 483. Tr.]
2 KiroNus, Vol. I., p. 243.
3 The heads were in existence in Buondelmonti's time,
4 Niketas Choniates, pp., 856, 857, 858,
56 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
ventured to strip so conspicuous a pillar. It was
erected before the arrival of Buondelmonti in 1422.
It is remarkable that the earthquakes, so frequent
and destructive in Constantinople, have not thrown
it down.
The later historians mention other monuments
as standing on the spina. Buondelmonti describes
a great cistern of clear water, called pudºn by the
anonymous author of the Patria. In it stood a
statue of Irene of Athens, erected by her son
Constantine VII. (Porphyrogennetos).” Gyllius saw
here seven marble pillars of great size. One mea-
sured eighteen feet in diameter, and bore on the
top a bronze statue of Herakles.”
The picture given by Panvinius shows three
small obelisks to the north of the Egyptian obelisk.
The Bronze Pillar is not represented. From the
picture it is clear that the races had then long
before ceased ; the marble benches were fallen, and
private houses were being built upon the course.
All goes to prove the neglect of the buildings by
the later Emperors, who had long before abandoned
the Palace in the Akropolis, and taken to the lofty
halls of Blachernai.
Many writers, and Porphyrogennetos in particular,
mention the so called Euripos. At Rome this was
a ditch full of water which surrounded the arena,
to prevent the wild beasts from reaching the spec-
tators. In Constantinople, where no such danger
1 N. Bryennios, p. 180; Banduri, Vol. II., p. 668.
2 G, Kodinos, p. 124, 8 Ibid., p. 39,
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 57
existed, it was a flagged course in front of the
benches on either side." At the festival held in
the Hippodrome on the 11th of May (the Dedication
of Constantinople) herbs and cakes were placed
along the Euripos,” while fish were scattered among
the people.
The Hippodrome, bounded by the Curve on the
south, the Imperial Stand on the north, and the
marble benches on either side, had four gates
guarded by towers.” The gate or porch to the
right of the Imperial Stand belonged to the Blue
faction, which was specially favoured by the
Emperor. The opposite belonged to the Greens,
and from these positions they watched the com-
petitors in the Hippodrome." Near the latter gate
was a small gate known as the gate of Decimus.”
In the eastern end of the Curve was another gate
called vekpa, in imitation of the Roman porta
mortua," by which dead bodies were removed.
1 Cons. P., Vol. I., pp. 338, 344, 345, 363; Cpolis. Christ., lib. ii.,
p. 104; Śv toſs eis Töv 'Etiputrov Tod itſ Troöpopulov XaXKois à vöpuāorty. Theo-
phanes Con., p. 650; Toº Tirov Tpéxovt.os 30-ov č6úvato kvk\ów éiríet Töv
Eðptirov Tijs ITToôpoulas. G. Kedrenos, Vol. II., p. 343.
2 Kal Kate)\66vtes to Tavtat év toſs KauTTàport Kai év roſs Tpoetpmuévois
\outroſs Tótrous toū 'Eupitrov, Šv6a at a Tougai Tôv XaXávayu Kai Tôv TXakoëvray
elaiv. Cons. P., Vol. I., pp. 345, 363.
3 Thu toû it troöpéuov TWN'mv kata)\appävovoru . . . evtos Tóv roſ,
it troëpópov tru)\ów divnpéðm. Theophanes Con., p. 382.
4'Avéuov 6é 8watov Kal gºodp00 Katattveto avtos Askepºptºp pumv/, of Xeyó-
prevol éu Tô itTukº Öſuot Katéreoſov, of GT' évavttas toū 8agiNikoſ, 9póvov
érôyxavov. Theophanes Con., p. 431.
5 Coolis. Christ., lib. ii., p. 104; Św Tº divépxeo 6al attöv . . . 9ewpīga.
ôtà Tod Kox\tov Katā tīv 6&pav toº Xeyouévov Aekluov. Chron. Pasch.,
Vol. I., p. 562; Theophanes Con., p. 431.
6 G. Kodinos, p. 124. 6 Tótos és kaxeſrat Tă vekpā. Kodinos is wrong
in stating that it received its name from the Nika riot. Šk tās Xeyouávns
vekpās répras. Chron, Pasch, Vol. I., p. 626,
58 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
Probably there was another gate in the opposite
end, which has not been noticed by the historians.
I think it is the one indicated by Constantine
Porphyrogennetos in his account of the procession
of the Emperor from the Palace to S. Sergius. He
went through the Skyla into the Hippodrome, and
passed through it and the ancient Asecreta to the
church of S. Sergius." There were also the mangana
or carceres by which the competitors entered.
An hippodrome in the Palace is mentioned, and
another near the church of SS. Sergius and
Bacchus.”
The reader of Byzantine history wonders what
was the fate of the numerous works of art and
statues of every kind collected from all Hellenic
countries and brought to this city,” which Niketas
has described in his account of the capture
of Constantinople by the Latins in 1204." The
Hippodrome and the adjacent Baths of Zeuxippos
were filled with Greek works of art, of which,
with the exception of the three monuments we
described, nothing remains but the four horses
which now adorn the front of S. Mark’s, Venice.”
Such a catastrophe has overtaken the city that,
with all our labour, we can scarcely recognise the
1 Cons. P., Vol. I., pp. 87, 90.
2 Karépxoviral els Töv iTtróðpopov toº, ‘Aytov 2épylov of 600 6%papxot KrA.
Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 337; G. Kodimos, p. 101.
3 G. Kodinos, pp. 52, 53, 183. In Cpolis. Christ., lib. ii., p. 106,
Du Cange enumerates all the writers who describe the statues in the
Hippodrome.
4 Pp. 854, sqq. G. Kodinos, p. 183.
9 Ibid., p. 53. Kodinos Kouropalates, p. 192.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 59
site on which our Emperors built their Palace.
Amidst the destruction of so many works of art
and magnificent buildings, only S. Sophia and the
Hippodrome have been spared, though wrecked
and shorn of their splendour, to stand out like
beacons to guide us in our troubled voyage amid
the dark history of the Byzantine Empire. Lament-
able wrecks as they are, they have always been full
of interest to lovers of religion or lovers of shows.
All the palaces of the Akropolis and Blachermai are
insignificant, when compared with these invaluable
historical monuments of the Emperors of Byzan-
tion.
As I said in the previous chapter, it is not my
intention to describe those ancient buildings of
Constantinople, which others, such as the k.
Byzantios, have described with great felicity. The
reader therefore must not expect me to dwell on
them, except in so far as they relate to the subject
of the Palace.
THE INSURRECTION OF THE NIKA.
After this short account of the Hippodrome, it
will be well to say something about the insurrec-
tion and massacre which took place in the Hippo-
drome in the reign of Justinian the Great. It is
commonly known as the insurrection of the Nika,
from the watchword of the rioters—Nika." The
best account of it is to be found in the pages of
Prokopios.”
1 “La sedition des Victoriats.” J. Labarte, p. 14.
2 Vol. I., pp. 119, 149; Chron, Pasch., Vol. I., p. 620.
60 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
In January," in the fifth year of Justinian's
reign, a riot broke out in Byzantion which resulted
in great injury to the people and the factions.”
The prefect of the city condemned some of the
rioters to death. The factions, usually at variance,
made common cause, and rescued them from the
prison, and released others also who were in
custody. In an outburst of fury the rioters slew
many of the prefect's officers without cause.
Numbers of the citizens fled to the opposite shore
of Anatole ; others set fire to a large part of the
city, and so broke into open rebellion. The church
of S. Sophia, founded by Constantine the Great,”
the Baths of Zeuxippos, a portion of the Palace,
and the houses of many of the wealthier citizens,
fell a prey to the flames. Much property was
destroyed in this conflagration. Justinian, with
his wife Theodora and several courtiers, fled, and
took refuge in the Palace. The object of the
people's animosity was the Praetorian Prefect, John
of Cappadocia, an ignorant and vicious creature,
who feared neither God nor man, and was a glutton
and extortioner. Tribonian, another of Justinian's
advisers, was avaricious, and skilled only in
wringing money from the citizens. For some time
the rioters fought with one another, and committed
no act of sedition. At length the Greens fraternised
with the Blues, and together they rushed through
1 G. Kodinos, p. 131.
2 €v Tó triroöpoptºp troX\ol pávo, kal kak& Yeyóvaaru kal pºtata év Tots
Tpó huôv. G. Kodinos, p. 184.
3"Ektude 5& Thy Aytav Xoplav čvXórreyov, G. Kodinos, pp. 16, 73, 131.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 61
the city, reviling Justinian, and maltreating or
killing all they met. They gave the pass-word Nika,
from which this insurrection has derived its name.
Justinian was anxious to stop the tumult. Deeming
that it was due to resentment against John of
Cappadocia, and Tribonian, he deprived them of
their offices, and appointed in their stead Phokas, a
patrician, and Basileides, a man of good reputation.
Notwithstanding, the insurrection grew more
serious.
Towards evening on the fifth day of the riot,
Justinian ordered Hypatios' and Pompeius,
nephews of the late Emperor Anastasios, to retire
within the Palace. He was apprehensive that they
might join the rioters and take part against him.
They obeyed his orders and went inside the Palace.
Very early the next morning the mob learnt
that, unknown to Justinian, the two had escaped
from the Palace. They ran to Hypatios, and,
deaf to the shrill cries and passionate protests
of his more prudent wife Maria, proclaimed him
Emperor. For lack of a crown, or any other
Imperial trappings, they placed a torque” of gold
upon his head, and thus decorated he was, against
his will, proclaimed Emperor. Many of the populace
and those of the councillors who had not gone with
Justinian into the Palace, proposed to take it by
storm. Should they be unsuccessful, they had
l IIatplktov kai Öijuapxov påpovs Tāv Bevérav. G. Kodinos, p. 131.
2 XTpettöv 6é éotiv ćAm\ápévos xpvaos, ék Tpuðv Tet)\eyuévos oxolviov,
8trep & q'épovv éiri tpaxi,\ov. Kodinos Kouropalates, p. 50.
62 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
others—the Palaces of Flacilla and of Helen."
From the words of Prokopios, it is evident that the
palace, in which Justinian and his councillors had
taken refuge, was so well fortified and guarded that
the rioters could not take it.
While this horrible disturbance was devastating
Constantinople, Justinian and his councillors were
discussing measures for their safety, whether to
remain in the Palace or to take flight by sea.” At
this point Theodora, by her nervous and manly
eloquence, abashed the cowardly courtiers and
encouraged the wavering Justinian. She concluded
by saying—“For my part, an old saying consoles
me, ‘A throne is a glorious sepulchre.’”
According to Prokopios, the Emperor's troops
proved untrustworthy and waited the result of the
insurrection. Justinian could depend on none of his
generals, except Belisarius and Mundus, both of
whom had fought on many fields. Belisarius had
lately returned from the Median war with a
devoted army. Mundus, too, brought tried men
from Illyria.
Meanwhile the mob, shrieking and frantic with
delight, bore Hypatios into the Hippodrome, and
set him on the throne in the Imperial stand, from
which the Emperors were wont to view the races.
|Mundus and his men left the gate of the Palace
and proceeded to the dark spiral staircase, the
1 The palace of Helena or the Heleniaca in the district Psammathia.
Banduri, Vol. II., p. 690.
2. From the harbour of the Boukoleon, beside the palace of the same
name, whence they could cross to Anatole.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 63
entrance to the Imperial Stand. Belisarius fol-
lowed him, and arriving at an apartment where a
guard of soldiers was stationed, ordered them to
open the door immediately." The soldiers, unwilling
to commit themselves before they knew which
was the winning side, did not obey. Alarmed at
the clamour of the mob, and the uncertain attitude
of the soldiers, the generals returned to the Palace,
and reported the temper of the soldiers to
Justinian. After a little Belisarius again left the
Palace and went “through ruins and half-burnt
houses" to the Hippodrome. From the account
given by Prokopios, it is evident that he went out
of the Palace behind the Curve, and entered the
course on the right side by the gate of the Blues—
“which is on the right of the Imperial throne—”
and that he did not come from the neighbourhood
of S. Sophia. He passed through blocks of
buildings, burnt, as I have said, at an early stage
of this sanguinary disturbance. Belisarius' first
intention was to attack Hypatios, who still re-
mained in the Imperial Stand. There, there was a
small gate locked on the inside and guarded by
soldiers. His fear was, lest the mob should attack
him and his men, and then proceed against
Justinian in the Palace. Reflecting that it was
essential to fall on the mob and the factions, who
stood crowding one another in the Hippodrome, he
drew his sword, and ordered his men to do the
1 This guard-room was probably beside the gate of the Hippodrome,
on the left-hand side of the Imperial stand.
64 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
same. Then, with a shout, they charged at a run
through the Gate of the Blues, on to the crowd.
When the mob, who were standing loosely about
in conversation, suddenly caught sight of Belisarius
and his cuirassed veterans, plying their swords
ruthlessly, they started to run out by the gates of
the Hippodrome. But Mundus stood by the Gate
of the Dead waiting Belisarius' attack on the mob."
Seeing him already engaged and the rioters fleeing
in panic, he at once charged into the Hippodrome.
The rioters, attacked in front and rear, met a
violent death. They could not escape from the
Hippodrome, and their companions outside could
not make their way in to help them. While this
was going on, Boraïdes and Justus, nephews of
Justinian, ascended to the Imperial Stand, and
without encountering any opposition, took Hypatios
and his brother Pompeius, and handed them over
to the Emperor. Upwards of 30,000 perished in
the Hippodrome on that day.” Such was the
insurrection of the Nika.
I am inclined to think that as Belisarius
advanced from the Palace to the gate of the Blues,
he was not seen by the people collected within the
Hippodrome, because its lofty benches hindered
their view. Thus, all the gates being securely
closed, he was able to pass unobserved to the gate
of the Blue faction, without the slightest suspicion
on the part of the people.
1 The Chronicon Paschale (Vol. I., p. 626) also mentions Narses.
2 35,000 according to G. Kodinos, p. 131. Amöéva röv troXtrów £évay
Tóv et peóévrav čv tº itſtrukº Treptow0}val, Chron. Pasch., loc. cit.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 65
In the following chapter I intend to describe the
Byzantine buildings discovered in the extensive
space between the eastern wall of the Hippodrome
and the walls of the Palace, a place known in the
histories as the Augustaion. -
66 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
CHAPTER III.
TELIE AU G U STAIO N.
BETWEEN the eastern wall of the Hippodrome and
the landward limit of the Imperial Palace, there is
a considerable area extending south from S. Sophia.
It measures about 144 yards from east to west, and
from north to south over 550. This extensive four-
porched market-place," as Zozimos calls it, though
often mentioned in Byzantine history, has not as
yet been clearly defined. And what I now propose
is to describe as far as possible the churches and
other buildings which were erected within it, as
well as the examples of Greek art which were col-
lected by the Emperors from all parts of Greece
and Asia, and deposited here. Although the work,
as it seems to me, is difficult and thankless, and
my conclusions differ greatly from those of many
esteemed writers, I shall, nevertheless, as always,
venture to submit my own views, and hope by so
doing to throw light on some parts of the topo-
graphy of Constantinople.
At the present day the whole space is occupied
1 Oùa ms 6é év tá, Bušavríg peytarms &yopäs terpao Tôov. Zosimos, p. 97;
Simocatta, 1 10 scribit esse : ávákropov čv Tó peºyd Nº. 9a)\699 tº Tpós Tm
peºyto Tu Tów (3aot)\eta'v at Nā, Abyovaratos 6' dipa otros katovopºd Śerat, G.
Kedrenos, (annot.) Vol. II., p. 800.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 67
by the mosque of Sultan Achmet—Vulgarly Alté
Minarelá, the splendid Turkish building Dar El
Funſºn, erected only a few years ago, and a small
Turkish quarter with its crooked and sunless streets.
The square, richly-wooded park to the south of S.
Sophia, stands as it was in Byzantine times.
By the Byzantines this space was called the
Augustaion," sometimes the Forum, and sometimes
the Forum of the Milion, or of Constantine. Owing
to their ignorance of its boundaries, the accounts of
it in later writers are vague and often unintelligible.”
THE EIOSPITAL OF SAMPSON.
In the Nika insurrection, described in the last
chapter, a building known as the Hospital of
Sampson,” situated between S. Irene and S. Sophia,
was burnt. The historian Prokopios," who was a
contemporary of Justinian, makes certain remarks
which I shall follow closely, because they explain
1 Aë-yova Tatów, Ayyova Tetov, Aüyovo Teóv, Atºyova ret's, etc. Cons. P.,
Vol. I., pp. 23-33; 11., p. 59 ; Meursii, Glossarium, S. v. At yovo Tedºv.
2’Etri Tottwu Töv ÚTáTøv Tpoſix0m étrapyos TóNews eeo650 tos' Kai čkTige
Tô Aüyova Tatov čk TNaylov Tijs peºyáXms ékk\matas. Chrom. Pasch., Vol. I.,
p. 593. Le grand Forum connu sous le nom d’Augustaeon, resta célèbre
pendant tout le moyen age. L’Art Byzantin, par Ch. Bayet, p. 19.
ôuaq,6pov &ywrátwv Tatpuapxóv Tpoo raśćvta'v, dTó Te Toi) avyovo Teóvos, Kai
Töv trpoo exeo Tépov pepôv Tó Tpovág, tis &ywTáTms toū Geoû pleyāXms ékk\m-
orias, Toys Tpatre; it as Öva)(67uat. J. Meursii, Glossarium, s. v. Ayyovated v.
Concerning this name, see Cpolis. Christ., lib. iii., cap. 23. In the time
of Gyllius the very name of tho Augustaion was forgotten, and all the
buildings in it had disappeared. De Topographia Cpoleos., lib. ii., cap. 17.
3 G. Kedrenos, Vol. I., pp. 647, 679; Chron. Pasch., Vol. I., p. 622;
Töv ševoë6xov táv gapºpów, Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 173. Gyllius, De Topo-
graphia, lib. ii., cap. 8, says that it was near S. Sophia.
4 Vol. III., p. 183.
68 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
several points in connection with the buildings
around S. Sophia. This church and S. Irene,"
which, according to Prokopios, was, next to S.
Sophia, the loftiest of all the churches, had been
burnt. “Now, there was between these two
churches a hospital for men who were utterly
broken in health and in fortune.” It had been
erected some time previously by a God-fearing man
named Sampson, who had once attended Justinian
in a serious illness.” This hospital and all its in-
mates perished in the fire. It was rebuilt on a
larger scale and richly endowed by Justinian, in
order that a greater number of sick and poor might
be relieved.” It was the chief of the many charit-
able institutions founded in Constantinople by the
Christian Emperors.
This hospital is frequently noticed in the earlier
history of the Empire. Simeon Metaphrastes gives
the life of S. Sampson (27th of June)," but unfor-
tunately says very little about the hospital itself.
Under the later Empire it is never mentioned. In
1 In this church the patriarch delivered the catechetical homily to the
catechumens on Good Friday (Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 179), and the Second
Oecumenical Council met in 482. Near it was the church of S. Menas,
among the ruins of which three porphyry coffins were found, which are
now preserved in the Imperial Museum. The Patriarch Constantius,
'EXáo goves Xuyºypagal, p. 386.
2 Töv 6é Éevóva Töv \eyóplewov too Xapºptºv, 6 Šatos Xapabdiv čktuo'e avvépyeig
'Iovo Tuvaavoſ, Tod ueyā)\ov. G. Kodinos, p. 99.
3 Qkoôópºnto Xiav pºokáXa's kal peya)\otpetrós. Simeon Metaphrastes,
(ed. Migne) Vol. II., p. 289.
4 Ibid., p. 247. From the following words of Joannes Malalas, p. 479 :
kal yèyove tratpuépxms év Kova TavruvoviróNew Mºvás Ó diró £evočáxaſv too
2apºptºv, I conjecture that the hospitals were religious houses,
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 69
the Epistles of Pope Innocent III., who lived in
the beginning of the thirteenth century, the abbot
and monks of the Hospital of S. Sampson in Con-
stantinople are mentioned.
Kantakouzenos,” describing the wretchedness
and nakedness of the Catalans, says —“Not only
the influential citizens, and the sacred colleges, and
the houses devoted to the common reception of
strangers—this most charitable institution of the
Romans—but also very many of the people, and
artisans and labourers, everybody, in short, strove
to surpass his neighbour in his zeal for the
sufferers.” Of the Hospital of Sampson, however,
he makes no special mention.
I refer to these facts because they confirm all
that I said in a former chapter about the erection
of the Palace walls by Michael Palaiologos. At
the present day the churches of S. Irene and S.
Sophia are separated by a strong wall with lofty
towers. Within this wall the hospital could not
have been built, for the space on either side is too
small for so large a building. My Own opinion is
that this famous building was pulled down when
Michael Palaiologos built the new Palace walls, and
that in consequence no mention is made of it under
the later Empire, or, to be more exact, after the
reign of Michael Palaiologos.
TEIE BATEIS OF ZEUXIPPOS.
Another noted Byzantine building which is
1 Cpolis. Christ, lib. iv., p. 164, 2 Vol. III., p. 227. º.º.
70 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
never mentioned by the later historians, and of
which, as Gyllius himself states, no traces remained
in his day, was the Baths of Zeuxippos."
According to the Alexandrian poet Chrysodoros,”
they contained a large collection of statues brought
together from Greece and Asia, which included
statues of Homer, Aeschines, Demosthenes, Aris-
totle, Hesiod, Pyrrhus, Sappho, Apollo, Aphrodite,
Julius Caesar, Plato, Menander, Isokrates, Xeno-
phon, Virgil, and many others. They were all
destroyed by fire in the Nika riot, to our incal-
culable loss.
I think that before the time of the great builder
Justinian, the public buildings of Constantinople
were, like the private houses,” constructed of wood.
This explains why the churches of S. Sophia and
S. Irene, and the Baths of Zeuxippos with their
statues, fell so easy a prey to the flames. It was
truly an heaven-sent inspiration which moved the
architect Anthemios to raise the dome of S. Sophia
1 Nunc nulla Zeuxippi vestigia restant, neque aliorum permultorum
balneorum. De Topographia Cpoleos., lib. ii., cap. 7; G. Kodinos,
p. 256; Michael Glykas, p. 450.
2 In his "Ekºppagus Töv dºya)\p.4tav Tóv eis rô 6mpéotov yupuuäortov toſ étra-
ka)\ovg.évov ZevčíTTov. See G. Kodinos, p. 253, Souidas, s. v. Zečetrtros,
Anthology, Vol. II., p. 26. This poet lived in the time of Anastasios
Dikoros. Tóte 67) évetrpha 6m . . . kal Tô Xoerpov roſ, Xegºpov ré ka)\oºpewov
Zečutriros, év tá Touki)\m Tus àv 0ewpta kal Xap TpóTms Texuāv, Tóu te pappapay
Kal Atówu kal /mºptówu kal elkóvov. G. Kedrenos, Vol. I., p. 647.
3 The numerous fires which occurred in Constantinople under the
Byzantine Emperors convince me that the dwelling houses were built of
wood. It is unfortunate that the historians should give us so little
information on this point. Kedrenos (Vol. I., p. 648) tells us that there
was destroyed, kai č ŠK Tøv pårwv Tóv karð tºs éatrépas Xap TTſipwu étruka)\otº-
pºevos olkos, &re rôv Špopov Kal attös ék #VXav čxa/v.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 71
high above its neighbours, and thus teach his
countrymen how to secure their glorious civil and
religious buildings against fire.
Originally built by Severus, the Baths were
renewed after the fire by Justinian, and adorned
with a variety of marbles and statues. Kodinos'
writes that they were built by Severus. He
further states that they were sometimes known as
the Baths of Severus, and that they were erected
about the same time as the Hippodrome. In the
“Short Scenes” by an unknown author, printed
along with his Eaccerpta, they are mentioned in
connection with the statue of Philippikos, and
called the oldest baths in the city.” It would
appear that in course of time fresh presents of
statues were made by citizens.
These splendid Baths, which, at the time of the
capture by the Turks, had fallen through age, or
had been demolished by the Emperors,” lay in the
1 G. Kodinos, pp. 36, 38. "Ek Te Tóv 8agiNetajv Tó Te 8a)\velov Ó Zečtt-
Tros, Prokopios, Vol. III., p. 202, Evşeāāas at Tig kal Xoutpov čv Tó tepg
toū Atós, Souidas. Their site, according to Joannes Lydos (p. 265), was
originally a market-place. Chron. Pasch., Vol. I., p. 494; J. Malalas,
p. 291.
2 G. Kodinos, pp. 188, 191; C. Manasses, v. 2265; G. Kedrenos, Vol. I.,
p. 442. čāoše Tó 8aat)\et (Philippikos, 697) . . . Aoûgao 6at eis Tó 6muðatov
Xoutpov roſ, ZevčíTTov. Theophanes, Vol. I., p. 587. According to Nike-
phoros Kallistos (lib. ix., cap. 9), these baths: Novgépav čoxe k\ſiglu
elgéretta. Byzantios, KTOMs., Vol. I., p. 260.
3 Nunc nulla Zeuxippi vestigia restant, neque aliorum permultorum
balneorum. Gyllius, De Topographia Cpoleos., lib. ii., cap. 7. According
to Niketas Choniates (p. 460), the monastery of Ephoros was built beside
these Baths, in a very low-lying place, Tapd. Tuva kata/TäTºp TóTºp. At
labenti Graecorum imperio, Zeuxippi appellatio ut et balmei usus desinit.
Cpolis, Christ., lib. X., cap. 27. I do not know what authority the dis-
tinguished Patriarch Constantius has for his statement, that the marbles
of the Baths were removed by the Turkish conqueror to his mosque.
72 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
Augustaion to the east of the Hippodrome. The
Byzantine historians in their account of the erec-
tion by Severus of the vaults supporting the
Curve, state that south of the four-sided Bronze
Pillar the ground was steep and in some parts very
precipitous. Such to this day is the character of
the ground on either side of the Curve, which is
itself very strongly constructed. I have more than
once carefully gone over this ground. The crooked
alleys of the Turkish quarter on the east side all
slope steeply down to the south. One road alone
is level, that which runs east and west along the
south side of the mosque of Sultan Achmet, almost
opposite to the four-sided Bronze Pillar. If the
Baths had been built on the east side of the Hippo-
drome, I think we should have found the remains
of the strong walls or vaults, by which a level
foundation was formed for them. But nothing of
the sort exists at the present day, nor does any
trace of level ground appear in this neighbour-
hood.
Our information accordingly comes to this, that
the Zeuxippos was originally built in the Augus-
taion, burnt in the Nika riot, and rebuilt on the
original site, on a larger and more splendid scale.
We have the authority of Kodinos for stating that
it lay along the Palace wall."
Between the Baths and the Hippodrome stood
1 Tóre à Xegåpos . . . Škrtae 600 Aovrpá, éa w8ev pleu Tàs troXews kal
T}\matov toº traXarlov čv, Tô KaNoWWevou Zetſättarov, pp. 13, 14. These
words of Kodinos have led Labarte astray in his account of these Baths,
Vol. II., p. 230,
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 73
a house, an epigram on which, by Leontios, has
fortunately been preserved."
º zºn f * arº zººs
Eis oikov keiwevov učaſov toº Zevärtrov kai Toi ittikoú.
2 V a- V
Ev učv Tn, ZeiſºtºrToy éxo TéAas fió) AóeTpov,
ěk 6 Tépms, itTov Xópov &et)\opópov
From this epigram it appears that the Baths were
not connected with the Hippodrome. Our view
that they were erected beside the Palace wall is
further confirmed by an epigram in the Anthology,”
presumably by the same Leontios, “To a little
Bath beside the Zeuxippos” —
Mà veuéa'a Zeߺrtre, TapavréA\ovtt Xoetpó,
kai Meydºny Tap' éuašav épotſ\os jö) paeivet, KTX.
I think that this bath, which is not mentioned by
any other writer, lay to the south of the Baths of
Zeuxippos.
It is possible that some may consider this disqui-
sition altogether superfluous. I wish, however, to
give all the reasons which have led me to decide on
the position of the Baths, as well as of other not-
able Byzantine buildings, in the belief that they
will convince others. Moreover, both Greek and
Western writers have frequently sought for the
site of these Baths, in which, as I have said, so
many ancient works of art perished. They were,
indeed, a veritable open-air museum. Labarte in
1 Cpolis. Christ., lib. i., p. 91 ; Gyllius, De Topogr., lib. ii., cap. 7.
The rents of some houses which stood near the Baths were devoted to
their maintenance.
2 Vol. I., p. 221 [Gyllius, loc. cit.].
74 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
his excellent book' places them to the north of the
Hippodrome, behind the Imperial Stand. Byzan-
tios” simply says that they were near the Palace;
but where, he does not determine.
Having thus placed the Baths of Zeuxippos in
the south end of the Augustaion, I shall now pro-
ceed to consider other buildings in this place of
which mention is frequently made, in order that
we may fix their sites with some degree of cer-
tainty. The architecture and dimensions of these
buildings are but scantily described by the his-
torians.
Referring to the Augustaion, Prokopios” writes:
“There was an agora before the Senate-house, now
the Byzantines call the agora Augustaion; ” and
again, “There is an agora with a peristyle in front
of the Palace; the Byzantines call it Augustaion.”
The part of this extensive space adjacent to S.
Sophia was called the Milion or the Forum of the
Milion. Part of it still exists in the square men-
tioned above, south of S. Sophia, and opposite to
the Turkish building Dar El Funiºn.
According to Kodinos,” the Augustaion was
called Gousteion in addition to the names given
1 Plate II.
2 KToxts, Vol. I., p. 260.
3 Vol. III., pp. 181, 202.
4 Pp. 15, 28. In his note on the latter passage, Lambecius (p. 232)
quotes from Joannes Lydos, p. 124 : év Tó yovo reig, otov 76 Öyotra)\elg els
Tupºu Tuğeptov ot o'egaaroqêpot €xópevov, Töv 6é TotoWTov Tótrov of lötörat
aú yovo Teóva ka)\ojaw.—tº e Toč 'Okrogptov p.mvös of peyewuápxat kal oregaoto-
q,ópot &xópevov ću rô Avyovo reig, otov ću rig ópot whetty els Tupahu Toº Tuđeptov,
Souidas, S. v. At yova ros.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 75
above. Before the erection of S. Sophia by Jus-
tinian, there was a market there, where the
common people often feasted and danced. It was
then called Gousteion. Justinian cleared the place,
and sent the market traders elsewhere. He also
paved it with marble, from which it was sometimes
called the Pavement (TAakotów)." According to our
map, on entering or leaving the Palace we should
have to pass through the Augustaion. Constan-
tine Porphyrogennetos says this in so many words,
“and going through the middle of the Milion and
the Augustaion,”—“ and going through the Augus-
taion he enters the Palace,” etc.” From these
passages it is clear that the Emperor, whether
going into or out of the Palace, always went
through the Augustaion.
Rodinos Kouropalates’ writes —“It is the cus-
tom to scatter purses of money (êTików8ta) * in the
space before the doors of the Great Church, that
is in what is called the Augusteion, the person
throwing the money standing above on the steps
of the Augusteion.”
Before describing the structures in the centre of
l'Eu tº TXakotó rod MiXtov. Cons. P., Vol. I., pp. S4, 106.
2 Cons. P., Vol. I., pp. 63, 128, 132, 143, 159, 415; Prokopios, Vol. III.,
p. 304. r
3 P. 88; N. Choniates, pp. 308, 309.
4 Byzantios, KToxts, Vol. III., p. 1S4. They were sums of money tied
up in napkins, given to the nobles, and sometimes thrown among the
people. See Kodinos Kour., pp. 355, 356. Ea erant, quae Imperator festo
coronationis vel nuptiarum die spargebat in populum.—Meursii Gloss.,
s. v.; J. Kantakouzenos, Vol. I., p. 203. They were sometimes called
&Tööeguou, G. Pachymeres, Vol. II., p. 197, and a TópTVNot, Cons. P.,
Wol, I., p. 261,
76 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
the Augustaion, it will be well that we first con-
sider the remarkable and historical buildings situ-
ated there, as I did in the case of the Hippodrome.
These splendid buildings, of which no vestige is
now preserved, are often mentioned by the his-
torians. From the careful perusal of their narra-
tives we can determine at least their sites."
Owing to their ignorance of the boundaries of
the Augustaion, those who have described Constan-
tinople have fallen into mistakes, and their want of
knowledge of the various localities has rendered
their descriptions unintelligible. Skarlatos Byzan-
tios, in his account of Constantinople, quotes as
correct Buondelmonti's statement that the Augus-
taion lay to the south of S. Sophia. A few pages
farther on, forgetting the correct observation of the
Italian, who had seen the city before the capture by
the Turks, he writes:—“The site of this extensive
square of the Augustaion is now in all probability
occupied on the eastern side by the first court of
the Seraglio, and the buildings adjoining the Bab-
7-humaghián.”
TEIE SENATE EIOUSE.
In the Augustaion there formerly stood a build-
ing of great antiquity, called the Senate House.”
1 About the end of last century there was a menagerie between
S. Sophia and the Mosque of Achmet, probably among the then extant
Byzantine buildings. Le Chevalier, Voyage de la Propontide et du Pont-
Euacin, Vol. II., p. 228. 2 KiroMs., Vol. I., pp. 440, 448.
3 Xºyk)\mtos, Bov)\evrápuou, Xevátov, pópos toū XevåTov, at 2%uoôou. G.
Kodinos, p. 40. Baqi)\tkös olkos Tās avyk)\fftov Yepovatas. Cpolis, Christ.,
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 77
It was among the first buildings re-erected by
Justinian after the Nika riot. According to
George Kodinos, “The Senaton, as some say, was
originally the place where wills were deposited, for
thither the Patricians took them in the time of
Constantine.” I have no doubt that the building
called the Senaton was originally erected by Con-
stantine the Great in his imitation of Roman forms.
Kodinos goes on, “and this Emperor built the
chambers of the Senate, and called the place
Senatom.” “ Sozomenos writes of Constantine :
“ and the great council which they call a ſykAmtov,
he established afresh with the same procedure,
honours, and festivals as obtained among the
ancient Romans.” ” A certain Eleutherios was the
architect of this palace. The president of the Senate
sat on the Chrysotriklinos.”
Prokopios gives an accurate account of the site and
appearance of the building after its re-erection by
Justinian. “Here [i.e., in the Augustaion] on the
east side of the Market-place, the Senate House is
built. By reason of its costliness and its whole con-
struction, it is the finest work of the Emperor
Justinian. Here the Roman Senate meets at the
beginning of the year, and holds its annual festival
in veneration of the everlasting ordinances of the
lib. ii., p. 145 ; N. Choniates, p. 733. Šv tº Toà ºpópov arevåTºp, Cons. P.,
Vol. I., p. 169. Öpotas Šč ékač0m Kai Tô Xévérov, Širov čari Tô \eyópºevov
Aöyovataſov. Chron. Pasch., Vol. I., p. 621.
1 Pp. 40, 169, 174. 2 Ibid., p. 16.
3 Lib. ii., cap. 3; Cpolis. Christ., lib. ii., p. 145. In addition to the
active senators there were honorary members called ātpaxtot, Cons, P.,
Vol. II., p. 160. 4 G. Kodinos, p. 63.
78 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
State. Six pillars stand before it. One pair flanks
the middle division of the western front, and the
remaining four stand further forward. In colour
all are white, and for size the greatest, I think, in
the whole world. They form a portico surrounding
a roof in the form of a dome, and the upper parts
of the portico are all adorned with marbles equal
to the pillars in beauty, and with a great number
of statues standing above these.”
From this account of Prokopios, whose acquaint-
ance with Byzantine buildings I have always valued
highly, we learn that the front of the Senate
House faced the west, that six pillars supported a
domed portico, adorned with marbles and wonder-
ful sculptures. All his statements are confirmed
by the Chronicon Paschale,” which, however, attri-
butes to Constantine the Great all that Prokopios
ascribes to Justinian. My conjecture is, that
Justinian rebuilt the Senate House exactly as it
stood before the Nika riot. Even before this time,
it had fallen a prey to the flames,” when the
people of Constantinople, breathing out threaten-
ings at the banishment of S. John Chrysostom, and
refusing to receive any other bishop, secretly set
1 Vol. III., p. 202. Constantine Porphyrogennetos (Vol. I., p. 440)
has much to say about the Senate and its President ; Gyllius, De Topo-
graphia, lib. ii., cap. 17.
2 KTio as éy) is kal (3aot)\ukhu &xova au köyxºmy, kal é [éa, text] peºyáXovs
kiovas a Thoras Kal &vöpúvras, fivtrep &kóAeae Xevårov, ka)\éo as Töv Tótrov
Aöyovaraſov. Vol. I., p. 528. Zosimos (p. 139) writes of Julian : éðwke pºv
Tºm TóNew Yepova tav čxeu &a Trép év tº Pd（p,q.
8 George Kedrenos (Vol. I., p. 610) mentions the burning of the Senaton
in the great fire in the reign of Leo Makelles.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 79
fire to the Great Church, and destroyed all the
buildings adjoining it. The flames seized on the
Senate House, which stood in front of the Palace,
and was adorned with many marbles and statues.
From this it would appear that numerous works of
art of the greatest merit adorned this Senate
House from its first erection. I infer from all the
accounts, particularly from that of Prokopios, that
the flames scorched, but did not totally destroy
the building, which was built of stone, and adorned
on every side with marble pillars of the finest work-
manship.
According to Sozomenos, the site of the Senate
House was to the south of S. Sophia. He says:
“The flames devoured the great Chamber of the
Senate which lies beside it on the south.” Ked-
renos writes: “In the north end of the Forum is
the Senaton, which was burnt in the days of Leo,
the son of Berene.” According to Constantine
Porphyrogennetos, the council room called Senaton
lay beside the Column of Justinian. On the festi-
val of the Annunciation the Emperor ascended the
steps of the Column, to enter the Church of S. Con-
stantine. “The senate stand on the left side of
the procession, towards the Senaton.” This same
writer frequently applies the name Forum (pópos)
to the whole Augustaion. “They proceed to the
Senate House of the Forum.” “ Mention is made
of statues of the Augusti Honorius and Theodosios,
1 Lib. viii., cap. 22; Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 169.
2 Vol. I., p. 565.
3 Cons. P., Vol. I., pp. 28, 164, 169.
80 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
and of a golden statue of Theodosios the Great."
In the time of Leo a great fire took place, which
Redrenos has described.” Of the Senate House he
writes: “The fire destroyed a magnificent and
singular building in the Forum of Constantine,
called the Great Senate House,” adorned with
bronze statues, and porphyry stones, where the
members deliberated, and the Emperor entered
when he assumed the consular robe. It also
destroyed the Nymphaion, which lay opposite the
Senate House. Here were celebrated the marriages
of those who had not houses.” Zosimos is the only
writer who mentions this Nymphaion.*
In front of, or near the Senate House, Arius
breathed his last. “There Arius died a vile death,
twenty-nine palms from the Chamber of the
Senate.” ”
In similar studies, whether of Byzantine history
or of the topography of Constantinople, I have re-
peatedly stated that I am guided solely by the
narratives of our historians. It is beyond doubt
1 Chron. Pasch., Vol. I., pp. 571, 573.
2 P. 610. On p. 281, he describes the statues in this building. ēvéreaſe
ôé Tó trºp kal eis Töv ela,66ta 6éxea.0at Thu Yepovaſtav oikov, Trpo Töv 8aat)\eta'v
ëvra, eis Tāv káXXos kal pt)\otupſtav čáma'km/ēvov. Zosimos, p. 280.
3 Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 169: Kal &vépxovral év tº toº pépov o'evarg, etc.
Cf. G. Kodinos, p. 169; Agathias, p. 294.
4 Gyllius, De Topographia, lib. iii., cap. 4.
5 G. Kodinos, pp. 40, 241; M. Glykas, p. 468; Souidas says : év y&p
Tö täs TóAews ºpópºp . . . dirok\ivas els átróttarov &tegtoſae, s. v. 'Apetavós.
Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 440; Kedrenos, Vol. I., p. 518. &v tº pópq, TXmatov
Toß Neyop,évov 2evátov čºyévero. Chron. Pasch., Vol. I., p. 525. Le Beau’s
account of the death of Arius is very confused. Hist, du Bag Empire,
Vol. I., p. 590.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 81
that the buildings which are described by them
as standing in the early Empire, were not in
existence in the later periods. During the last
two centuries of power, only the memory of many
ancient buildings was preserved. After the cap-
ture by the Turks, the surviving inhabitants and
their descendants forgot the very names of the
more notable among them." At the present day,
excavations would throw light on many points.
Nevertheless, those engaged in such studies reap
rich rewards. I would beseech all engaged in such
work, first of all to go over with great care the
whole site of the Palace, relying not on the so-
called topographers, Greek or Western, but on the
Byzantine historians, who are, as a rule, most
trustworthy guides.
Thus studying the buildings about the Palace,
under the guidance of our historians, we learn that
the noble Byzantine building, the Bouleuterion or
Senate House, was originally built by Constantine
the Great, in imitation of the Roman Curia ; and
was burnt in the Nika riot, and rebuilt anew with
greater splendour by Justinian. It lay in the
Forum or Augustaion, to the south of S. Sophia,”
was adorned with six marble pillars, was domed,
and faced the west. Accordingly, I place it along-
1 Sic enim quotidie vastantur ut semex nesciat quae puer widit, neque
modo aedificia antiqua deleta, sed etian locorum nomina, quae illa tenebant
amissa Sunt, aliaque barbara successerunt. Gyllius, De Topographia,
lib. iv., cap, ll,
3 "Oſwolws Śē ékač0m Kai Tô Xevåtov, Širov čo Ti Tô \eyópºevov Abyovo Taſov.
Chron, Pasch., Vol. I, p. 621.
8
82 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
side the walls of the Palace, to the north of the
Baths of Zeuxippos."
TELE PATRIAECHEION.
We now come to another notable Byzantine
building, which was situated near the Senate House.
Our previous study enables us also to fix the site of
this. The Patriarcheion lay outside the precinct of
S. Sophia,” close to the Senate House on the one
hand, and to the church on the other, in accordance
with the order of the Council of Carthage that
bishops should reside beside their cathedrals.” The
Thomaîtes, a hall in the Patriarcheion, is frequently
alluded to by the historians. At the coronation
of the Emperor, he first made confession of his
faith, and then, accompanied by the Patriarch and
the Holy Synod, he “proceeds to the hall called
Thomaîtes, which faces the Augustaion, where the
populace and military stand.” “ Choniates also
mentions the Thomaîtes.” Another hall, called
Thettalos, in the Patriarcheion, is mentioned in the
1 In it., 17, Gyllius writes of the Senate House : Adhuc extant muri
Senatus, ab angulo Sophiae intuenti Meridiem.
2 Cons. P., Vol. I., pp. 565, 612, 616.
3 Cpolis. Christ., lib. ii., p. 143; Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 435. Olim sedes
patriarchatus CPtani. penes eam [S. Sophiam] erat, ibid., II., p. 636.
4 Kodinos Kour., p. 88 ; N. Choniates, p. 327. Kal &vaq,épova'uv authu
eis rô Amrardºptov ćtri Töv 00pairmu, Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 260, trpoka0m-
p.évov toº &ywrárov huôv ÖeatróTov kal olkovpaevukoú IIatpudpxov Nukox&ov
év tá, 6&pairm. Leunclavii, Jus Graeco-Romanum, Francfort, 1596,
Vol. I., p. 216.
5 Atrö roß &vöpóvos roß ka)\oupévov Mákpavos els rôv Abyovo rauðva Tpo-
večovros kal roß avvmpp.évov roºrg 0&pairov 6ógov, p. 309 ; Byzantios, Kroxts,
Vol. I., p. 517.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 83
Continuation of Theophanes—“And in the Thetta-
los, a hall so named in the Patriarcheion, he was
lying upon a couch.”
As to the Thomaîtes, the writings of Zonaras
are of great value.” “A fire broke out, in which
the great banquetting hall, called Thomaîtes, in the
episcopal palace, fell a prey to the flames, when it
is said that the drafts of the exegeses of Holy Scrip-
ture, written by S. John Chrysostom, which were
preserved somewhere there, were burnt.” Kedrenos'
account is almost identical. “There was a fire, and
the hall in the Patriarcheion, called Thomaîtes, was
burnt, together with the chambers beneath it, in
which lay the whole of the scrolls of S. John Chry-
sostom's interpretations of the Scriptures.” In the
Thomaîtes was the so-called Patriarchal Library,
from which Theophilos demanded books, that he
might silence the Image-worshippers." In this
library were preserved all the important and
authoritative documents of the Holy Synods. On
Orthodoxy Sunday, the Emperor, after the Liturgy
in S. Sophia's, proceeded to the Patriarch's palace,
1 Pp. 150, 648. Kai Öh 60 a trpès à pièa véveuke Too Mixtov Kai Tô divöpóvt
avv^Trat Tø Mákpavi Kai Tô Xeyouévg at X\}voôot. N. Choniates, p. 732;
G. Pachymeres, Vol. II., p. 196.
2 Cpolis. Christ., lib. ii., p. 143.
& Vol. II., p. 25 ;
Kai Tupkaīās oupgåorms 3\etºpias
dvaktóptov KékauTo Tàs éKKAmatas
€wpairms KáN\to Tos ék\apatpos 66p.os.
Ephraimios, vv. 1887-9.
4 Thu Karā Thu Tarpuapxuköv év Tó Gajpairm kata Tijvöe Tiju 960 tu Keipºvojv
818Noðijkmu-Tiju Te KaNovuévnv 6aot)\tº\v, Šv m diréketto 818No6.jkm éxovo a
8v8Xtous ſtupid.öas Ötööeka, G. Kedremos, Vol. I., p. 616; II., p. 115; Theo-
phanes Con., p. 105.
84 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
and breakfasted with him." Labarte places the
Thomaîtes near the metatorion of S. Sophia, for-
getting that there was also a metatorion in the
Patriarcheion.”
The Patriarcheion is very seldom mentioned by
the historians—less often, in fact, than any other
of the buildings in the Augustaion.” Within it
were two rooms, called Secreta, the greater, and the
less, in which the Patriarch and the Holy Synod
tried all ecclesiastical cases." The court, com-
posed of metropolitans and archbishops, which sat
with the Patriarch, was also called Secretum.”
THE CHAPEL IN THE PATRIARCHEION.
From the following words of Porphyrogennetos,
it is plain that there was a church, or rather
chapel, in the Patriarcheion. He is describing the
ceremony on the third day of Lent. “The Arch-
bishop of Constantinople invites the Emperor and
his senate to his holy and magnificent palace, and
when the Holy Liturgy is finished, a banquet
1 Cons. P., Vol. I., pp. 160, 191.
2 Le Palais Impérial, p. 30.
3 Cons. P., Vol. I., pp. 530, 531. "Oga bet trapaq vXáTrew éirl xetpo-
Tovig Tarplápxov Kayva TavruvoviróNews, ibid., p. 564. We learn little from
these passages. The Patriarcheion was burnt by the Latins in
1203; kal 6%) Šo a Tpós à:/76a véveuke, Toº Mt)\tov kal Tø &vöpóvt ovv^Trai
Tø Mákpov. . . . els ēöaqos katepäyymorav. N. Choniates, p. 732.
4 26kperov dicitur locus in quo judices conveniunt et causas audiunt,
Lambecius in G. Codinum, p. 234. £q to Tavrat Tig kaff' huàs tepg ovvočuk'g
ôukaarmptºp, Acta Patriarchatus, Vol. I., pp, 276, 279. Kafféſovrat ot
a ſyk\mtow . . Šv roſs toū IIatpudpxov aekpérous, Coms. P., Vol. I., p. 532.
5 'O KX^pos toū aekpérov toº ratpudpxov. Cons. P., Vol. I., pp. 208, 209,
cf. 616, 761, 771 ; Tatráðas Too gekpérov too ratpudpxov \s', ibid., p. 755.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 85
(k\mtéptov) is set in the greater secretum of the
Palace.” (Vol. I., pp. 760, 761). Kedrenos men-
tions the lesser. “In the same year Niketas the
false Patriarch destroyed the mosaics in the little
secretum, and the other pictures in the whole of
the Patriarch's palace.” (Vol. II., p. 16.) That
the secretum was a large room, is evident from the
following words of Porphyrogennetos. On Orthodoxy
Sunday, the Emperor, coming from the festival cele-
brated in Blachernai, “proceeds to the very magni-
ficent and spacious secretum in the Patriarcheion.” "
The whole assembly, consisting of the Emperor and
many courtiers, feasted together in the secretum.
The above accounts are in agreement with that
given by the Patriarch Nikephoros. “The cham-
bers which the Romans call secreta, the smaller and
the greater chambers, and the pictures of the
Saviour and the saints, executed in mosaic and
encaustic panels, he destroyed.” (P. 85.)
That the Patriarcheion was not inside the Im-
perial Palace, is evident from the words of Porphy-
rogennetos, in his account of the “Ceremonies to
be observed at cutting the hair of a son of the
Emperor.” “The Emperor commands the Patri-
arch to be present, and the praepositus goes and
summons him, and he enters the Palace, attended,
as is his wont, by his secretum, and the Metropoli-
tans and Archbishops.” “ The Patriarcheion occu-
pied the same site until the final capture.”
1 Vol. I., p. 761 ; 'Apºwevotrotſ\ov j čá818Nos, Athens, 1872, p. 195.
2 Vol. I., pp. 531, 621 ; G. Kedrenos, Vol. II. p. 16.
3 G. Pachymeres, Vol. I., p. 385. The scholarly k. M. J. Gedeon, of
86 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
The Synodical Courts mentioned in the Acta
Patriarchatus, were these secreta in the Arch-
bishop's Palace." After the assumption of power
by Michael Palaiologos, the Holy Synod met some-
times in the south catechumeneia of S. Sophia, and
Sometimes in the cells of the Patriarch's church of
S. Theophylaktos. It is probable that on the Em-
perors abandoning the Palace, which lay immedi-
ately behind the Patriarcheion, it, or part of it, was
also deserted. The Patriarch was always elected
in the south catechumeneia of S. Sophia.”
These, then, are a few particulars concerning the
Byzantine Patriarcheion, which is extremely seldom
mentioned in history. Constantine Porphyrogen-
netos says nothing about its internal arrangements.
The pictures and mosaics which adorned it, we
know only from the Image Controversies. Labarte
says nothing about it, but mentions the Thomaſtes,
which, as I have said, he unwarrantably places at
the south-east corner of S. Sophia.
The oratory of S. Theophylaktos, which Constan-
tine Porphyrogennetos mentions,” appears to me to
have been the church or chapel of the Patriarch,
situated inside the Patriarcheion. I said above
Constantinople, has given us much information about the Patriarcheion
and the Secreta in his Xpovukù Toſ IIatpuapxukoſ, otrov Kai Too vaoû, 1884,
pp. 15, 51.
1 Acta Patriarchatus CPtani., Vol. I., p. 382; IV., p. 315,
2 Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 565.
3 Kal 60%Nkuov ćtrotec à kùptos 0éoqº)\aktos é trarpuápxms étrº Tô pépos toū
ečkrmptov too &ytov 6eopvXáktov, kal oi Öeo Tórat ātrāXavov too 6ovXktov per&
Tøv paytarpov, Vol. I., p. 160. Concerning this Patriarch Theophylaktos,
son of Romanus, see ibid., p. 635,
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 87
that, according to the Acta Patriarchatus, the
Holy Synod met sometimes in the catechumeneia
of S. Sophia, and sometimes in the cells of S.
Theophylaktos." In the account of the ceremonies
to be observed on Orthodoxy Sunday, the shrine of
S. Theophylaktos is mentioned in such a manner as
to convince every reader that it was within the
Patriarcheion.”
The Russian monk Antony, who was in Constan-
tinople in 1203, makes the following remarks on
the Gardens of the Patriarcheion. “In the gar-
den of the Patriarcheion, grow pulse of every kind,
melons, apples, and pears. They are kept hung
down wells in baskets, and when the Patriarch
breakfasts, they are brought up exceedingly cool.
The Emperor also partakes of such fruits. The
baths of the Patriarcheion are in the Palace. The
water is conveyed through conduits, and there is
also rain-water at hand.” It is probable that this
garden separated the Patriarcheion from the Senate
House. The baths Antony mentions were in the
gardens, or else inside the Patriarcheion, and not,
as he states, in the Palace grounds.”
1 Ka8to avtes év toſs Šeštoſs Katmyovuevelots Tfis dywtárms toū 6éoù uéyéXms
ékk\matas. Acta Patriarchatus, Vol. II., p. 2. IIpokaðmpuévov toº trava-
'ywrátov huôv Öeatrótov too olkoupevikoú IIatpudpxov Köp 'Ha'atov čv toſs Katë.
Töv "Ayuov 6eopúNaktov ke)\tos atroſ). Ibid., Vol. I., pp. 98, 99, 102, 104,
106, 107, lll, 132, 135, 136, 140, 143, 144, 149, 151, 155, 156, 164, 594;
IV., p. 379.
2 Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 160. The cells of the most holy Patriarch
Arsenios are also mentioned, where the Holy Synod sat, Acta Patriarch.,
Vol. I., p. 475. During the Latin domination, the Papal legate occupied
the Patriarcheion, Riant, Exuvice Sacrae, Vol. I., p. 171.
3 G. Pachymeres, Vol. II., pp. 258, 454; Byzantios KToxts, Vol. I.,
p. 519.
88 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
OUIR, LADY IN TEIE COPPER MAR,RET.
North of the Patriarcheion, and near to S.
Sophia, lay a church dedicated to Our Lady, styled
in the Copper Market." Kodinos says, “In the
Chalkoprateia in the time of Constantine the Great
the Jews had been living for a hundred and thirty-
two years, and sold copper vessels. Theodosios
the younger expelled them, and having cleared
the site, built thereon the church of Our Lady.”
According to Kedrenos, “he then built the church
of Our Lady where a Jewish synagogue formerly
stood.”" From all accounts, and especially those
belonging to the earlier centuries of the Empire, it
appears that beside S. Sophia there was an exten-
sive market, where domestic utensils and food of
every kind were sold. The place was cleared after
the conflagration in the Nika riot. The church in
the Copper Market had, according to Constantine
Porphyrogennetos, a women's gallery and a chapel
on each side of the altar.” It also had three doors
in the narthex, for he writes, “The Emperor enters
the Church of Our Lady in the Copper Market, and
1 H Georókos Tów XaXkotpatetov, Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 30 ; Theophanes
Con., p. 829.
2 P. 83.
3 Vol. I., p. 602. Joel, Chronographia, p. 40.
4 Cons. P., Vol. I., pp. 30, 31, 165. In all probability there were
anciently copper-smiths' workshops beside the market-place on which, as
the Byzantine historians telſ us, Constantine the Great built S. Sophia.
This Church of Our Lady had a shrine containing relics of its patron,
eigépxeral eis Thu äytav gopov, Cons. P., Vol. I., pp. 166, 339; II., p. 136;
G. Kodinos, pp. 113, 275; G. Kedrenos, Vol. II., p. 18. In his account
of this Church, Du Cange writes ‘Aytoaupiragaſav instead of ‘Aytoo optória au.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 89
entering into the narthex, sits there awaiting the
Patriarch. The citizens and the inferior clergy
enter by the right door of the royal doors.” This
church was heightened and adorned by Basil the
Macedonian.” -
I mention these facts because they shew dis-
tinctly that this was a large church, and not a
mere chapel. It was sometimes called shortly the
Chalkoprateia. “On the 8th of September, a pro-
cession is held in honour of the nativity of our most
blessed Lady, the Mother of God, the ever-virgin
Mary, and the Emperors go with great pomp,
accompanied by all the Senate, to the Church of
Our Lady in the Copper Market.” “ A procession
was also made to the church on the 15th of March.
This church did not lie close beside S. Sophia,
for it was in all probability surrounded like all the
other churches by an extensive close; but rather
opposite to it on the south-east side, where the
Turkish building Dar-el-Funiſm was built a few
years ago."
Labarte would place the Church of Our Lady
near, or rather along the south side of S. Sophia.”
The Acta Patriarchatus mention a small monas-
1 Vol. II., p. 139.
2 Theophanes Com., p. 339; Anna Komnena, Vol. I., p. 278.
3 Cons. P., Vol. I., pp. 169, 781 ; Theophanes Con., p. 676.
4 Chalcopratiana quae Sophianae perinde aedi proxima fuit. Cpolis.
Christ., lib. iv., p. 85 ; Cons. P., Vol. I. p. 190. Gyllius states that an
unknown writer, in describing ancient Byzantion, places the Chalko-
prateia not far from the Milion. De Topogr., lib. ii., cap. 21.
5 Labarte, Plate II. According to him the axis of S. Sophia is not
exactly west and east as in other Christian churches, but inclines con-
siderably to the south. p. 17.
90 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
tery behind the east end of the most great and
sacred church of the Divine Wisdom, which is
dedicated to Our Lady, called the Varangian.
Unfortunately, nothing further is said about its
site." It is probable that this was the name given
towards the close of the Empire to the Church of
Our Lady in the Copper Market.
TEIE COWERED STAIRCASE.
Many, no doubt, have read that the Emperor
sometimes went up to the Catechumens' Gallery in
S. Sophia by a wooden staircase. It is extremely
difficult to understand how the Emperor could go
from the Palace to the galleries of S. Sophia, a dis-
tance of some 40 yards, by means of a wooden
staircase of such length. The situation of this
church in the Chalkoprateia, near S. Sophia, ex-
plains the difficulty. Let us consider the words
which Porphyrogennetos uses in describing the
ceremonies in the churches, and the adoration of
the Emperor in the Church of Our Lady in the
Copper Market. “Having saluted the sacred table,
and gone round it with a censer, he goes out, and
after praying in the South chapel, he places
his offering on the holy table and leaves it, and
ascends by the wooden staircase to the catechu-
mens' gallery, where he takes part in the Holy
Liturgy.” (I., 166.) “He passes through the
Magnaura, and the galleries above it, and enters
1 Vol. I., p. 423,
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 91
the catechumens' galleries of the Great Church by
the wooden staircase.” (I, 125.) “Ascending by
the wooden staircase, he enters the catechumeneia
of the Great Church.” (I., 157.) To prevent any-
one imagining that the Emperor went by this stair-
case to the catechumeneia of the Church of Our
Lady, he expressly adds that the Emperor took his
stand in the catechumeneia, “when the Liturgy was
finished.” This done, the Patriarch came up beside
the Emperor, and after embracing each other, they
went each his own way, the Patriarch to his own
residence, and the Emperor, by the usual and well-
known route through S. Sophia, to the Palace.
This wooden staircase was “the covered gallery of
the Palace,” which Justinian made “that he might
cross over as often as he wished.” It passed
through the Church in the Copper Market, and not
through the Palace walls.
In the south catechumens' gallery of S. Sophia, for
the aisles” on the ground-floor below are also called
catechumeneia, there is still preserved in the
eastern wall, a wooden door, about as high as a
man, fast closed, and never now-a-days opened,
which leads to no balcony, or passage. This, I
think, is the door to which the Emperor ascended by
the wooden staircase, that rested against the north
wall of the catechumens' court in the Church of
Our Lady.” This staircase was covered in, and
l G. Kodinos, p. 135.
2 On p. 138 Kodinos calls the galleries, ÖeūTepa Katmxoşueva.
8 De l'extremité orientale des Catéchumènes superieurs de la Grande-
Eglise, l'empereur pouvait passer dans son palais par un escalier de bois,
92 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
those ascending or descending by it could not be
seen. The little door is just above the single
eastern door of S. Sophia, through which they
enter as formerly by some steps.
We now enter S. Sophia that we may examine
Some fragments neglected in other accounts of this
church, though frequently mentioned by Constan-
time Porphyrogennetos. Without them the account
of the Palace will, in many places, be unintelligible.
METATOERION IN S. SOPHIA,
In the church in the lower south catechumeneia,
there was a chamber called Metatorion. It was
built by Justinian, “that he might go there with
his court and often eat.” Behind the bema was a
narrow passage, called the passage of S. Nicholas,
through which the Emperor always went in passing
from the north to the south catechumeneia.” On
the great festivals, those called deaToTucai, the
Emperor, who had his place at the altar in S.
Sophia, received the censer from the hand of the
Patriarch, and burnt incense before the crucifix of S.
Constantine,” which stood on the south side of the
Labarte, p. 32. According to our view, in Theophanes, Vol. I.,
p. 697: # 8aat)\toga Elphum du%)\9ev 6té. Tod &vagaotov Tàs XaXkfis els rô
karmyoºpewa Tàs &KKAmaias ph ééeX0000 a els Thu péamu Toà épéóAov, we
should read XaXkotpatetov instead of XaXkås. In the time of Gyllius,
the inhabitants thought that pillars used to support the stair by which
the Emperors went from the Palace to S. Sophia. De Topogr., lib. ii.,
cap. 18.
1 G. Kodinos, p. 135.
2 Cons. P., Vol. I., pp. 182, 184.
3 Ibid., pp. 5, 565, 636.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 93
bema, or rather, in the southern chapel. After
this, the Emperor and the Patriarch entered into
the chapel which stood before the metatorion, and
thence into the metatorion." Its position is clearly
indicated by Constantine Porphyrogennetos in the
words, “on the right hand side of the bema, before
the metatorion.” In this chamber the Emperor
occasionally ate with the Patriarch and the leading
and most intimate members of the Senate.”
There was another metatorion in the catechu-
mens' gallery above this, as may be inferred from
the words of the same writer. “The Augusta,” he
writes, “ comes out from the metatorion which is in
the catechumeneia.” “ That he does not mean those
on the ground-floor is evident from what follows.
“The Augusta rises up and enters the metatorion
with her personal attendants, and the rest of her
train go down to the Emperor.” In his description
of Orthodoxy Sunday, he writes, “going to the
catechumeneia by the spiral staircase behind the
apse, he enters the metatorion.” The way from the
lower metatorion to the catechumens' gallery was
1 Ibid., pp. 16, 17, 27, 64, 65, 133.
2 Kal &vaords & Saq i\ets diró toº kpápatos, ibid., pp. 68, 135, 185. Monks
often ate together in the church. See Kodinos Kour., p. 327.
3 Vol. I., pp. 67, 68. Paul the Silentiary writes of this chamber, in
his description of S. Sophia–
Affets Kai votimu 8oped Twów Tägav ćpolmu
p.mxeóav)w aibovo av, Šxet Öé tu kal TNéov jöe"
tetxel yáp Tuvu xàºpov d"Tokpw8évta ºbv) dooet
Aögovtwv 8a0t)\jī 6eogréirtous év éoptats.
évôa 6’ pºs okmºrtoi)xos éqiuevos m0áôt 6&K9
AwuattiróNots 8tº\otov čºv ćtrétaggev droviju.
vv. 5S0-585.
94. The Great Palace of Constantinople.
by this spiral staircase which he calls untatoptrós.
There was also a metatorion called the Patriarch's
in the Patriarcheion." Others are mentioned in
the church of SS. Sergius and Bacchus, and at
Blachernai.” Farther on, in his account of the pro-
motion of the Zosta Patricia,” he writes that after
the ceremony in the church, the cubicularii and
silentiarii conduct her to the metatorion at the
Thomaîtes.”
TEIE EIOLY WELL.
Beside the metatorion was a chamber with three
doors. Two of them were in the inside, and com-
municated with the metatorion and the choir of
the church. The other led outside to the Augus- .
taion. “And having saluted the Holy Well, they
enter by the door which leads thence into the
church.” “And their majesties going out by the
outer door of the Holy Well . . .” and, a little
further on, “the Emperor and Patriarch having
kissed each other, the Emperor goes out, and takes
his stand outside the gate of the Holy Well, which
1 Kal &Tépxovtat of Öea Tórat els Tô plm Tatēptov too tratpudpxou, Cons, P.,
Vol. I., p. 160.
2 Ibid., pp. 88, 157, 158.
3 [Erat Patricia Zosta foeminei comitatus Augustae princeps, eique
proxima comes et amica, sic forte dicta non quod cingeret et comeret
Augustam, sed quod cingulum seu baltheum, honoris indicium, adipisc-
eretur in sua promotione et gereret, Ibid, Vol. II., p. 166. Tr.]
4 Jbid., Vol. I., p. 260. The word pºntaréptov is from the Latin meta,
metatum, Cf. ibid., p. 393. [Du Cange, s. v. metare]. A curtain separated
it from the Holy Well, elo èpxera évôov rás Koprivas rās Kpep.apéums év tá,
âyig ppéatt, ibid., p. 68, etc.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 95
leads to the portico, and receives the Blue faction
there.” "
This chamber was known as the Holy Well, be-
cause the stone mouth was “brought from Samaria,
and was the one on which Christ sat talking to the
woman of Samaria.” The Byzantines held this
well in great reverence. In the chamber beside
the Holy Well the Emperor and the Patriarch often
kissed each other.
I shall quote some passages from Constantine
Porphyrogennetos that we may have the assistance
of one so thoroughly acquainted with Constan-
tinople. Describing the festival of the Annuncia-
tion, which occurs on the Sunday of the Middle
Week, he says —“The Emperor, entering by the
door of the Holy Well, lights candles, and prays.
The Patriarch receives the Emperor at the door
leading from the Holy Well into the church, and
having kissed and embraced one another, they go
into the church.” The same writer mentions
another holy well in the Palace, and also the
metatorion of the Magnaura.”
I have followed with great attention all Porphy-
rogennetos' descriptions of the civil and ecclesiasti-
cal ceremonies. No account, ancient or modern, of
S. Sophia, throws light on so many dark corners of
this great church. The metatorion, between which
and the bema was the southern chapel, containing
the well, does not now exist. From it, or rather its
l Cons, P., Vol. I., pp. 27, 34, 68, 135.
2 G. Kodinos, p. 142; Cons, P., Vol, I., pp. 18, 19,
3 Ibid., pp. 163, 583.
96 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
site, one enters by the eastern door of S. Sophia,
the only one in this wall." The well exists in the
site so distinctly indicated by Porphyrogennetos,
and is pointed out by all the clergy of the mosque.
The numerous processions toit, from the neighbouring
square of the Milion bear further witness to the truth
of his statements. It is, however, fenced all round
with boards, and covered with carpets.” It lies in
the middle of the southern lower catechumeneia. I
do not know whether the famous mouth, about
which so many enquiries have been made, is still
preserved.”
To the right of the well the Turks have built a
chamber, protected with rails, containing MS. and
printed service-books. The well itself is between
the great porphyry pillars and the wall. The
door which leads out of it to the Forum of the Milion
is still preserved just as described by Porphyro-
gennetos.
THE SPIRAL STAIR.
In the description of the palace in the Imperial
Stand, I mentioned the dark spiral staircase by
1 XT&s trpès Taºs pºeyia rats TúXaus [of S. Sophia] (bs 6' épéA\e 6tá ràs kat’
&vato)\&s TúAms ééépxea.0aw, KTA. G. Pachymeres, Vol. I., p. 270.
2 I think that Byzantios is wrong in writing “equally indeterminable
is the place once called the Holy Well.” Kiro)\ts, Vol. I., p. 498.
3 The porphyry omphalion in front of the holy doors, mentioned by
Porphyrogennetos (Vol. I., p. 15), is somewhat oval, and about seven
feet in diameter. It is adorned with variegated marbles, and is quite
intact, but hidden under mats and carpets. In the south end of the
narthex were the font and the often-mentioned Athyras, Ibid., pp. 156,
158, 164, 185,
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 97
which the Emperor and his suite gained access to
the stand. The word kox\tós was commonly used by
Byzantines of all spiral stairs in the Palace and the
churches." There was the great spiral stair in S.
Sophia, by which the Emperor descended to the
Didaskaleion, where the Paschal cycles were in-
scribed,” and another behind the bema.” George
Kodinos mentions the pillars of S. George the
wonder-worker, and that of S. Basil, on the north
and south side respectively of the women's gallery.
All the spiral and other staircases in S. Sophia
have been preserved, with the exception of the one
from the metatorion into the catechumens' gallery,
which I have not been able to discover. It is pro-
bable that it was destroyed along with the meta-
torion and the chamber of the Holy Well. The pre-
sent stair by which visitors ascend to the north
galleries, does not resemble the others. It was the
stair used in common by all the female congrega-
tion. The spiral stair from the holy well to the
south galleries, is a stair with stone steps, and is
closed by a wooden door." Another stair, now
closed up, similar to this, is to be seen in the east
wall of the southern catechumens' gallery. Pro-
1 Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 77. The door of the spiral stair is mentioned, in
the Church of the Holy Apostles (ibid., p. 100), of S. Mokios (ibid.), of the
Life-receiving Spring (p. 109) in Blachermai (pp. 257, 542) and in S. Chris-
tina (p. 214).
2 Ibid., p. 126.
3 Ibid., p. 160.
4 'Avépxovrat Övö tot, Kox\toū Tod Tpos Tô pºépos Tod & ylov ppéatos év Tots
wrpès divatoxás 6étois pºépeau Töv Katmxoupévetov, Ibid., p. 182.
9
9S The Great Palace of Constantinople.
bably this is the spiral stair behind the bema,
mentioned by Constantine Porphyrogennetos."
In the south end of the second or inner porch
there is a vaulted passage closed at the outer end
by a Byzantine door of great antiquity. In this
passage on the right hand side there is an ancient
door, now shut up. A stone stair inside it leads
up to the south catechumens' galleries. Constan-
tine Porphyrogennetos mentions this stair in his
account of the Imperial ceremony on the 14th of
September. The loggia, or rather vaulted passage,
below, was called the ÖtöaakaAeſov. “The Emperor,”
he writes,” “accompanying” the holy cross, de-
scends by the great spiral stair, and turning to the
left, crosses through the Didaskaleion where the
Paschal cycles are inscribed.” This part of S. Sophia
is unfortunately little referred to, and the accounts
of it are very vague."
I have given these few particulars about S.
Sophia, though there are perhaps many for whom
they contain nothing new, to prepare the way for
the following accounts. We have yet to study
other buildings in the Augustaion, which, though
not, it may be, of great size, bulked largely in the
history of the Empire.
1 Beneath the south catechumeneia there is a small chamber where the
Turks keep vessels belonging to S. Sophia. It is quite different from the
ancient sacristy.
2 Vol. I., p. 126, 167; cf. Byzantios, KiroMs., Vol. I., pp. 464, 517.
3 'Opukeiſou, Öiptºvov, obsequium. See Meursii Glossarium, 8, v. ÖVukeiſeuv.
4 Concerning the right of asylum of S. Sophia, see the Acta Patriar-
chatus, Vol. I., p. 232.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 99
CHAPTER IV.
IN the preceding chapter I have described some
buildings in the Augustaion, which are often men-
tioned by the Byzantine topographers and historians.
More conspicuous than their neighbours, and continu-
ally occurring in connection with political and ecclesi-
astical history, they aid us in forming a correct idea
of the other and smaller structures in the Augus-
taion. Readers of the voluminous narratives of these
writers are soon convinced that it is no easy task
to make out the site of buildings from them.
Though no doubt of great value, their accounts are
far from harmonious. They are careless in de-
scribing their situation, and our difficulties are
increased by the fact that the last ruins of the
buildings themselves, which had endured until the
final capture of the city, were utterly demolished
by the Philistine conquerors. f
Prokopios states that there was a market-place
in front of the Senate House, which the Byzantines
called Augustaion, and also that it was in front of,
and not far from the Palace. His account har-
monises entirely with all that I said about its situa-
tion being in front of the Palace."
1 Taºrms 6é Tås &yopás ot troX\@ (itroffev Tó, Saga)\éa's olkta éott, Vol. III.,
pp. 181, 202, 203.
100 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
The Augustaion was, as I have said, oblong
and adorned with noble buildings and works of art
from all parts of Greece and Asia. It was bounded
on the north by S. Sophia, on the east by the
Palace, and on the west by the eastern wall of the
Hippodrome. Of the boundaries on the south side
no account is given. At the present day this side
is entirely covered with Turkish houses, small
mosques, and enclosed gardens. It is probable that
here, among the extensive gardens of the Turks, all
access to which is denied, remains are preserved
which may indicate the boundaries at this end.
The breadth of the Augustaion from the Palace
walls to the Hippodrome is, as I said, 177 paces or
about 133 m. [150 yards]. The length from S.
Sophia to the conjectured southern boundary is
about 688 paces” or over 500 m. [about 570 yards].
The area of the whole is 73,150 sq. m.” Regular
measurements by experienced persons will give
more exact figures. The utter want of interest, and
the entire ignorance displayed by the Turkish
officials respecting the famous buildings that an-
ciently stood here, convince me that we shall never
be able to learn more about the dimensions of this
market-place, the boundaries of which have years
since been obliterated. The adornments and
1 Aéyovat 6é Trept too pópov &rt els plumavu Too 'Qkeavoj čktia 0m kuk)\oetóñs,
kal peºčovrat ot Tooro Aéyovres. G. Kodinos, p. 75.
2 [Here Dr. Paspates appears to take the 3%pa at the usual measure-
ment of 2% feet, and not as in the chapter on the Hippodrome at l; feet.
Tr.]
3 [From Dr. Paspates' figures this should be 66,500 sq. m., or 85,500
sq. yds.-Tr.]
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 101
remains have long ago been destroyed, or used for
other buildings since the Ottoman capture of
Constantinople. The place itself is now covered
over with ill-lighted evil-smelling workshops, and
strange public and private buildings, which Greek
and Western visitors alike regard with irritation
and anger. Should they venture to make investiga-
tions among them, they are stoned by the children
of the place, while the light-headed inhabitants
look on, and mock them.
THE STATUE OF EUIDOXIA.
Opposite the Senate House, which lay, as I said,
south of the Patriarcheion, anciently stood the
Statue of Eudoxia consort of Arcadius (395-408) of
which so much is said in the life of S. John
Chrysostom. According to Theophanes, the statue
was of silver, and stood in a place called the Pittakia,
near the Church of S. Irene." The choruses and
dances of the Pagan worshippers disturbed Chry-
sostom, and prevented him celebrating the Divine
Liturgy in quiet, in the neighbouring church of S.
Sophia, for the tumult “often interrupted them
whilst singing.” Manichaios, the pagan prefect of
the city incited Eudoxia against Chrysostom, repre-
senting that he was piqued at the honour paid to
her statue. At the same time Chrysostom preached
in the Cathedral a sermon against evil women, which
l Toºt® Tó éret (398) # 8a0'ſ) to ga Eijóošta dpyvpatav at #Xmu lötav Toujo aga,
êormae év Tótº \eyouévº Tă IIITTákua TXmatov Tijs ‘Aylas Elpiums, Vol. I.,
p. 123; G. Kedrenos, Vol. I., p. 563.
102 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
certain enemies of the faith reported as if levelled
at Eudoxia and the words uttered round her statue
by the frenzied crowd. The hostility of this woman
and those like-minded with her was the cause of
the banishment and death of the courageous Bishop.”
Amid the frequent encounters between the
citizens and the soldiers who guarded the Palace
walls, this piece of silver work, and its pedestal
which was covered with silver fell an early prey to
the mob, or to the opposing factions of the Hippo-
drome. How long it stood here, or when it
disappeared we do not know. According to the
Patriarch Constantius, and after him the learned
Byzantios, the pedestal was discovered in 1848,
during the excavations in the Augustaion, for the
new Ottoman University.” It is now preserved in
the Imperial Museum. The Patriarch also mentions
the two inscriptions, Latin and Greek on the
pedestal. The Greek inscription is damaged
through time. It is thus restored by him—
1 'Avôto Tarat Tú 3aot)\to a m Eiðošía, Táoxet troXX& 6t& Tooro 6elvá. M.
Glykas, pp. 479, 480; Zosimos, p. 278. 'Etrel 6é ač0ts avvé8m Tà sarà Tây
àpyvpāv at #Xmu Tàs Eööošías, Kai TráXtv piſtoros, kal TráXuv Čpy? . . . of h
6px?) TIá\ºv "How8tàs patveral. G. Kedrenos, Vol. I., p. 581.
2 "EXàagoves Xvy'ypaqal, p. 481 ; Byzantios, Kiro)\ts., Vol. I., p. 461.
The learned Patriarch, who has told us so much about Constan-
tinople, writes of this square :—‘‘About the base of this pedestal of
the pillar of Eudoxia, was uncovered the pavement of the once magni-
ficent square of the Augustaion. It consists of large black stones one
geometric foot in length, and a half in breadth, very well laid.” 'EXáo-
ooves 2vy'ypaſpal, p. 383. None of the remains recently disclosed has
escaped the eyes of this widely-learned hierarch. His words were
completely borne out by the operations of the English engineers, to which
I alluded above (Chapter II.) -
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 103
—ONATIOP45'ſ PEHNKAIAPTTPEHNBAXIAEIAN
AEPKEOENOATIOAHIOEMIXTETO'ſ XINANARTEX
ONOMOAAEIIIO6EEIXETAOEIATIXAANEOHKEN
2IMITAIKIOX METAAQNTIIATONTONOXEXGAOX′Y′IIAPXOX
[Ki) ova Topſpupému Kal &pyvpému 8aat)\etav
Aépkeo, ev6a tróAmt 6epua Tetſova'u "Avakres.
Ovopa 5’ el Tofféets, Eööošía Tis 6° àvé0mkev ;
24tr?\iktos pleyā)\ov ÚtráTaou Yóvos éa 6Xès (Trapy.os.1
DN. AEL, EVIDOXIAESEMPERAVGVSTAE
YG, SIMPLICIWSPRAEF.C. URB. DEDICAVIT
Dominae Aeliae Eudoxiae semper Augustae
YG. Simplicius Praefectus Urbis dedicavit.
The great Ottoman University” is at the northern
end of the Augustaion, where in Byzantine times
the Church of Our Lady in the Copper Market, and
the Patriarcheion with its garden stood. The east
front adorned with marble pillars, is built upon the
eastern wall which divided the Augustaion from the
Palace. If the statute of Eudoxia was, as Theo-
phanes and Byzantios say, near the Pittakia and
S. Irene, how did the pedestal come to be found in
the excavations for the University ? According to
Sozomenos the Pittakia stood in front of the house of
the Great Council, i.e. the Senate House,” and south
of S. Sophia, near S. Irene. This is a manifest
1 Praefectus urbis modo ŠTapxos modo Tapxos appellatur. Reiske in
Cons. P., Vol. II., p. 37. [“Behold an imperial pillar of porphyry and
silver, where the princes of the city deliberate. If thou desirest the
name 'tis Eudoxia ; and who erected it 7 Simplicius the noble scion of
mighty consuls, the prefect.”] -
2 Dar-el-Fumºn, or House of the Sciences.
8 Concerning the Pittakia, see G. Kodinos, pp. 35, 186. The term
oró)K\mros is applied by Porphyrogennetos to the members of the Senate :
p.mvijetat Tāora h a tºyk\mros ºva Tpoé\6m però d\\ašiūwv, Vol. I., pp. 236,
237.
104 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
contradiction because S. Sophia lies between the
Augustaion and S. Irene, so that the pillar could not
have been south of S. Sophia, and at the same time
near S. Irene, which lies further north. Moreover
the Hospital of Sampson lay between the two
churches.
Near S. Irene, where the Emperor and the
Patriarch sometimes attended church together,
there was another ecclesiastical building, known
as the Church of the Deaconess, or Deaconesses."
Remains of it still exist, I think, in the huge
underground vaults of Byzantine construction which
once formed a foundation for the building on this
sloping site,” and on which the Turks have now
erected their Archaeological Museum, and School
of Fine Arts. That these were the founda-
tions of a church seems to be the case from
the crosses still to be seen on the great pillars
buried in the depths of the vaults. On the
whole, it appears to me improbable that the
Byzantines should have erected a statue beside so
many well known churches. Besides, the sound of
the mob's dancing and orgies in a place so far
removed from S. Sophia would not disturb the
1 The Patriarch Kyriakos built this Church of the Deaconess, while
still a deacon, in the reign of the Emperor Mauricius (582-602); G.
Kodinos, p. 105. There was another church of this name ; Cons. P.,
Vol. I., pp. 75, 85, 590; G. Kedrenos, Vol. I., p. 699.
2 Byzantios, Ktroxts, Vol. I., p. 155. Kedrenos (Vol. I., p. 679)
mentions two cells of ascetics (&akºripta) beside S. Irene, which were
burnt in the Insurrection of the Nika. The Byzantine writers give very
vague accounts of them. After a certain festival in the Hippodrome, the
Green faction went in procession to the Church of the Deaconess, probably
to this spacious crypt. Cons, P., Vol. I., pp. 357, 590,
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 105
choristers there. From all these circumstances, the
truth of which any one may test for himself by
inspecting the spot, I conclude that the statue of
the vain-glorious Eudoxia stood in the Augustaion,
not before the Patriarcheion but before the Senate
House." The pedestal found in the excavations
for the Ottoman University certainly belongs to
this statue. It may be that after the death of
Chrysostom, the statue was torn down by the mob
in its anger against Eudoxia, and the pedestal cast
far from its original place. The intervention of
other buildings, the Milion and the Church of
Alexios, precludes the idea of its being erected nearer
the Church of S. Sophia. Besides, a broad and open
space, where a large concourse could collect without
hindrance, was favourable to shouting and Orgies
enough to disturb the singers in S. Sophia, and
Chrysostom as he officiated.
Here we may refer to the account of the life of
Chrysostom by Simeon Metaphrastes,” whose know-
ledge of the topography of Constantinople is of
great value. “A certain silver statue of the
Empress stood on a pillar somewhere near the
church called Sophia. At it the children of the
city were wont to gather. This the great man
judged to be in contempt of the Church, owing to
their making reply in a disorderly and unseemly
fashion to the sacred hymns which were being sung.
When after much admonition, he had failed to
l Gyllius, lib. ii., cap. 9.
2 Migme's Patrologia Graeco-Latina, Vol. CXIV., cap. 47,
106 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
induce them to cease, he assailed with his tongue
those who allowed the nuisance to go on.” From
this we see that the cries of those who paid homage
to the statue disturbed the people worshipping in
the church of S. Sophia. The statue disappeared
after the death of Chrysostom and of Eudoxia, for
no mention of it is found in the subsequent history
of the Empire.
A little lower down" Simeon mentions a fact
which confirms all that I have already said about
the site of the buildings in the Augustaion, and
especially the Senate House. The same day as Chry-
sostom was exiled, “a heaven-sent fire, kindled by no
human hand, broke out at the throne on which he
was wont to sit and pour out his holy teaching, and
sprang up to a great height. Then, having eaten
through the roof, it spread along the top of the vener-
able chambers. The wind carried the flames, and bore
them to the Senate House, which was far from the
centre of the fire, sparing like a rational creature
the buildings between, so that no one might ascribe
the occurrence to the proximity of the buildings.
And in the space of three hours a building of great
size, which had taken a long time to build, of most
costly materials, and most beautiful appearance,
was totally destroyed, and reduced to nothing.
Thus this fire of divine origin, crept round in a
circle, and on its return spared only the little
building, where the bulk of the sacred vessels were
kept.”
1 Cap. 50.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 107
From this narrative I am persuaded that between
S. Sophia and the Senate House stood the Patri-
archeion, and the connected buildings, in which the
sacred vessels were preserved.
The buildings erected by Justinian in the Augus-
taion after the bloody insurrection of the Nika,
were erected on the sites of those burnt down, for
the Augustaion, bounded by the walls of the
Palace and the Hippodrome, could be neither
extended nor lessened. A clear and circumstantial
account is given by Prokopios." Justinian ac-
quired a considerable piece of ground and some
houses beside it belonging to private owners for the
new Church of S. Sophia. The strong walls of the
Palace and the Hippodrome, on either side of the
Augustaion, remained as they had been erected by
Severus and Constantine the Great. In short,
Justinian re-erected the same buildings on the same
sites, only more magnificent than those burnt in
the insurrection.
From the testimony of many writers about the
site on which S. Sophia was built by Constantine
the Great, it appears that all the place was then
called Gousteion. According to some, this was a
corruption of Augusteion. The place was more
probably the Provision Market. Such is the
opinion of Kodinos. “The place was styled
Augustaion. It was formerly called Gousteion, that
is the Provision Market.” On the authority of
I Vol. III., pp. 167, et seq.
2 G. Kodinos, p. 28. Eu tº l'ova-Tetºp jºyovu Tô dipotra)eig ; Meursii,
Gloss., s, v, Tova Tetov.
108 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
many more writers, I should conclude that it was
originally a market, and that the name, like many
other words in the vulgar Byzantine dialect, was em-
ployed by later generations of inhabitants, ignorant,
or forgetful of its derivation from the Latin.
The eminent Byzantios very properly writes :
“One can only conjecture, that before S.
Sophia was built, this square was probably the
Provision Market, which may have been subse-
quently removed elsewhere.” "
After the time of Constantine the Great, the
buildings here, S. Irene, the Hospital of Sampson,
and S. Sophia, with the adjoining buildings, covered
all this extensive market place, which, as I said, is
sometimes mentioned in accounts of the ancient
city before the time of Constantine the Great. It
is however evident that it extended further south
of S. Sophia, to the place where the Milion or great
Milestone stood.
THE MILION.
The Milion * was a building which stood to the
south of S. Sophia, near the Hippodrome. It was
known as the apse or chamber of the Milion,” some-
1 KToxts, Vol. I, p. 441 ; Meursii, Gloss., S. v. Abºyowa redºv.
2 The name is from the Latin. Mt.Atov, p.érpov yīs, Souidas. It was
also called MiXtaptov, and, incorrectly, Mixtapíovov–Tô Toij vopataparos
ôékarov, Souidas. McAtaptatov, Miliarense, nummi genus, duodecima pars
solidi, G. Kedrenos (annot.), Vol. II., p. 921.
3 IIAffauov Tàs à pióos Toſ, pu)\tov, G. Kodinos, p. 38, Øſ. 35. 60xh 0' év
Tø (povputkó Too McAtov–6éxoviral of rot, p.6povs Tóv Bevčrwu év tº kap&pg
Toº LXtov, Cons. P., Vol. I., pp. 32, 51, 56, 106, 375. Povputköv, Furni instar
habens, laqueatum, cameratum, J. Meursii, Gloss. Gyllius, lib. ii., cap. 9,
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 109
times as the rostrum (Šušoxos) of the Milion." The
name of the building was also applied to all the
northern part of the Augustaion as far as S.
Sophia. How far south the space so-called ex-
tended, is not clear. According to Constantine
Porphyrogennetos, the northern part of the Forum
was called the Milion, and the southern the
Marble Walk (To Mapuapotov) or the Pavement (Tö
TAakotó v). 2
The Milion was originally a simple column. In
course of time a square building resting on seven
marble pillars was built in place of the column.
Steps led up to a raised floor, from which sprang
an upper range of pillars supporting a domed
chamber—the Chamber of the Milion. This cham-
ber is mentioned very frequently by all the Byzan-
tine historians, especially by Constantine Porphy-
rogennetos in his account of the public ceremonies
and processions of the Emperor to S. Sophia, the
route of which lay through the Milion. At it he
used to receive the courtiers, and the chiefs of the
factions.” It is difficult to understand the plan
and dimensions of the building from the historians.
According to Kodinos, it contained the monuments
of Constantine the Great and S. Helena, of Sophia
the wife of Justin the Thracian, Arabia his
daughter, and his niece Helena." That it stood
1 Aue) 86vres Tiju péamu èa's Tod (wVlov elaſi)\}ov čvá tod óp 3óNov Tod pu)\tov,
Cons, P., Vol. I., p. 502.
2 Ibid., p. 84.
3 Ibid., pp. 51, 56, 63, 168, 185, 375.
4 G. Kodinos, pp. 28, 35.
110 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
opposite the south door of S. Sophia is shewn by
the following passage : “At the Milion the mem-
bers of the Senate dismounted from their horses,
and made their way on foot before the Emperor,
to the Holy Well in S. Sophia.” Certain
criminals were sent there to beg. * The building
was square, and had four arched doorways, by
which one could pass from side to side. From the
large number of courtiers and prominent citizens
who collected there at some processions, I should
infer that it was a building of considerable size.
The Patriarch Constantius says that in the exca-
vations in 1848 they observed some remains ap-
parently of a triumphal arch, but this “object
which resembled an arch was a very large vault
with arches supported on seven marble pillars
which lay in the so-called Milion.” “ In the time
of Gyllius, remains of the building were preserved.
On a pillar he read, 'Ev Toºto vika." Taking all
things into consideration, I should place it opposite
the south door of S. Sophia—the Horologion—and
west of the Patriarcheion.
The heads of decapitated malefactors were ex-
posed on this building. “He ordered his head to
be cut off in the Kynegion of the city, and to be
hung in mid-air from the place called the Milion.”
“They beheaded Baktageios in the Kynegion, and
1 Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 506.
2 Theophanes Con., p. 680.
3 'EXágooves 2vyypaqat, p. 384.
4 Lib. ii., cap. 18.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 111
hung his head in the Milion for three days.” Con-
stantine Porphyrogennetos says nothing about this
custom. Possibly it was observed only during the
latter days of the Empire.
THE STATUE OF JUSTINIAN.
South of the Milion was the splendid erection,
upon which stood the colossal statue of Justinian.
It is alluded to by most of our historians. Gyllius'
account is, that some time previous to his visit the
barbarians had stripped the statue of Justinian, and
had removed all the bronze ornaments. Thirty years
previously, the statue and all the column above
the pedestal had fallen. What remained had been
converted into a fountain, and the statue carried
off, and kept in some part of the Sultan's palace,
whence it was taken to a foundry where military
engines were made. The leg of Justinian was
greater than Gyllius' stature. The nose measured
more than nine inches long. The feet of the horse,
which lay stretched on the ground, he could not
measure, but he succeeded in measuring one of the
hoofs without the knowledge of the Turks. It was
nine inches long.”
I know of no other writer who gives the dimen-
sions of this work of art, of which the Byzantine
writers often speak in the highest terms. Before
Gyllius' visit, Buondelmonti had seen the statue
l Nikephoros Patr., p. 84. Theophanes, Vol. I., pp. 647-8.
2 Lib. ii., cap. 17.
112 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
l
standing." Prokopios gives by far the best descrip-
tion of the column and the statue, and other writers
have been content to copy from him.” “There is
a market-place in front of the Palace. The Byzan-
times call this market-place Augustaion. Here no
fewer than seven courses of stones are set together
in a square. Each recedes, and is so much less
than the one below it, that it does not project so
far, and thus stages are formed, on which the men
gathered there sit as on steps. On the summit of
the stones stands a pillar of marvellous height. It
is not, however, a monolith, but is composed of
great stones set in circles, dovetailed at the join-
ings, and fitted into one another by the art of the
stone-cutters. The finest bronze, cast into the
form of bas-reliefs and wreaths, covers the stone all
over. In colour, the bronze is fairer than pure
gold, and in value is very nearly equal to silver.
On the top of this pillar stands a bronze horse of
immense size, facing the East, truly a notable sight.
It seems to be going bravely forward. On this
horse sits the statue of the Emperor like a colossus.
He is shod in half-boots, and his legs are without
greaves. He is cuirassed like a hero, and a helmet
guards his head, giving the impression that he is
commanding. He looks to the rising sun, riding, I
l Extra ecclesiam ad meridiem in platea columna septingentorum
culitorum alta videtur. Apud N. Bryennium, p. 180. Labarte (p. 36,
note) correctly changes “septingentorum ” into “septuaginta.” The
same correction was already pointed out by the editors of Nikephoros
Gregoras (Vol. II., p. 1221).
2 Vol. III., p. 181; G. Kodinos, pp. 28, 69 ; N. Gregoras, Vol. II.,
p. 1217 ; G. Kedrenos, Vol. I., p. 656.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 113
think, against the Persians. In his left hand he
holds an orb, by which the artist shews that all the
earth and sea are subject to him. He has neither
sword nor spear, nor any other weapon, but on the
orb there is a cross, from which, indeed, proceed
both his empire and his success in war. Holding
forth his outstretched hand to the East, he com-
mands the barbarians there to stay at home, and
advance no farther.”
According to Constantine Porphyrogennetos,”
there was in the building where the colossus stood,
a colonnade (ktovoa Taala), and steps leading up to a
broad flat platform, on which the members of
the Senate took their stand at great Imperial fes-
tivals in the Palace. The interior was called
ktovoa Taata. The metropolitans and archbishops
ascended by the left hand flight of stairs. In this
same building there was a chapel of S. Constantine
connected with the statue.” After service there,
the Emperor went to the neighbouring church of
Our Lady of the Copper Market. Kodinos” calls
this statue the Pillar of Theodosios, and places it
in the great Milion. In the same passage he de-
scribes it as having eight columns. In another
passage he states that Justinian erected an eques-
trian statue of himself on a pillar ; his description
of it is the same as Prokopios’.” A statue of Theo-
1 Vol. I., pp. 28, 609, 610.
'Avépxetal év tº evKT)piq, Tod attoo kiovos, jyovu Too Aytov Kovoltav-
tlvov, Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 30. 3 P. 69. 4 P. 28.
5 Sir John Mandeville writes of this pillar—“And before the Church is
the image of the Emperor Justinian, covered with gold, and he sits
IQ
114 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
dosios anciently stood on this pillar, whence the
confusion in the accounts of the historians, some
calling it the pillar of Justinian, others the pillar
of Theodosios. Beside it were six great marble
columns. According to Nikephoros Gregoras, the
pillar stood before the doors of the great church of
the Wisdom of God." Pachymeres writes:—“A
ring of public buildings was anciently built round
about the church of S. Sophia, in the midst of
which is the Augusteon, that is, the pillar of Jus-
tinian Augustus, erected in his honour soon after
he had undergone the toils of the campaign against
the Persians.” His next words, “which may be
seen on the left hand by those entering the
church,” shew that the statue stood to the south of
S. Sophia. Pachymeres must mean the south or
Horologion door, for persons entering by the Great
Porch could not see it. In his description of the
earthquake which destroyed half of Cyzicus, Ked-
renos writes:—“All the pavement about the
Bronze Pillar was of golden tiles, forming the
entrance to the Palace of Constantine the Great,
which is still called the Bronze Gate. This pillar
is the one called Augusteon.” ” From these words
of Kedrenos, we see that the site of the often
mentioned Bronze Gate of the Palace was opposite
this statue.
crowned upon a horse . . . This inlage stands upon a pillar of
marble at Constantinople.” Wright's Early Travels in Palestine, p. 130.
This traveller visited the city in 1333.
I Vol. I., p. 275.
2 Vol. I., p. 656 ; Theophanes Com., p. 808.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 115
The pillar and its statue lay to the north of the
Milion. Constantine Porphyrogennetos, detailing
the ceremonies on the Feast of the Annunciation,
says that the Emperor comes out of S. Sophia, and
proceeds to the Milion. Thence he passes through
the middle and goes up the Forum as far as the
pillar where the Church of S. Constantine is built."
From his words we get an explanation of the
obscurity caused by the historians giving the name
Forum to the space about the column of Justinian,
commonly called the Augustaion. In this Church
of S. Constantine there were two altars or chapels,
one to S. Constantine, and the other to S. Helena.”
The Milion and the statue of Justinian were
built not in the middle of the Augustaion, but
more towards the walls of the Hippodrome. There
was thus a clear space between them and the
opposite buildings, the Senate House, and the
Patriarcheion. This was called the Middle () uéa.m.)
The same name was also given to the thoroughfare
running from S. Sophia, behind the Imperial Stand
in the Hippodrome, which still exists under the
name of Diván Ghiultſ.” “Germanus then, arrived
at his own house by the thoroughfare which is
vulgarly called the Middle.” It must, however, be
1 Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 164.
2 Probably situated on either side of the great column, for such
structures were not erected on churches. Ibid., p. 534.
3 I.e., the Public Road.
4 Theophylaktos, p. 329. The name puéa”) was also given to the road
leading from the Golden land-gate to S. Sophia and the Palace. I
think, however, that they are mistaken who apply this name to the
thoroughfare between S. Sophia and the land-gate of Adrianople.
116 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
understood that these buildings—the Milion, and
the statue of Justinian, were not connected with
the wall of the Hippodrome, where such serious, and
often fatal brawls and riots between the factions
took place. This I hope to shew later on."
TEIE PITTAIKIA.
The Pittakia, or according to some Byzantine
writers the Pittakes, are mentioned as being in the
Augustaion. Our historians give but little aid in
determining its site. The only writer, Greek or
foreign, who does so is Kodinos who merely says,
“There, at the steps of the column.” In the
chapter on the Hippodrome, I quoted an epigram
on a house in the Augustaion, between the Hippo-
drome and the Baths of Zeuxippos. This house lay
opposite the Baths, and consequently at the south
end of the Augustaion. Probably there were other
houses alongside it. Kodinos” account of the
Pittakia is that the Pittakes was the pillar of the
great Leo Makeles, which his sister Euphemia
erected, because “her house was there, and every
week the Emperor used to resort to it, because she
was prudent, and a virgin.” All who had any
grievance presented their petitions (Tittakta) there.
Every morning the Emperor sent a gentleman in
waiting" to collect the petitions, and gave his answers
1 G. Kodinos, p. 169, 241 ; Theophanes Com., p. 645.
2 Pp. 35, 186. These and other passages of the same writer are not
clear.
6 E360p.a6áplot or égöopæptov was the name given to the weekly atten-
dants in the Emperor's bed-chamber. &n to 6ev 6é too 3eartaptov, 3) roß
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 117
early the next morning. From this short account we
learn little or nothing about the site of the building.
It is evident that the place commonly called the
Pittakia was in the Augustaion, probably near the
statue of Justinian, and opposite the Bronze Gate
leading into the Palace. According to the pas-
sage quoted from Kodinos, the pillar was built
near the house of the sister of the great Leo
Makeles. Possibly it was a domed building,
through a window in which, the petitions were
thrown. I should think that it lay south of the
statue of Justinian. The contradictory statements
of Byzantine writers proceed sometimes from their
ignorance, sometimes from the overthrow and
disappearance of the buildings during the thousand
years of Byzantine rule."
There remain yet other buildings often men-
tioned in the valuable work of Constantine
Porphyrogennetos, which describes the Imperial
festivals, public ceremonies, and processions to
churches at some distance from the Palace. All
these buildings, which are not described, but merely
alluded to by him, were in existence in the brighter
days when he was Emperor. The student of the
topography of the Palace and the surrounding
buildings must be guided mainly by him. Many
q}\}\akos, Kal Kaffeśńs Kottajvutóv Kai égöopaptayu Kai \outóv Švakovoúvtov oiketayu
Tim 8aat)\lkm titmpeoria, I. Meursii, Glossarium ; d.Toa TéX\et orexévrićptov Tów
ëxovira égöopad.6a év tº TpoeNečget toº itſtroöpópov—tº ot)\evTaptºp Tó &vrt
égöopaptºp. Cons. P., Vol. I., pp. 273, 274.
l Taj \s' éret [too 'Iovo Tuvaavoſ)] yé yove tróXuy a Táo is 6mpotuki) éu To's
IIurraktous, kal troX\oys attöv ć 3aot)\eys étupuwpija aro. G. Kedrenos, Vol. I.,
p. 679,
118 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
later writers have described them, not from any
distinct knowledge, but merely from recollection or
tradition. The destruction of the majority of
them, which took place on the accession of
Michael Palaiologos in 1261, I will subsequently
relate in the few extant words of our historians.
No one thought of restoring the falling palaces,
for the State was poverty stricken, and the
Emperors were living at Blachernai.
TEIE HOROLOGION.
The Horologion is frequently mentioned by Con-
stantine Porphyrogennetos, who describes the
Emperor as passing from the Palaces through the
Middle of the Milion and the Augustaion, and
entering by the Horologion of the Great Church."
The Emperor Nikephoros at his proclamation,
“went on foot from the Forum and entered S.
Sophia in the procession of the Holy Cross, and
stood at the Horologion to receive the acclamations
of both the factions.”
In the south side of S. Sophia, underneath the
women's gallery, was the chamber of the Holy
Well, where certain rites were performed when
the Emperor and Patriarch visited the place in the
course of the Imperial ceremonies. An arched exit
1 Vol. I., p. 38, 63, 415.
2 Ibid., p. 439; G. Kodinos, p. 136. For information about this
horologion and others in Byzantion, see the learned notes of Reiske,
Cons. P., Vol. II., p. 559. ‘O pixdoroqos Aéov Ó 6eorga\ovſkms yewópºevos
Tpóeópos, Tó flaatket Geoght)\g avg|3ovXeča'as, dºs dºpoxöyta étrotmarev 6%, 8% to ov
Kágvoura. Theophanes Con., p. 681,
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 119
from the Well to the square of the Milion is still
preserved. This door led directly to the Augus-
taion, and by it the Emperors usually went to and
from the Church. The Horologion, which the
historians mention without any further descrip-
tion, was over this door. “And he goes out
through the side of the Church as if to the Meta-
torion, and so to the Horologion.”’’ That it was
attached to the south wall, is evident from the
following passage in Constantine Porphyrogennetos'
account of the proclamation of the Emperor Leo,
“And he goes into the Church, passing through
the Augustaion opposite the Horologion.”
Kedrenos calls it the Horologion of the Milion.”
The k. Byzantios justly remarks that it is not
clear whether it was a sundial or a clepsydra or
both.*
S. JOHN's, THE BAPTISTERY.
From the words of Kodinos,” “ and he built the
Church of S. John, called the Baptistery, which is
beside the Horologion,” there can be no doubt about
the site of this building. Constantine Porphyro-
I Coms. P., Vol. I., pp. 14, 268.
2 Vol. I., p. 414.
3 Vol. I., p. 650,
4 KiroNts, Vol. I., p. 449. A sun-dial would be useless in the sunless
winter of Constantinople. Constantine Porphyrogennetos mentions another
horologion in the Church of SS. Sergius and Bacchus, Vol. I., pp. 526,
535, 536, 580, 605, 622. See also the epigrams eis dºpoxöylov in the
Anthology, Vol. II., pp. 258, 259, and the notes of the learned hierarch of
Imbros on one found in that island. Proceedings of the Philological
Society of Constantinople, Vol. XIII., 1880, p. 4.
5 P, 135, -
120 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
gennetos" often mentions it, sometimes as the
Church of S. John, sometimes as the Baptistery.
Another Baptistery in the Palace is mentioned.
The numerous explicit statements of the site of
the Horologion which this writer gives, help us to
fix the real site of this Church.” The k. Byzantios
writes, “At the north-east corner of the Cathedral
there is an octagonal building, which I take to be
the Church of S. John the Forerunner, called the
Baptistery or the Great Baptistery, perhaps also
used as a sacristy.” Here he is manifestly at
variance with Kodinos, who places the Baptistery
beside the Horologion, on the south side of S.
Sophia. Du Cange identifies it with the building
at the west end of S. Sophia, not far from the
Narthex.”
The font of S. John Baptist was probably the
great Oval marble basin now contained in the en-
closure of the Mosque Zeineb Sultan, which lies to
the west of S. Sophia, opposite the Palace Gate
known as Sootſk Djesme Kapusé.” The fact that
this immense font has been conveyed from its
original position, convinces me that the Church of
the Forerunner has been destroyed.
It is, as I said just now, very often noticed by
1 Vol. I., pp. 14, 192, 415.
2 Ibid., Vol. II., p. 559.
3 Kºroxts, Vol. I., p. 506.
4 Paulus Silentiarius, p. 149.
5 Gate of the Cold Spring. In the precincts of the Mosque Kotza
Mustapha Pasha, a Byzantine Church of SS. Peter and Paul, there is
another smaller font. These are the only two known. See Bušavruval
MeXérat, p. 317.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 121
Constantine Porphyrogennetos.” “At the baptism
of a male child of the Emperor . . . at the
Emperor's command, the magistri, proconsuls,
patricians, generals, commanders, commanders of
cavalry, officials, and all the Senate, take their rank
and proceed to the Great Baptistery of the
Cathedral, and their Majesties go in front, attended
by their body guards as is the custom on great
festivals.” The sons of the Emperor were al-
ways baptized in this Baptistery.” From the con-
course of so many people the size of the church
must have been considerable. It is useless for
writers to seek this building on the north side of
S. Sophia. The south side, which looks directly
to the Augustaion and the Milion, where so many
ceremonies were performed, and through which the
Emperors came and went, could not have been
blocked up by so large a church. A building such
as S. John the Baptist's built near this side of
S. Sophia was destroyed by the Turks.” To justify
this remark, I may state that in 1876, while clear-
ing the ground to the west of S. Sophia, which was
then occupied by work-shops, and poor Turkish
dwelling-houses, two colossal marble pillars were
uncovered on the South-west side supporting a
brick arch. Some months later the pillars fell,
1 Vol. I., pp. 619, 413,
2 Kai et:apévm [i] &aat)\to ga] Tpú Tâs eloſéöov too &ytov 69avao Tmptov, pºetſ\-
6evels Tov Aéyav 8attuo Tſipa. G. Kedremos, Vol. I., p. 792.
3 On the Baptistery was inscribed vipovavopm/watapºmpovavoplu, which
can be read either backwards or forwards. Byzantios, Karoxus, Vol. I.,
p. 464. According to the Patriarch Constantios ('EX&ora oves avy Yp.), this
iambic was written round the edge of the tank (pud Mm) in the Narthex.
122 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
were broken to pieces, and disappeared. The
passage under this arch was called the Amethas."
Salzenberg gives representations of the Baptistery
in the sixth plate of his great work; but the build-
ing represented is not the true one.” S. Sophia
has suffered many changes at the hands of the
Turks.
The Baptistery had the right of sanctuary.
Prokopios, for instance, telling of Theodora pursu-
ing Photios, writes —“And the second time he
came into the sanctuary of S. Sophia, and sud-
denly sat down somewhere on the sacred font itself,
which the Christians are wont to observe with
special veneration.”’’ The Chronicon Paschale"
writes of Basiliskos pursued by the Emperor Zeno :
“Basiliskos, taking his wife and children, fled for
refuge to the great church of Constantinople at the
great font'—ſpotta Tiptov, as the Byzantines some-
times called it.
For want of the guidance of Constantine Por-
phyrogennetos, Du Cange, like other writers, has
fallen into error in his description of Constantin-
ople, especially of the Palace and the buildings
contained in it. He and Banduri have been
slavishly followed by the majority of later writers,
whence the many glaring errors in the accounts of
the topography of the city.
1 Thu kapāpav thu Xeyop,éumu Töv Avnbäv. Cons, P., Vol. I., p. 583.
2 J. Labarte, p. 30.
3 Vol. III., p. 28.
4 Vol. I, p. 601.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 123
THE CHURCH OF S. JOHN, OR THE DÍiPPION.
Before his accession, Nikephoros Phokas erected
in the Augustaion a church without a roof dedicated
to S. Phokas. After his proclamation, he placed
two statues of horses near it, and called the place
Diippion. “There he also set four pictures in gold
mosaic of Constantine and Helena.” The Church,
which was renewed by Basil the Macedonian, stood
at the entrance to the Palace called the Mono-
thyros.” In Byzantine history it is usually termed
the Diippion. “On the 26th of September, the
memory of S. John the Divine is celebrated, the
Emperor and his train going to his venerated
church in the Diippion.” At the chariot races,
which took place on the 11th of May, they led in
the horses through the Diippion and the first porch
of the Mangana.”
In the riot which took place in the Augustaion,
on May 2nd, 1182, the followers of the Emperor
Alexios went out by the gate Monothyros" of the
Palace, entered the Church of S. John, and then
fought against the soldiers of the Caesar John, who
were stationed in the Milion. A large body of
soldiers came out of the Palace and blocked up the
1 Theophanes Con., p. 336.
2 Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 562. elaſtaat Tö. Tpéra Töv Tot, €eoNóyov 'Iodivvov
vaēv, @ Tö étrik\mu Atītrīrtov, N. Choniates, p. 307.
3 Cons. P., Vol. I., pp. 341, 376. Kal &Tokwet ék Too Stürtriov, ibid.,
p. 366. Tóte 68 Kal rod MiXtov ji Kapuāpa xeparata trópta fiv, Kai eis Tö Ötittriov
ju i d\\ayi. G. Kodinos, p. 51.
4 This gate was near the Numera, and led from the Palace to the
Augustaion,
124 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
streets leading to the Augustaion, thus cutting off
those in the Milion from all help. Towards even-
ing the followers of the Caesarissa were driven out
of the Milion. The followers of Alexios erected
the standards of the Emperor upon the building,
and from the Palace of the Milion and the Church
of S. John, they fought against those in the
Augustaion with stones and darts, as well as “from
the statue called Makron, which commanded the
Augustaion, and the Thomaſtes which is connected
with it.”" From these words of Choniates it is
evident that the darts discharged from the Church
of S. John hit the enemy in the Milion.
In the ancient Augustaion, which, as I said, is
now full of Turkish buildings, there is to the south
of the Ottoman University, a little lane called
Medresé Sokaghi.” In it are preserved strong
walls of Byzantine build, with little low doorways,
plain to every passer by. The owner of this build-
ing would never give me permission to inspect the
interior. I think that these are the ruins of the
Church of S. John. For it was in this quarter
that the historians say it was built, and there I
have placed it. The Patriarch Constantius is in
error when he says that after the capture of the
Turks it was used as a menagerie.”
1 N. Choniates, p. 307-9. I have mentioned this Makron in the account
of the Patriarcheion.
2 School Street.
3 Tournefort (Vol. II., p. 193) says—“A quelques pas de-lâ (S. Sophia)
se voit une vieille tour, que l’on prétend avoir servi d'Eglise aux
Chrétiens; on y nourrit plusieurs bêtes et c'est comme un petite ména-
gerie du Grand Seigneur.” The tower was not this church. Perhaps it
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 125
THE CHURCEI OF ALEXIOS.
This church is spoken of in the above-mentioned
narrative of Choniates. He writes —“When the
hour of fighting drew near, about the third hour,
when the market place was crowded, these soldiers
distressed not a little the supporters of the Caesar-
issa who were fighting from the Arch of the Milion,
and the Church of Alexios.” From these words it
appears that the church was beside the Milion, and
between it and the statue of Justinian. I do not
know whether this church is mentioned by other
historians.
THE BATHS OF ACHILLES.
Near the Gate of Meletios, which lay to the
north of the Church of Our Lady in the Copper
Market, were the Baths of Achilles, which most
probably gave the name to the Passages of Achilles.
They lay to the north of the Gate. Constantine
Porphyrogennetos writes:– “The fifth reception is
at the place called Achilles near the Great Gate of
Meletios.” “Thence they hold a reception, op-
posite the Achilles at the Gate of Melete.”
In these baths stood a statue of Achilles, whence
their name. The Chronicon Paschale * says:–“In
was part of the Patriarcheion. See the Patriarch Constantius’ EXào goves
ovyypaqal, p. 383. Until the end of last century wild animals, chiefly
lions, were kept in the Augustaion, whence the name Arslān Hamé, but
I do not think they were kept in this church. See Byzantios KiroNus,
Vol. I., p. 450,
1 Vol. I., pp. 37, 56; II., p. 143.
2 Vol. I., p. 582,
126 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
the fourteenth consulship of Theodosios Augustus,
and that of Maximus, a great fire broke out in
the dockyard, and the granaries and the public
baths of Achilles were burnt.” It may have been a
building either wholly of wood or roofed over with
wood.
THE PASSAGES OF ACHILLES.
The few words Prokopios uses when describing
the architectural achievements of Justinian, throw
great light on the topography of the Augustaion.
“There is an agora with a peristyle before the
Palace. The Byzantines call this agora Augus-
taion.” The Byzantine Emperors never erected
any public or private buildings directly con-
nected with defensive or military walls. On
the land walls no structure so connected ap-
pears. The crowded cemeteries of the Turks at all
the land gates are fifty yards and more from the
trenches. From the treaties between our Emperors
and the Genoese in Galata, we learn that fifty
cubits' breadth of vacant ground was reserved in
front of the land walls of Galata. All the walls
were some distance from any private houses. The
Imperial Palace, though surrounded on every side
by strong walls, owing to the not unfrequent
attacks on it by the people in riots,” was isolated
even from the Augustaion by this colonnade. It is
this which is mentioned by Constantine Porphyro-
1 Vol. III., p. 202.
2 See N. Choniates, pp. 12, 453 ; Leo the Deacon, p. 146.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 127
gennetos in his account of the return of the Em-
peror Theophilos from a campaign." After his exit
from the Church of S. Sophia, he sat down upon a
throne before the Bronze Gate, amid the acclama-
tions of the populace and the magistrates. “And
rising up from the throne,” he mounted his horse,
and passed through the Passages of Achilles, and
by the side of the Baths of Zeuxippos, and came
into the uncovered hippodrome.” What the his-
torian calls the Passages of Achilles were, I think,
built along either side of the Augustaion, and
separated both the Palace and the Hippodrome
from the populace who collected in this quarter.”
Consequently all the buildings on the east side of
the Augustaion, viz., the Church of our Lady of
the Copper Market, the Patriarcheion, the Senate
House, the Diippion and the Baths of Zeuxippos,
were separated from the walls of the Palace by
these passages of Achilles. From the passage
referred to, it is plain that Theophilos passed
behind the Senate House and the Church of S.
John alone. No mention is made of the Patri-
archeion and the Church of Our Lady, which lay
to the north of the Bronze Gate, and were conse-
1 Vol. I., p. 507.
2 The same writer (p. 280) mentions a throne (orévrčov, i.e. sessum) in
the Imperial Stand. Theophilos entered the Palace by the Skyla which
led to the Hall of Justinian, and passed thence to the uncovered hippo-
drome in the Palace, Labarte places the baths of Zeuxippos beside the
great Hippodrome, and says that it was it which Theophilos entered.
3 These same passages are meant by Buondelmonti (apud N. Bryennion,
p. 180): etiam de immenso palatio usque ad Sanctam Sophiam erat per
milliare via columnarum binarum, per quam domini accedebat. These
pillars are not mentioned by Gyllius. Probably they did not then exist.
128 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
quently behind him. In my opinion, the whole of
this side was surrounded by a peristyle for protec-
tion to the Palace. Of the opposite side I find
no mention in the Byzantine writers; but from
the language of Prokopios, who was well acquainted
with Constantinople, and gives a better description
of the city than any subsequent writer, I infer that
it too had a peristyle. I am accordingly disposed
to place the buildings in the Augustaion clear of
the walls of the Palace and the Hippodrome.
What the breadth and height of these passages
were, no one has told us.
Further on, in describing the Gate Monothyros
in the Palace wall, between the Numera and S.
John's, I shall shew that the breadth of these pas-
sages of Achilles was 375 metres, or 5 cubits [12
feet]. Guided by this, if the buildings in the
Augustaion, viz., the Senate House, the Patriar-
cheion, and S. John's were 45 m. deep [146 feet],
we have the buildings on either side 90 m. [292
feet], and the passages 7-50 m. [24 feet] deep.
Deduct this from the total breadth of the Augus-
taion 133 m. [144 yards, 432 feet], and 35-5
m. [383 yards, 116 feet] is left for the broad
road in the middle. This road at the present day
is largely occupied by the Mosque of Sultan
Achmet, and is in consequence much narrower
than formerly.
Such were the principal civil and ecclesiastical
edifices in the famous forum of the Augustaion.
Along the walls of the Hippodrome were some
private houses, the great Statue of Justinian, the
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 129
Church of Alexios, and the Chamber of the Milion.
From the numerous ecclesiastical and civil cere-
monies performed there, the buildings must have
been so disposed, that in the midst of them there
was a broad space, where the ceremonies took
place, and through which the public had free pas-
Sage. The Augustaion was further occupied by
great numbers of persons engaged in civil or eccle-
siastical business in the Patriarcheion or Senate
House. The northern end of this spacious square
was occupied by the Cathedral of S. Sophia. On it
was the Horologion, and beside it the Baptistery or
S. John the Baptist's, the great marble font of which
is, I suspect, preserved in the mosque of Zeineb
Sultan. Owing to the presence of so many build-
ings, I do not doubt that before the erection of the
new walls by Michael Palaiologos, and the resi-
dence of the Byzantine Emperors at Blachernai, it
was frequented by the people of Constantinople
more than any of the other squares.
i I
130 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
CHAPTER V.
IN studies such as this, it is well to compare our
results with the works of native writers, especially
with those of Constantine Porphyrogennetos, to see
whether we have been correct in our descriptions
and as to the position of buildings which were de-
molished centuries ago, and whose sites are now
entirely occupied by the mosques, squalid houses,
and crooked lanes of the Turks. Constantinople
contained no more famous place than this Augus-
taion. No other is so frequently mentioned by
the historians. Owing to the total disappearance
of the various buildings, no description of it has to
this day been written, and the ceremonies which
were performed there are imperfectly understood.
The remains of magnificent civil and ecclesiastical
buildings, which may yet be seen on every side in
Constantinople, shed a wonderful light on the
history not merely of the metropolis, but also of
the whole Empire. Accordingly, I judge it advis-
able to check my description of the structures in
the Augustaion by a sketch of some of the cere-
monies of which it was the scene.
I may repeat what I said above, that it is no
part of my purpose to enlarge upon the size and
splendour of the buildings. This has already been
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 131
done by many of our historians. My chief aim is
to describe their situation, that we may understand
the ceremonies performed in them. Here we could
have no more trustworthy guide than Constantine
Porphyrogennetos. Careful study of his writings
is the more necessary, because many places
noticed by him were neglected during the last two
centuries of the Empire, fell in ruins and dis-
appeared. The text, however, of his writings is
often corrupt, and his vocabulary sometimes hard
to interpret. His descriptions are not all equally
clear, for he gives the same building now one, now
another name. This confusion proves a fruitful
source of error to persons who are not well
acquainted with the places described.
On Whitsunday" “the Emperor went out by the
great gate of the Palace through the middle of the
Milion and the Augustaion, and entered the great
Church by the door of the Horologion.” On
Easter Monday “The Emperor, after the Divine
Liturgy is celebrated in S. Sophia, goes out by
the Narthex and the Font, crosses through the
Milion and the Middle, and goes up the Forum
as far as the column where the Church of S.
Constantine stands. There he ascends the steps
and stands.” ” From this we see that the Milion
was near S. Sophia, and that at the south end of
it was the great building where the column with
the statue of the Justinian stood. The centre
of the Augustaion which contained no buildings,
* Cons, P., Vol, I., p. 63. * Ibid., p. 74.
132 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
public or private, he calls the Middle, or the
Forum. After the usual ceremony in the Church
of S. Constantine, “the Emperor and his train go
in procession through the Middle.” At Epiphany
after the Divine Liturgy in S. Sophia, “the
Emperor goes through the Middle and enters the
Palace by the great Bronze Gate.” ” “Proceeding
through the Middle on horseback as far as the
Forum.” The name Middle was also frequently
applied by the Byzantines to the level thoroughfare
which ran from the Church of S. Sophia past the
Church of S. Stephen, and the Imperial Stand in
the Hippodrome, up to the Golden Gate in the
landward wall. In triumphs the Emperor went
from the Golden Gate to S. Sophia by this road.
“He goes along the Middle as far as the Church of
the Holy Apostles.”” There is no danger of con-
fusing it with the Middle of the Augustaion.
After the return of the Emperor from the Church
of the Apostles, “the members of the Green faction
of the city receive him at the Pavement of the
Milion. The Suburban Blue faction received him at
the Zeuxippos, and then at the Bronze Gate.” It
is evident that the Emperor traversed the whole
Augustaion from the Milion to the Baths of
Zeuxippos. No one but the Emperor entered the
Palace on horseback.”
* Cons. P. p. 75.
* Ibid., p. 145; II., p. 167.
* Ibid., Vol. I., pp. 76, 188.
* Ibid., pp. 84, 439.
* Ibid., Vol. II., p. 191.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 133
When the Emperor returned from the procession
to the Church of S. Mokios in Psamathia he was
accompanied by the magistrates and the factions.
“The Blue faction from the city accompany him as
far as the chamber of the Milion. They receive him
there, or in the Chamber, and escort him as far as
the Marble Pavement. The Suburban Green faction
receive the Emperor at the Pavement and escort
him to the Zeuxippos. The Green faction from the
city receive him there and escort him to the Bronze
Gate. The Suburban Blue faction receive the
Emperor at the Bronze Gate, when all proceed in
this order on foot. The Emperor alone remains on
horseback.” "
From this description it is plain that the Em-
peror went, from this thoroughfare, through the
Milion into the Augustaion, thence to the Marble
Pavement and the Baths of Zeuxippos.
According to the account of the ceremonies in the
Church of SS. Sergius and Bacchus,” the Emperor
proceeded from the Palace through the two southern
gates of the Hippodrome, for the entrance to the
Augustaion was at the north end by the Milion.
Hence the procession to this church was forced to
pass through the Hippodrome. This confirms all
that I said about the Augustaion being surrounded
by lofty walls, and also my localisation of the
buildings.
It may be well to state that a portion of the
Middle of the Augustaion still exists to the south
* Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 106. * Ibid., Vol. I., p. 86,
134 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
of S. Sophia. The southern part is occupied by the
grounds of Sultan Achmet, which comes close up to
the old Palace wall. Probably the road which runs
over the ancient Middle of the Augustaion, has
remained in the same condition since the period of
the final capture. With the exception of those
mentioned in the account of the Church of S.
John at the Diippion, I have found no Byzantine
remains in this place.
At the feast of the Annunciation, a ceremony
took place in S. Sophia, from the description of
which we learn a great deal about the buildings in
the Augustaion." After the Liturgy, the Emperor
went out into the Milion through the Narthex and
the Athyra.” Thence he crossed the Middle, and
proceeded to the part of the Forum where the
Church of S. Constantine was built beside the statue
of Justinian. He ascended the steps in front of
the church and waited there, leaning upon the
balustrade on the right side. The patricians and
the Senate stood below beside the columns. Soon
after the Emperor entered the church, the Patriarch
followed with the usual ceremony, and the Senate
took its stand on the left hand of the procession
next to the Senate House. The clergy who usually
accompanied the Patriarch stood below among the
populace on the Emperor's left.
On the Great and Holy Sabbath (Easter Eve),
* Cons. P., p. 164.
* It was probably so called from the Athyra, a harbour near Constan-
tinople, now called Bughiţăk Djekmedjé. Cons. P., Vol. I., pp. 78, 156,
158; II., p. 177. +
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 135
“The Emperor descends the steps of the Athyra,
and goes out to the Milion, and passing through the
Middle proceeds up the Forum, and there performs
all, as has been already described.”
When triumphs were celebrated in the Augus-
taion, the Patriarch went into the Church of S.
Constantine; “and the Emperor stands without.
The captives stand in the Praetorium * or even in
the Senate House. Then they are brought before
the Emperor on the steps of the column.” "
According to this account by Porphyrogennetos,
the statue of Justinian was not connected with the
walls of the Hippodrome; for it was through the
West end, or narthex, that the Church of S. Con-
stantine was entered. It is scarcely possible that
a church or chapel visited by the Emperor should
be without a narthex. We further learn that the
Senate House lay in front of the statue, at some
distance from the Milion. This clear account of
the Church of S. Constantine helps us greatly to a
right understanding of the buildings in the Augus-
taion.
At the obsequies of an Emperor, “the corpse
leaves the Palace by the Bronze Gate, and is
carried through the Middle.” ‘ When the Emperor
went to the Hippodrome, he always went through
* Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 185.
* This Praetorium—there was another on the shore near the Saracen
mosque—lay to the west of the Curve of the Hippodrome. It was a
prison. “He straightway ordered that we were to be imprisoned in the
Praetorium.” Simeon Metaphrastes, Vol. III., p. 672; Bufaviruval
Mexérat, p. 368.
* Cons, P., Vol. I., p. 609, “Ibid., Wol, I., p. 276.
136 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
the Augustaion. “The Emperor passes through
the Arch and the Augustaion," and through the
private stair, and enters the Imperial Stand.”
“Accompanied by the usual escort, he passes
through the Augustaion and the private spiral
stair, and enters the palace of the Kathisma.”
When the Emperor Theophilos returned from
his campaign against the Saracens of Cilicia, a
great procession took place in Constantinople.”
The Emperor entered by the Golden Gate, and
proceeded to the Milion amid the acclamations of
the whole people. There the Senate dismounted,
and proceeded on foot before the Emperor as far as
the Holy Well in S. Sophia. When the Emperor
came out from the church, he entered the Bronze
Gate, and sat upon a throne to receive the con-
gratulations of the magistrates and the people.
After a little, “he rose from his seat, mounted his
horse, and proceeded through the Passages of
Achilles, by the side of the Baths of Zeuxippos.
From the language of Porphyrogennetos, it is evi-
dent that the Baths of Zeuxippos were near the
often-mentioned Bronze Gate, which probably lay
to the north of them.
In the above account of the Augustaion I have
mainly followed Constantine Porphyrogennetos.
In his lifetime, the whole of the buildings mentioned
in the writings of the Byzantine historians were
preserved in all the splendour with which they had
* He calls the Augustaion sometimes the Augusteus and sometimes the
Forum. * Cons, P., Vol, I., pp. 360, 364. * Ibid., Vol. I., p. 506,
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 137
been erected by the arch-builder Justinian and suc-
ceeding Emperors. In very many cases, my locali-
sation of the principal buildings in the Augustaion
explains events which happened in Constantinople,
especially the ceremonies detailed by Constantine
Porphyrogennetos. With the exception of Labarte,
all who have hitherto attempted to describe the
Palace, the Augustaion, and the Hippodrome, fail
to mark the site of the buildings which they de-
scribe. Unfortunately, the laborious work of in-
vestigation among the ruins on the spot did not
begin until quite recently. Many, too, who never
saw Constantinople have written descriptions com-
piled entirely from the works of others.
The Augustaion, where it divided the Palace
from the Hippodrome, was long and narrow. The
south end is very seldom mentioned by the his-
torians, and never by Constantine Porphyrogen-
netos in his account of the Imperial ceremonial.
It may have been occupied by the Baths of
Zeuxippos, with their many ornaments and statues.
On one occasion only—in the Nika riot—Belisarius
left the Palace at this end, and passed behind the
Curve of the Hippodrome, that he might attack the
mob gathered in it, from the opposite gate. I
mentioned above, that when the Emperor went
from the Palace to the Augustaion on his way to
the Church of SS. Sergius and Bacchus, on Easter
Tuesday, he passed through the south end of the
Hippodrome." It was possible to pass behind the
* Cons. P., Vol., I., p. 87.
138 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
Curve to the people standing in the Hippodrome.
In all the ecclesiastical and civil ceremonies no
mention is made of going or coming through the
South end of the Augustaion. Whether a wall or
other barrier prevented the people going from the
city to the Augustaion I cannot tell. I have
never discovered any trace of a Byzantine building
or ancient wall. I am inclined to think that this
end was closed, or else entirely occupied by the
great Baths of Zeuxippos.
The chief public entrance to the Augustaion was
by the Milion, that is, the northern end of the
Forum, next to S. Sophia. Here the people had
access to the Imperial festivals, or to the Senate
and Patriarcheion on private business. No
other way for Emperor or people to the Augustaion
is mentioned.
The buildings which I have described above were
built partly beside the Palace walls, and partly
beside the walls of the Hippodrome. Between
them, was left an open space of great extent called
the Middle, which was thronged by the populace.
Whenever the Emperor returned to the Palace
after visiting any of the churches or great monas-
teries in the city, he entered the Augustaion
through the Milion. When a chariot-race or other
contest took place in the Hippodrome, he went to
the Imperial Stand through the Milion, and re-
turned the same way. The Augustaion was so
much frequented that the chief entrance to S.
Sophia was from the Milion, through the portico
or door of the Horologion, and the other doors in
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 139
the south end of the church. The Emperor very
rarely entered by the Great Narthex.
TEIE GATES OF THE PAILACE.
I have now to describe shortly the Gates of the
Palace,' before proceeding to describe the Palace
itself and the many entrances to the buildings
there. As for the gates opening on to the Augus-
taion, we cannot fix their position without first
studying the Palace buildings. Owing to the
vague statements of the historians, it is a trouble-
some task to determine their number and situation.
In the long extent of the sea-walls there were
some small posterns which are, I think, still pre-
served. Since they were of little importance in
the history of the Empire, the notices of them are
few and vague.” Their Byzantine names are con-
sequently seldom mentioned, and at the present
day they all go under Turkish designations.”
At the southern extremity of the Palace pre-
cincts, a land gate called Karea is mentioned.
Choniates writes, “When the mob had rushed into
the Palace, having broken open the gate Karea,
Andronikos took to flight.” Luitprand also men-
tions this gate in the account of his Embassy to
Nikephoros Phokas." The Turks have transferred
* N. Choniates, p. 12. * Byzantios, KiroNºs., Vol. I., p. 110.
* Thu Saat)\tº \v eigetow ač6ts Tptºpm, 6t’ is ék Too MaXovôtov trpès Tô pºéya
Taxátwov čarađlketo. N. Choniates, p. 452. Kai vuktös 61& Tapatrv\tôos
elo ex0öv roſ. Tpa Tošegraptov Muxah}\, oùoºms TAmatov drporóNews. Theophanes
Com., p. 719 ; Byzantios, KiroNºs., Vol. I., p. 181.
* Pridie monas Iunii . . . Constantinoplin ante portam Caream
venimus. Apud Leonem Diac., p. 344.
140 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
the name to the gate lying beside the Ahér Kapust?,"
and some barracks. It is called Kará Kapé,” or
the Black Gate, sometimes Kará Kapustí, the Land
Gate, and often Ghiţl Hamé Kapust?, or the Gate of
the Attendants at the Baths. In the middle of
August, 1872, when the Turkish houses and the
high walls of the numerous gardens were being de-
molished by the workmen on the railway, the
Palace wall called the Gallery of Marcian was dis-
covered. A great arched gateway was disclosed
connected with it. It was supported on four large
marble pillars. The depth of the gate was 6'05m.
[19 ft. 8 in..], the breadth, 5.5 m. [17 ft. 10 in.].
Unfortunately, however, it stood in the middle of
the railway, and was no sooner discovered than
demolished. It had been surrounded by the walls
of a large Turkish garden, and had never been
previously seen. The portion of the Gallery of
Marcian to the north of it was destroyed within
three years. This ancient gate was about 750
paces [625 yards] from the modern Kará Kapé.
At the other end of the Palace precincts, where
the often mentioned Tzykanisterion lay, there
stood a gate, the name of which, unfortunately, has
not been preserved. After the banishment of
Romanus Lakapenos to the island of Proté, the
people of Constantinople, learning that they were
1 I.e., Gate of the Stables. ‘O Xoprogo)\dov Ó Övels to Bökuuou, äkk\mata fiv
toū ‘Aytov Avôpéov . . . 6 6é Kaga)\\ºvos étrotmo.eu airijv xoprogo)\@va.
G. Kodinos, p. 109.
* Byzantios calls this gate the Gate of Negroes (Vol. I., p. 175). I
think, though, that the name is borrowed from the old Karean Gate.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 141
about to abuse, or were already abusing, Constantine
and his sons, gathered in a body at the gate of the
Tzykanisterion, when Constantine hastily appeared
at the bars of the gate to convince the people of
his safety." In his account of the departure of
the Saracen envoys from the Palace, Constantine
Porphyrogennetos says that they went through the
eastern gate.”
These are the only gates in the sea wall of the
Palace precincts which are mentioned by the
historians. They are all far from the Palace.
Five gates leading from the Palace to the
Augustaion are mentioned by the historians. All
these gates were under the superintendence of the
Great Papias, the janitor of the Palace. They
were-the Gate of the Skyla, to the north of the
great Hall of Justinian, the Monothyros beside
the Numera, the Greater and Lesser Bronze Gates,
and the Porta Regia,” sometimes, I think, called
the Gate of Meletios or Meleté. The two Bronze
Gates are mentioned by the historians more fre-
quently than the others, and especially by Constan-
tine VII. in his accounts of the many ecclesiastical
* Ex ea parte qua Zucanistrii magnitudo portenditur Constantinus
crines solutus per cancellos caput exposuit. Luitprand, Hist., lib. ii.,
cap. 21. * Cons. P., Vol. 1., p. 592.
* Chronicom Paschale, Vol. I., p. 530. Reiske in his notes to Constan-
tius Porphyrogennetos (Vol. II., p. 367) thinks that this was an ancient
designation of the Bronze Gate. Regia olim audiebat porta, quae, isto
nomine abolito, deinceps Chalce dicebatur, extrema palatii in urbem
educens. From a study of the Palace buildings, I have come to the con-
clusion that this gate was the one to the east of Our Lady in the Copper
Market, opposite the east end of S, Sophia. The site of the gate is ex-
plained by subsequent passages.
142 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
and civil ceremonies. These gates and their sites
will be more fully considered in the description of
the Palace.
Hitherto I have described the Byzantinebuildings
in the Hippodrome and the Augustaion, because
otherwise the study of the Palace would be difficult
and frequently unintelligible. The site of the
buildings has seldom been examined by students of
history or archaeology, and the few who have
inspected the place have not found heaps of ruins
strewed here and there, nor shafts and capitals from
which they could gain information about the
palaces so often celebrated by historians and poets.
With the exception of S. Sophia, time has preserved
no record of any building. We walk in the dark
when we try to describe the Imperial Palace. The
place, which for reasons unknown to us the
Emperors had entirely neglected for many years
before the capture, had been entirely stripped of its
numerous ornaments by the Turks who now possess
the city." The pillars of the halls, the white and
purple marbles of the churches, all have been carted
away to the Sultans' new Palace, which stands
near at hand, or to the barbaric mosques of the
Turks.”
* . . . Adde incendia, et ruinas quas cum alii barbari, tum postre-
mum Turci ediderunt, qui jam centum annos non cessant funditus antiquae
urbis vestigia delere. Ita enim ab imis fundamentis aedificia prisca
demoliuntur, atque in aliam formam immutantur, ut ne illi quidem qui
ea viderint agnoscere queant. Gyllius, De Topographia, lib, ii., cap. I,
* Aedes Mametanas . . . ornatae ex Spoliis Christianarum aedium ;
ut hae prius ornatae fuerant ex veterum deorum spoliis. Ibid., lib. iv.,
cap. xi.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 143
Before proceeding to study the Palace of
Constantinople, called the Holy, the Great, and
the God-protected,' let me repeat what I said at
the outset—“I have never undertaken the discus-
sion of any Byzantine problem more difficult than
the present.” I continued—“The reader must not
suppose that I desire to unduly magnify the labour
which such works involve.” To explain, or rather
to justify these words I quoted the words of dis-
tinguished authorities to show how many have
abandoned the undertaking through impatience or
discouragement of the vagueness of the historians,
and the utter nakedness of the site of the Palace.”
We do not study these relics of our forefathers
for the sake of their art alone. All the ruins of our
land are clear and unimpeachable witnesses to our
ancient history, which has not always been too
familiar to recent generations. In my opinion,
many passages of Byzantine history will be for ever
obscure and unintelligible, unless we have a know-
ledge of the Palace, the scene of so much of our
political and ecclesiastical history.
The demolition and denudation of the Palace I
* Describing the ceremony on Easter Monday, Constantine Porphyro-
gennetos writes—“The Emperor passes through the Catechumeneia in
front of him, and through them goes to the God-protected palace which is
there, and enters into his chamber.” It should be understood that the
larger churches had apartments where the Emperor rested. Porphyro-
gennetos mentions them very frequently in his accounts of the accustomed
progresses of the Emperor to these churches.
* We are surprised to read such as this—“Le Palais Imperial s'étendait
entre le Senat et l’Hippodrome.” Le Chevalier, Voyage de la Propon-
tide et du Pont-Euwin, p. 133. Yet he stayed many months in Constanti-
nople investigating the ruins.
144 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
shall describe in another chapter. Here I shall
only quote the account given by Nikephoros
Gregoras. In the course of some remarks on the
Palace in 1317 he writes: “Into such poverty had
the Empire then fallen, that none of the plates
and cups were of gold or silver. But some were
pewter, and all the others clay or earthenware.
From which, those who are not unacquainted with
such matters can understand what other things
were also Jacking. . . . On the arrival of
Kantakouzenos the Imperial treasuries were com-
pletely empty, and save air and dust, and, so to say,
the atoms of Epicurus, nothing was to be found
in them.” “Thus,” he continues, “was the ancient
luxury and splendour of the Roman State so swiftly
and utterly quenched and undone.” Such was the
estate, or rather the poverty, of the Palace of
Constantinople, a century before the final capture.
The Florentine Buondelmonti,” who visited Con-
stantinople in 1422 speaks of the shocking desola-
tion of the buildings in the neighbourhood of the
Church of S. Sophia.
Petrus Gyllius, who spent a long time in the city
in the following century, says that nothing was left
of the ancient Palace, and that it was most difficult
to discover the site of the ancient and celebrated
Byzantine buildings.” The learned Reiske, who
* Vol. II., pp. 788, et seqq. * N. Bryennios, p. 178.
* These words of Gyllius deserve our attention. “Ex ante scriptis
facilius fortasse cognosces absens monumenta antiqua, quae tradit anti-
qua regionum urbis descriptio, quam si sine his praesens videas Constantino-
polim : quod experietur qui similia investigare post me conabitur, Lib,
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 145
has thrown so much light on the works of Constan-
tine Porphyrogennetos, writes in his notes to the
"Ex6eats tº 8aaixelov Táčeos (Vol. II., p. 593)—“ To
tell the truth, I do not understand this passage, nor
many others relating to the topography of Con-
stantinople, which no one will ever comprehend
until he has seen the places for himself. But as
many of these are destroyed and utterly changed,
it is clear that a great part of this book will be a
mystery for ever.” Such are the words of the
learned commentator who, though he never saw Con-
stantinople, has done much to elucidate the harsh
and often unintelligible language of his author.
Compare what the estimable k. Byzantios writes
about the Palace. “To describe and accurately fix
its various parts is impossible, owing to the obscurity
of the historians, and their persistent long-winded-
ness, and self-contradiction. Constantine Porphy-
rogennetos, for instance, busies himself over need-
lessly minute and inflated description of details,
yet neglects to give any general sketch.”" This is
the opinion of a native of Constantinople, who has
frequently inspected the existing remains. It is
an instructive commentary on the hope of the
learned Reiske. --
Labarte's book, which we mentioned before, was
published about the same time as that of Byzantios.
It is still the only book which shews any advance
on previous descriptions of the Palace and the ad-
iv., cap. 9. As a matter of fact the history of the Palace confirms the
opinion of this excellent writer.
* RTONºs., Vol. I., p. 189.
I 2
146 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
joining buildings. In the conclusion he writes
(p. 220) “Of the Palace of Constantine, of the
splendid buildings connected with it, of the verit-
able open air museum of the Augustaion, of the
noble buildings in front of the Palace connected
with S. Sophia, nothing, absolutely nothing has
been preserved," and the very ruins have vanished,
and are buried under unlovely Turkish dwellings.”
Of the walls which surrounded the Palace, he
writes, (p. 107) “The wall of the Sultan's Seraglio,
extending westwards from the Karean Gate to the
Sublime Porte Bab-i-humaghiºn were probably
erected at a period near the capture, in the same
style as the older walls, though they are compara-
tively modern. These walls cut the residence of
the Greek Emperors in two. We find nothing
about their erection in the historians. They were
certainly built of the material derived from build-
ings in the neighbourhood which had been de-
molished.” These sensible observations Labarte
occasionally forgets—as when on his map he places
buildings in this uninhabitable quarter.”
Guided by the Byzantine historians, and aided
by researches on the spot—now accessible to all—I
have essayed, for the sake of our history, to point
out the site of these buildings, that with this aid
* Le sort ne l’a point épargné (the Palace) et depuis longtemps, ses
ruines même ont disparu. Bayet, L’Art Byzantin, p. 119.
* Leunclavius writes that the Great Palace was built in the centre of
Constantinople, where the War-office, called Seraskier kapusº, formerly
Eské Serai, or the Old Palace now stands. He learnt this from the mouth
of the Byzantines. Histoire de l’Empire de Cple, sous les Empereurs fran-
çois, Venise, 1729, Ier Partie, p. 152,
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 147
we may render intelligible the hitherto incompre-
hensible records of the Byzantine writers. Now,
however, that the buildings have been destroyed,
the dimensions and construction both of the
walls and roof must remain a puzzle." Those,
however, who are desirous of studying Byzantine
art, especially as exemplified in S. Sophia, will find
abundant material in the splendid work of Salzen-
berg,” which gives a full account of the art and
works of Byzantine artists.
Very many of the works on Constantinople and
its environs are unworthy of serious study. The
majority of writers describe the city with the help
of earlier writers, rather than go through the toil-
some task of traversing the crooked and sunless
lanes of this inhospitable city. Hence travellers
are frequently misled.
All the area within which the Palace of Con-
stantinople was anciently built, slopes steeply to
the eastern shore. From the Gate of the Tzykanis-
terion to S. Sophia there is a considerable hill. On
the summit of it, after the capture, the Sultans
built halls of every size and shape, palaces,
treasuries, and kitchens. These filled the whole of
the space, which was formerly destitute of any
building of importance. The Byzantine palaces
*Toº Tupos Toivvv Štruvepºm6éutos étrav Tó Téuevos (i.e., the Senate House)
ô pièv étrukeipievos tº téyet póAuðöos éppet Tºköplevos kata Tův dya)\p.4tww.
Zosimos, p. 281.
* Alt christliche Bawdenkmale von Constantinopel, von V. bis XII.
Jahrhundert, Berlin, 1854; L’Art Byzantin, par Bayet, Paris; Geschichte
des Byzantiner und des Osmanischen Reiches, von Dr. Hertzberg, Berlin,
18S3,
148 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
which lay near the sea-wall, such as the Boukoleon,
the New Church, and other smaller ones, were
entirely demolished." In the reign of Severus or
of Constantine the Great, extensive excavations
were made, and the Palace walls, which extend
from the Tzykanisterion to S. Sophia, were built.
These walls which are still preserved are very strong,
and retain the banks of earth behind them, which
in many places rise level with the top. In some
parts new and strong walls have been built to
support weak portions of the older walls. Their
general unsymmetrical appearance shows the patch-
ing up, which time and the strain upon them have
necessitated. I have discovered no trace of a gate
in this wall, and none is mentioned by the
historians, nor in Constantine's account of the cere-
monies. Besides, in many places, under heaps of
earth, or covered over with plants of all kinds,
there are signs of the foundations of the thick and
strong buttresses, which were added to support and
strengthen the tottering walls. All the portion of
the Palace precinct to the east of this, in which
Basil the Macedonian built the Tzykanisterion, is
artificially levelled. Previous to the building of the
wall, the hill behind it sloped down to the sea,
which is here very deep. On this long and narrow
strip of ground it was impossible for the Emperors
to build palaces. Immediately behind them would
have been a lofty hill, supported only by the walls.
In addition to this, the atmosphere of the place is
* KroMs., Vol. I., p. 158.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 149
close, being confined by the retaining wall and the
high sea-wall so near to it." Until the reign of Basil,
this portion of the precinct was occupied by private
houses, which the Emperor bought up.” Private
houses in the Palace precincts at Blachernai are
also mentioned.
On this level strip of ground the Sultans latterly
built the women's quarters completely hidden from
observation. Here, too, were the Sultan's gardens,
used principally by the ladies of the Court; these
were subsequently neglected, and finally destroyed
during the construction of the railway.
These drawbacks moved the first founders of
S. Sophia and the Palace, to build them at the
southern extremity of the Imperial precinct, beside
the Augustaion, where S. Sophia now stands.
Here the ground slopes gently eastwards to the
narrow plain through which the Thracian Railway
now runs. The slope, for the most part regular,
compelled the Byzantine Emperors to build the
great vaults, flights of steps, and staircases in con-
nection with the many halls and galleries of the
Palace.
These few particulars about the nature of the
site of the Palace will prepare us for seeking, and,
* Tajra Tó, trpós Tºv 9&Nagorav toº traMatlov telyn, Tape:é8a)\e Geópi\os toū
Mixaº. Theophanes Con., p. 88.
*"Etreuta els to 8aa lxeta éA6óvres to Xeyóuevov KaoréX\tov Štetrópómo av,
dºaktov et povtes, Kai Övöpitagav Tów évouko'vrov olktas. Bušavrival Mexéral,
p. 88. It is remarkable that Benjamin of Tudela reserves his praises for
this Palace of Blachernai. Bergeron, Voyages, etc., Vol. I., p. 12, [ed.
Wright, p. 75.]
150 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
if possible, finding the Palace buildings in the
space immediately to the east of the Augustaion.
REMAINS OF TEIE PALACE.
After this we now proceed to the investigation of
the ruins of Byzantine structures, which are pre-
served in this area, that with their aid we may be
enabled to determine the site of the Palace build-
ings.
TEIE NUMER.A.
In the first chapter I described the remains of
the wall which still exists standing to the east, or
at the back, of the great Mussulman mosque of
Sultan Achmet, which is built partly in the Hippo-
drome and partly in the Augustaion. This wall,
which is built of large, dark-coloured stones, well-
hewn, and laid in alternate courses with the ordi-
nary large Byzantine bricks, is a remnant of the
ancient wall which enclosed the whole of the site
of the Palace, and extended to the shore. All
this quarter has been occupied by poor Turkish
families, and is now called Ak Bughiºſk Mahales."
The long narrow street in front of the wall is
called Kampa Sakól Sokaghi.” The street is about
150 paces long. At the south end there is another
and broader road, which cuts it in a line drawn
from east to west. It is called Arista Sokaghi. It
* The Street of the White-Mustached.
* The Street of the Long-Beard. Both these designations are noticed
by Byzantios, KiroMus, Vol. I., p. 67.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 151
is strange that this Byzantine street and these
strong walls should have escaped the notice of
travellers and topographers till now.
All the houses built on this wall are low. From
the street the inhabitants descend by three or four
steps to the floor of their dwellings. I infer from
this that the level of the road has been raised, like
all the ground in the neighbourhood of the Palace.
Externally, each house consists of a single very
narrow domed chamber, with no communication
with the road behind, which is occupied by larger
houses. These domed chambers are divided into two
equal storeys by a wooden floor. On the ground
floor the domestic work of the poor inhabitants is
performed. In the upper storey, which is lighted
by small windows, are the bedchambers of the
family. At the back of the lower room is a ladder
leading to the upper floor.
Such is the arrangement of all the houses which
I visited in company with a friendly Turk; and
such, according to the neighbours, is the plan of
the others. The length of the houses from the
front door to the back is 9:4 m. (about 30 feet).
The houses of some more prosperous tenants have
been raised by an additional storey built on the
domed roof. When passing through this narrow
lane full of dirty children and their ragged parents,
amid the mocking of the women and the abuse of
the men, one finds it hard to realise from the ex-
ternal appearance of the street that these humble
structures cover Byzantine buildings, which, owing
to the presence of these poor families, have remained
152 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
unharmed, while the greater part of the walls has
been demolished. On account of this, and the
rudeness of the inhabitants, these ancient buildings
have remained not merely unnoticed but almost
unknown. Opposite the houses a wall may be
seen, which is evidently Byzantine, and some re-
mains of arches. Possibly the road, or at least
some part of it, was arcaded in Byzantine times.
I regret that I was unable to investigate these
remains as I desired, for I was stoned by the
children and abused by the women. I could
not always secure the company of my Turkish
friend.
They are, I think, the remains of the Numera
which is often mentioned in history. Its site has
been fixed in various places by later writers."
George Kodinos writes (pp. 18, 76), “The Numera
and the Bronze Gate were built by Constantine the
Great. Since it was otherwise useless, Heraclius
and his successors made it a prison.” “He also
built the Palace from the Bronze Gate and the
watch-towers (ékouéktov), . . . and the build-
ing now called the Numera.” It was therefore
built at the same time as the walls of Constantine
the Great. Constantine Porphyrogennetos” men-
* Labarte places the Numera in the Augustaion : Les Noumera étaient
sur le Forum, et les Thermes de Zeuxippe en dehors, p. 32.
* CEcumenius in Act., c. 15: a treſpa 6é éa riv 8 kaxojuev vöv voúpepov,
quid vero atteºpat ; Suidas : TXà0m atpareup.4tov, páNayyes, votºpepa. G.
Kedrenos (annot.) Vol. II., p. 793, cf. 923.
* Vol. I., pp. 6, 61, 524, 525, 604, 714, 728, 731, 752. Tp(300wos róv
Noupépov–6 xaprovXáptos Táv Novuépov, p. 737—6 rpwropavöárop rôv
Novgépov, p. 738,
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 153
tions the domesticus and chartularius of the
Numera without any observations concerning
its size or site. He never, however, calls
it a prison. He mentions the subordinates who
went with the domesticus of the Numera when
he accompanied the Emperor at festivals." At
the reception of the embassy from the Amerimne,
“Outside the bars of the Bronze Gate stood a
crowd,” some near the Numera, others near
the chamber of the Milion.” In the reign of
Michael and Theodora, Theophilitses mentions the
Count of the Numera and of the Walls.”
The Byzantine writers give us no precise infor-
mation as to why this series of vaults was built
beside the walls of the Palace. Possibly they
formed the residence of the captains of the guard
(ºppoupapxeia), or barracks for the guards of the
Palace, and were built between the Bronze Gate
and the Gate of the Skyla, that the guards might
have a good and close view of all who went in or
out of the Palace." That the Numera was near the
Baths of Zeuxippos is attested by Prokopios. In
the Nika riot he says that the Numera was burnt
down together with the Baths of Zeuxippos and
S. Sophia.”
1 Vol. I., p. 604. The Count of the walls (köpims Tāv retxaſv) is con-
stantly mentioned along with the domesticus of the Numera. Ibid., p. 6.
* Ibid., pp. 6, 579 ; II., p. 682. Reiske explains éatma'av táxaga by :
turba miscella ut videtur, faex, amurca veluti plebis nauticae esse.
* Theophanes Con., p. 655. -
* Notum enim ex scriptoribus Numeros appellatas militares cohortes ac
praesertim eorum qui imperatorum custodiae deputati sunt. Cpolis.
Christ., lib, ii., cap. 4. * Vol. I., p. 121.
154 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
The authors of the Continuation of Theophanes
say distinctly that it was a prison. “On the first
day of the month, [Irene] walked on foot through
the schools to visit the prisoners confined in the
prisons of the Bronze Gate, the Praetorium, and
the Numera, asking them one by one for what
cause they were imprisoned.” Of Romanus Laka-
penos the historian writes —“He ordered that at
his grave they should each day distribute 30,000
loaves, and that on Wednesday and Friday they
should give every man in the Praetorium and the
Bronze Gate and the Numera, fifteen folles, and on
Good Friday one piece of silver" to each prisoner.”
The same writer, narrating the sufferings of the
Patriarch Ignatius under Michael and Theodora,
says —“Leo Lalakon struck his cheeks so that
two of his teeth fell out. A few days after, they
cast him in chains into the Numera.””
Michael Glykas, who wrote a chronicle from the
death of Alexios Komnenos in 1118, in one of his
poems writes of the Numera, where he was at one
time confined “:—
"Aóny kaxó Tô Noſwepa Tê Xeipo kai toº "Adov
ey * * 2 p * * v ey
Oa'ov kai yap eis Kákoaw vicóat kai Töv "Aönv.
5 e 9 & 9
* PóX\ts, a copper coin, 500 of which were equal to a pound of silver.
There was also a larger follis—follis senatorius—varying in value from
two to eight pounds of gold. The “piece of silver’’ vöpuapa is the Roman
solidum. See Du Cange, Dissert. de Inferioris Avi Mumismatibus, $$. 88
(78), 100 (90), and 101 (91).-[Tr.]
* Theophanes Con., pp. 175, 430, 668.
* Bibliothèque Grecque Vulgaire, par Emile Legrand, Vol. I., pp. 21,
23.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 155
"Ev Toſtº è Tó (opepo kai 8a0wTártº Adkkº
Oj ‘pos Tapó, Toſs Šupuaaty ow8é Tis 6pºta
T} avvexes yāp Toº katvoſ Toº akóTovs Taxº~ns
'AAAñovs of Tapaxopeſ 8Aérew odóē yvopičev.
“Hades I call the Numera, and even worse than Hades,
For in its horror it surpasses even Hades.
In this murky and most deep dungeon
There is no light to the eyes, nor any conversation,
For the constant smoke, and the thickness of the darkness
Suffer us not to see or recognise each other.”
From the two following lines it appears that the
Varangians were the jailors —
'Auuh deaſud kai 3&a'ava kai pvXakòs kai Túpyovs
Bapáyyovs &XaXáčovtas kai 6 (b680s évitya ore.
“But bonds and tortures, and guards and towers,
And the shouting Varangi; and terror keeps thee awake.”
The Byzantine prisons were mostly under the
palaces, as, for instance, the prison of Anemas
under the palace of Blachernai, and the prisons of
the Boukoleon and the Praetorium." The overseer
of them was the domesticus of the Numera, and
under him were the topoteretai, tribuni chartu-
larii, the protomandator, vicarii, mandatores, and
portarii.”
In the reign of Michael Palaiologos some Latin
prisoners were confined in the prisons of the
* Bušavtwal Mexétat, pp. 24, 26, 113, 367 ; Štrei 6 &tuxev čv uč Töv čvròs
8aat)\etwv eipkTim 6éopºtov čk troX\oë Karéxovoſa IIa)\apuāv, N. Gregoras, Vol. II.,
p. 768. The chief prisons of Constantinople have fortunately all been dis-
covered.
* Cons, P., Vol. I., p. 719.
156 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
Zeuxippos.” These are nowhere else mentioned.
As the Baths were separated from the Numera
only by a wall, it is possible that after their
destruction their name survived, and was trans-
ferred to the Numera. No one else in the whole
range of Byzantine history calls the Baths of
Zeuxippos a prison. -
The Byzantine prisons were horrible places.”
Nikephoros Gregoras writes —“Lest he [Apo-
cauchos] be suddenly snatched off, even thence,
and cast into the Hades and darkness of the
prisons.” “
THE GATE MONOTEIYROS.
A few paces to the north of this wall, there is a
small arched doorway, built after the usual Byzan-
tine fashion, of stone and brick. At the west side
of this gate there were discovered, during the ex-
cavations in 1870, two marble columns with their
bases and capitals, which had long been hidden
under a mound of earth. Along with them were
found many bricks and fragments of marble with-
out ornament or inscriptions. The length of the
pillars was 4'45 m. (about 14 ft. 6 in.), and the
circumference 175 m. (5 ft. 8 in.). The height of
an adjacent capital was 0.55 m. (1 ft. 9 in.), and
the breadth 0.77 m. (2 ft. 5 in.). A base, which
lay in its original position, was about 3.75 m. dis-
tant from the wall. In my opinion, these pillars
* Pachymeres, Vol. I., p. 519; II., p. 683.
* Constantius, KiroMs., (1846) p. 51.
* Vol. II., p. 726.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 157
formed a portion of the Passages of Achilles. From
the situation of the base, I should suppose that the
colonnade was about 3.75 m. (12 ft. 2 in.) broad,
and 5 m. (16 ft. 3 in.) high. All these remains
were soon after destroyed, and small Turkish
houses were built upon the whole of the site.
The little door was, I suspect, the gate called
Monothyros. I hope that further investigation
will confirm this view. I never succeeded in learn-
ing the Turkish name of the gate.
158 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
CHAPTER VI.
TEIE ARISTETERION.
AT the south end of this narrow road is the street
running eastward, called by the Turks Arista
Sokaghi. The name is not Turkish. My opinion
is that in Byzantine times the Aristeterion," or as
Anna Komnena calls it, the Aristerion, stood here.
Though seldom mentioned by the historians, it is
very often referred to by Constantine Porphyro-
gennetos in his accounts of the banquets of the
Emperors in the Palace.”
That the so-called Aristeterion was the magni-
ficent banquetting hall of the Emperors, and the
courtiers and foreigners whom they invited, appears
from the following words of the latter writer —
“On the evening of the 11th day, a table is laid
in the Aristeterion, and the usual guests banquet
with the Emperor, viz., the magistri, the prae-
positi, the patricians, the officials, the generals and
others who may be present, but in preference those
of the blood royal.”—“And when the dessert
(dotſ\klov)” is being brought in, some of those waiting
* Greek éarvard plov. Cpolis. Christ. lib. ii., p. 121.
* Cons. P., Vol. I., pp. 529, 581, 597, 602, 603.
* The courses were termed by the Byzantines plvorov and purév (Latin
misgus, ferculum), kal Tpárov puorov čkšegrów, Öeūrepov to a povyyárov,
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 159
at table pronounce the ‘Many years,' etc., and
both the guests at the table, and the rest of the
servants standing by the table make reply.” —
“After this, another more private table is laid
in the same Aristeterion, and the old and the
young Emperor, and the Augusta sit at it.” On
the Emperor's birthday the feast was held here.
At the upper table next the Skyla the Emperor
and the chief courtiers sat, and the remainder at
the lower table. The mantles of the guests were
taken charge of at the Skyla by the servants of the
Palace.”
That the great festivals were held in this hall
is evident from the following words of Constantine
Porphyrogennetos —“In the reign of the most
religious Emperor Leo, it was determined thus :
on the morrow of the Brumalia : * one private table
Koraës, "Arakta, Vol. I., p. 5, l. 130. Three courses are mentioned by
Porphyrogennetos. The first, the second called 3TTópuvoros, (Vol. I. p. 740),
and the third, 60%Nkuov or òočAkta, the ancient étrutpatre; ºpata (ibid.)—
ôe? §pas Tpogéxew Tö tod óTropivorov piſvgov (p. 748).-èv Tó ÖevTépºp pivog,
(p. 767), —év Tó Katp:9 Tod pivorov Tów ŚovXktau (p. 751),—kai Töv kalpöv Tod
pivorov Tóv \eyop,évov čovXKiwu (p. 755).-uetá 6è . . . Thu eigoóov Tów
Tupeputóv čopºv, (p. 760).--Pietà Tâs digišstos toū pivorov Tóv čovXKiøv,
(p. 768).-év Šē 7 m eio 669 toà évôs ékág Tov pivorov ću tº Tpatrém dévot 6
8aat)\eys Töv iſ atpudpxmv Tpès Tô et)\oyńoat, (p. 96). Unfortunately he does
not mention the dishes of the first course. ČtruTeXetrat ā avvij9ms Tāšus Too
K\mTwptov, Kal diró too 3TTouívorov Čšépxovtal oi d'ptok)\ºvat, (p. 293). See
also Vol. II., pp. 304, 600, S65, pivoros Táv ÓTTwpºvov vel Tôv Öttöv.
Meursii, Glossarium, s.v. Alvoros ; Byzantios Karoxus., Vol. III., p. 158.
* Ibid., pp. 602, 603.
* Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 277. Toº Tiju ètua Taotav čxovtos Tóveis Tpátrečav
Kek\muévau, äu &Tpuk\lumu [for diptokxtumv) pnuišovoſt. Genesios, p. 31.
* Brumalia was the name given by the Byzantines to the festivals at
Christmas and on S. Basil's Day (January 1), which lasted till the Feast
of Lights (Epiphany).
160 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
was laid in the Aristeterion for three courses or
thereby [Reiske “pro tribus fere missibus,” and
compare his Note, Vol. II., p. 865], at which were
present those who usually banquet with the Em-
peror, his most intimate friends and relatives, the
magistri, praepositi, proconsuls, patrician and
private protospatharioi, and some others known to
the Emperor. In the magnificent Hall of Jus-
tinian, another private table was laid, for six
courses or thereby, at which the young Emperor
and the other magistrates, proconsuls, etc., sat in
order of precedence.” “The Emperor goes out and
sits at his august table in the Hall of Justinian.”
The same writer states that games and players
were sometimes introduced at the command of the
Emperor."
The great banquets held here were on the 11th
day of the Nativity, at the Feast of Lights
(Epiphany), on the day of the Annunciation (March
25), on Easter-day, Pentecost, S. Elias' day (July
21), The Transfiguration (August 6), S. Basil the
Emperor's day (August 29), and on the 8th of Sep-
tember (the nativity of Our Lady).” I have thought
it well to note the above passages from Constantine
Porphyrogennetos, for from him alone do we learn
any particulars about the Aristeterion. I shall
speak more fully of them in a later chapter.
1 Cons. P., Vol. I., pp. 604, 416, 417. On p. 581 he mentions the
'ypvtráptov toº &ptormrmptov, which Reiske translates, gryparium sell pamnus
figuris vulturum refertus. Concerning the army of cooks and waiters of
the Emperor Theodosios, see Zosimos, p. 205.
2 Cons, P., Vol. I., pp. 753, 757, 762, 773, 775, 777, 779, 780, 782.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 161
Only those who have studied the Palace of the
Byzantine Emperors from the writings of native
and other historians, can estimate the value of the
discovery of remains by which we can fix with
any degree of certainty the site of each of the
buildings mentioned in history. In the opinion of
Some, it is impossible now, after the destruction of
these Palaces and the change of so many names,
to fix the site of the numerous buildings within the
precincts. It is comparatively easy for any writer
guided by Constantine Porphyrogennetos—as was
the painstaking Labarte—to picture the dimensions
and many decorations of the Palace ; but such
sketches are, in my opinion, little better than
fanciful.
Having given some account of the Numera and
the neighbouring Aristeterion, which, I have no
hesitation in saying, were both within the Palace
precinct, I shall describe some more remains, which
have fortunately been preserved, and which guide
us like beacons to a more correct localisation of the
buildings. I am convinced that in this, the broadest
part of the area occupied by the Byzantine Palace,
there are preserved, under the Turkish houses'
and their high-walled gardens, many more ancient
remains, which might throw light upon our history,
if only investigation and undistracted study of them
were possible. Future writers will, I am sure,
describe the place better than I have done. But
unfortunately, these remains are being daily des-
* All this neighbourhood is now inhabited by the Turks.
I 3
162 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
troyed and sold by the poverty stricken inhabitants,
under the eyes of a government which regards them
with indifference.
After the Numera I shall describe other remains
which illustrate very many parts of the Palace.
The above mentioned Aristeterion was within
the great and famous Hall of Justinian, which as it
was connected with other buildings, I shall describe
in the proper place, that we may better understand
its position. -
FEMAINS OF TEIE EIALL OF JUSTINIAN.
The modern Arista road, which runs from the
walls at the south side of the Numera, and continues
eastwards for about 50 paces, is interrupted by
some houses belonging to wealthy Turks. Near
this road is a wooden house with an extensive
garden behind, to which the occupants descend by
a flight of steps. I often entered this house, which
had for some time been under repair, and was then
unoccupied, and under the considerate guidance
of the architect—a Greek—I inspected all the great
ruins preserved in this considerable area. On the
south side of the garden there is a very thick and
lofty wall, which divides the property from the
neighbouring house. The masonry of this wall is
Byzantine—stone and brick in alternate courses.
Its direction is the same as that of the street
Arista, that is from west to east. In the lower
part of the garden, which slopes steeply, its height
appeared to me to be about 15 m. (50 ft.) In
the middle of it some buttresses and abut-
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 163
ments are preserved, the remains of an ancient
arch, the other side of which probably rested on a
parallel wall now completely destroyed. This wall
could not be seen from the road. Its length is
about 30 m. (98 ft).
To the north of this wall, and under the large
patched up house, is a great subterranean vault
resting on Square pillars. It is plastered in some
places, and is clearly of Byzantine construction.
This crypt has windows facing the garden, and a
door on a level with the thoroughfare. On entering
the house from the higher Arista Sokaghi, one ar-
rives on the dome, and then descends by many
steps into the vault, whence one gets on to the
level thoroughfare by the above-mentioned door.
The vault is at present occupied by vendors of pro-
visions and oil.
These remains are both, as I said Byzantine,
portions of the Palace. I think that the wall is a
portion of the Hall of Justinian. To the vault I
shall revert later.
REMAINS OF THE PHAROS.
Proceeding north-east from the Numera, one
sees a great and lofty Byzantine building, on the
west side of which is built a large wooden house.
The eastern side, which looks to the Propontis and
the opposite shore of Anatole, is entirely free from
houses or other buildings connected with it. The
masonry is Byzantine." A small garden, which sets
* Gyllius, De Topographia, lib, ii., cap, 6,
164 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
off the size and height of the wall, surrounds this
side. Inside it there are inscribed bricks confusedly
lying together, and broken marbles of Byzantine
workmanship, with unlovely designs. The strong
foundations which are visible extend under the
adjoining Turkish houses. A small wooden house
to the north side of this garden, is also built upon
the old Byzantine foundations. Only one very
narrow entrance is visible near the ground leading
from the garden to the recesses of these strong
vaults. It is now wholly blocked up with stones
and bricks. No other entrance on this side of the
garden is visible. From the house access is had to
the roof of the building, which is flat, and covered
with tiles. Small ancient windows can be seen on
the east side. The building is three-storied, and,
in spite of its desolate condition, well preserved.
In this building dwells the Turkish proprietor, a
cripple, who can hardly drag his swollen feet along.
A small mat of rushes and some earthen cooking
vessels were all his goods. For a small fee he
conducted me not once, but several times, through
all the nooks and corners of this mysterious building.
Under the wooden house is a great Byzantine
arch, beneath which runs a broad road. The walls
on either side of this covered road are rough,
showing that there formerly were buildings
connected with them, which have been violently
pulled down. Here is the western door of the
house, by which I always came and went. In the
small chamber, lighted by tiny windows, where the
old man lives, there is a wooden trap-door. This
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 165
he raised with difficulty, and giving me candles and
matches, bade me descend myself, as he could not
follow on account of his crippled feet. I descended
alone into the pit, which the light barely illumined,
and went through dark foul-smelling passages, and
vaults, full of stones and black earth. The preserva-
tion and perfect dryness of all these vaults was a
marvel. It shows the excellence and uniform
solidity of the Byzantine masonry. There is no
sign of mortar in these vaults. At the end, the low
door in the outer wall—which I mentioned above—
leads out of them. This I learnt from the mouth
of the old man himself. The last and deepest vault
is larger than the others. I frequently went into
all of them. They are at present dark, and empty,
and contain no Byzantine inscription or mark. The
owner never went into them, nor did he know to
what use they were formerly put. He only said
that they had been built in the time of Constantine.
I subsequently visited these newly discovered vaults
with some friends, who can bear witness to the
accuracy of what I have written.
They are probably identical with those alluded to
in the Continuation of Theophanes, where the
writer mentions the buildings of Basil the
Macedonian. “The same Emperor built the Chapel
of S. John the Divine, together with the airy and
sunny marble paved walk, which runs as far as the
Pharos, and also the very strong houses to the
east of it, one of which is a treasury, and the other
serves for a wardrobe.”" It is, however, more prob-
* P, 336.
166 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
able that they are the buildings described by
Propokios. “There was a subterranean building in
the Palace, secure and difficult of access, like a
Hades, where she [Theodora] confined and kept in
ward many of those who had offended her. Buzes
was accordingly cast into this dungeon.” Possibly
some portion of them was used as a prison in the
reign of certain of the Emperors. No other such
vaults are mentioned, except in the palace of the
Boukoleon ; and I do not think that it was built
in the time of Propokios. It was enlarged and
adorned by Nikephoros Phokas.
After inspecting all this building and the vaults,
I went through the house built above them, under
the guidance of the old Turk. Beneath part of the
vaults, there runs, as I have said, a broad road.
At the entrance to the house there is a more recent
vault. From the upper storey one comes on to the
roof of the building through a large room, which
covers a great part of it. I found nothing more of
importance in this house, every portion of which I
inspected under the guidance of the excellent old
Turk, who was a friend of the family which occu-
pied it. The view from the roof of the building
was marvellous. All Anatole, Skoutari, Chalkedon,
and the mountains as far as Olympus could be
clearly distinguished. Besides, owing to the height
of the house, all the vessels sailing past the Akro-
polis could be easily observed.
I have spoken at great length about this hither-
* Vol. III., p. 30.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 167
to unnoticed building, for in my opinion it is the
Pharos of the Palace, which is mentioned very fre-
quently. Beside it stood the famous Chrysotri-
klinos, where so many ceremonies were performed,
and the Emperors displayed to foreign ambassadors
their untold wealth, the gold and silver vessels,
and the Golden Throne. These vaults, strong and
dry, were, I am persuaded, the places where these
treasures were stored in safety. A public road
runs through this quarter to the right side of the
tower, and then turns to the left and passes
through the broadest vault. This arcade was built
large and solidly for a foundation to the Chryso-
triklinos. So, too, in the case of Blachermai and
the Boukoleon, the Emperors founded the palaces
on vaults that they might overlook the sea and the
plain. These vaults subsequently served as prisons.
Without this arcading, the Chrysotriklinos and the
Emperor's bed chamber, would have been the most
insignificant of the Palace buildings, buried behind
the Pharos, which for the convenience of the ship-
ping rose to a great height. Inside a Turkish
garden on the north side of this vault, where the
Gallery of the Forty Saints formerly stood, there
are great ruins, which I was never able to inspect.
This building, commonly called the Pharos, has
been preserved till our day on account of the
solidity of the walls and its strong foundations.
Beside it on the right hand, lay the Church of Our
Lady of the Pharos which often figures in the
history of the Empire. “In the Chapel of our
168 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
most Holy Lady, which is called the Pharos.” The
building was called the Pharos for the following
reason. In the time of the Romans, when the
Saracens made an incursion from the East, a chain
of signal fires to Constantinople was kindled. The
lights on the summit of Olympus were taken up by
Korhizos, and Moukilos, after them by S. Aux-
entios” called the Watch Tower, behind Chalkedon,
and then the light on the terrace of the Pharos—
or, as the Byzantines called it, Our Lady of the
Pharos—was kindled. This practice prevailed until
the reign of Theophilos son of Michael, when, for the
reason which Constantine Porphyrogennetos gives,
it was discontinued, but only for a short time. Ac-
cording to the Continuation of Theophanes, the
Pharos is so called because, “a fire is regularly
lighted at night to guide safely to the haven.”
Possibly it may have served both purposes. As a
watch-fire the Pharos was anciently needless, for
when it was built the Saracens were not in the
East. No writer mentions its erection. Probably
it was in the time of Severus or even earlier. On
the terrace of the Pharos there dwelt Dietarii,
* Genesios, p. 7; Cons. P., Vol., p. 492. Our Lady of the Pharos
is not to be confounded with Our Lady of the Forum (roſſ fépov) which
was in the Forum Boarium. See Theophanes Con., p. 339.
* Now Kaž8-dagh or the Hill of the Lash. The learned Reiske is far
Wrong when he says (Cons. P., Vol. II., p. 572) that this hill was beside
Mount Olympus in Bithynia. It is four miles east of Chalkedon, now
Kadi-kioi. G. Kedrenos, Vol. II., p. 174. Anciently many monasteries
were built on this mountain, the ruins of which still exist. Movaarāv
* ūtrö Thu Toi peºytotov Špovs ièpvp.évov čkptºpetav, 6 ka?\odot tod óatov
Aööevrtov Aépov. Nikephoros Patr., p. 81.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 169
watchmen specially assigned to the work,' keeping
watch there continually, and having no connection
with the Palace.”
Every one who has examined this building, is
persuaded that the rulers of Constantinople could
have selected no more suitable place with a view
to the safety of their city. On the whole, it seems
evident that near this building stood the Church of
Our Lady of the Pharos. I cannot endorse the
statement of the eminent Byzantios that “pro-
bably Theophilos demolished this church.” He
stopped the beacons kindled on it, and that for a
time only, for after this the Pharos and Our Lady
of the Pharos are often mentioned.
REMAINS OF THE MANAUIRA.
Not far to the north of this building in a street
called Toprak Sokaghi, or the Street of the Mound,
there are preserved colossal Byzantine buildings so
dilapidated that it is difficult to tell what purpose
they served. They are two storeys high, built
according to the Byzantine custom with dark
* Alattáptos, Atriensis àuattápxms—tois év tº preyá\p traNatig ótt Togrg
&qwptopºvous àuattaptovs 6%mv ćrtôm thv trpovopºv, Meursii, Glossarium ;
Cons. P., Vol. II., p. 43. The dietarii of the Church of Our Lady, of the
Manaura, of the Hall of the Nineteen Couches, and of S. Stephen in the
Daphne, are also mentioned. Ibid., Vol. I., pp. 800, 802, 805.
*’Ev Tó peºyáNº traMattø kata to i\taków too pápov, Theophanes Con.,
pp. 19, 197, 682; Cons. P., Vol. II., p. 43. There was another Pharos
at the northern entrance of the Euxine, étrel Še TAmatov toà év tá, Eöğelvg
IIóvrq) qdpov ćyévovto (pópos 6é kaxeſ rat āq;tèpvpd. Tu & Tupaios étrutt0eral trpès
ôômyſaw toſs Šv vvKT trapoëttals, Theophanes Con., p. 746. The dietarii
diró ràs tróNews kai too oſtevoú were exempt from military service, Cons. P.,
Vol. I., p. 699. Probably they had quarters in the lower rooms of the
building. . . * KiroMs., Vol. I... p. 214.
170 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
narrow passages. Milch kine and their keepers
live in the vaults. The floors are covered with
dung and foul water. A little open courtyard .
where the cattle are kept contains inscribed
bricks which have fallen from the walls, and
some broken fragments of marble. Guided by one
of the cowherds I went through all these lofty
vaults. I then went by another way to the top of
them. Here unfortunately poor Turkish houses
are built, which I was not allowed to enter. I
observed nothing of importance on this building,
which is now roofless. I was convinced by a long
study of the structure, especially of the under-
ground portion, that a great Byzantine building
must have been erected on these vaults; but
whether it was civil or ecclesiastical my frequent
examination did not inform me. Above the vault-
ing, level with the ground, no signs of Byzantine
work are to be seen. Any structure that was
once here has utterly disappeared. Buildings
such as these vaults were never erected by the
Byzantines except for monasteries. This, how-
ever, was not a monastery, for the vaults of
such as have been preserved, have all marble
pillars. It was not a church, for so great a number
of narrow passages are not found in Byzantine
churches. Besides, there is no sign of sanctuary or
altar in them. They are strong vaults built to
support a great, widespread building, forming a
separate part of the Palace. I conclude that it was
the famous Manaura, which was separated from
the other Palace buildings by an open space very
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 171
often mentioned by Constantine VII. in his account
of the ceremonies. The size of the building, and its
distance from the Chrysotriklinos are in complete
accordance with his accounts.
One day as I was inspecting these ruins with great
attention, two Turks who lived near approached
me, and asked for information about the building.
They told me that the ruins, in common with the
entire neighbourhood, were formerly called Dhomoſz
dham? (the pigstye). This reminded me that
Constantine Porphyrogennetos mentions a part of
the Palace called Delphax. Unfortunately the
passages where he notices it do not aid us much in
determining the site, and the place is mentioned
by no one else.
He writes:" “The triple door of the Onopodium
is guarded and the doors of the Delphax.” “Or
else as the Emperor is going to the Hippodrome,
he stands before the Delphax, and speaks.” “And
the benches having been placed before the Delphax
the magistrates sat and began to consult about the
candidate for the throne.” “On the fourth of
April in the fifth indiction, Tatian being magister,
the Emperor ordered a silentium, and a convention,
* Vol. I., pp. 243, 391, 421, 433. AéApaš xoptôtov, Öexpáktov xoptótov,
Hesychios. AeApáktov Tó toº xotpov 8pépos ) to youpoºvi, Kyrillos, Glos-
sarium ; see Meursii Glossarium, s. v. youpotºvtov. Byzantios (Vol. I.,
p. 204) gives the name Delphax to the Aristeterion beside the Chrysotri-
klinos, on the authority of Du Cange. “Le Delphicum ou les Empereurs
prenoient leur repas appellé pour cette raison par Anna Commena dpig-
Tetov.” Histoire de l'Empire de Constantinople sous les Empereurs Fram.
çois, Venice, 1729, part i., p. 152. These writers confuse the Aristeterion
of the Chrysotriklinos, the private banquetting hall of the Emperor, with
the Aristeterion of the great Hall of Justinian.
172 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
and the schools and all the army to gather to-
gether to the Delphax . . . not in the hippo-
drome but in the Delphax.”
Prokopios writes:– “The Romans call the place
Delphix, not in their own language, but using the
ancient Greek name.” “The Romans call the
tripod Delphix, since it was first at Delphi and
then at Byzantion, and wherever the Emperor's
couch is, they call the house Delphix.”
Unfortunately these words of Prokopios and
Constantine do not give us any precise information
about the site of the Delphax. We can only say
that it was beside the Onopodium and the
Consistory, opposite the Manaura. Later on in
our account of the Palace, I think we shall find
that its site was not in the Manaura, but in a
part of the Palace near it. I should think that it
was a place beside the Onopodium, within the
Gallery of the Lord. Unfortunately Constantine
Porphyrogennetos is the only writer who gives any
indication of its site. Labarte says nothing about
it. Such a building as this, and so near the Palace,
certainly was not a pigstye. The Turkish name is
derived from the Delphax which was somewhere
opposite, and clearly determines the site of the
latter opposite the Manaura.”
* Vol. I., p. 395. I think that Prokopios is wrong in calling every
couch Delphix. The Delphix has no connection with the Delphax of
Constantine VII. and the Byzantines. The name Delphax, like many
more Byzantine terms, has descended from an ancient building which
stood there before the erection of the Palace.
* The Turkish names of a great number of places in Constantinople and
its environs throw light on many passages of the Byzantine historians.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 173
REMAINS OF THE BOUKOLEON.
We have now to consider other remains of the
Palace which were discovered in 1872 by the
excavators of the Thracian railway, that from the
study of all the remains we may fill up, as far as
possible, the site of the Palace.
Near the sea-wall of the Palace precincts, in a
place called Intzele Kiosk, the workmen uncovered
vaults of great size, the arches of which were 13
metres (42 ft.) above the sea-level, and four or five
metres (13 or 16 ft.) below the ground. A large
and exceedingly strong wall running from west to
east, divided the place into two unequal portions.
From these chambers, which till then had been
completely covered by a gently rising mound, a
narrow underground passage led into another great
Vault beside the sea, still in excellent preservation.
This vault is now used as a workshop by some
Armenian blacksmiths. It looks more like a cave
than an artificially built vault. It is accessible to
all from the shore; but the narrow passage leading
to the larger vaults has been blocked up. At the
north side there is another vault, which probably
served as the prison for the Palace.”
In May 1872, when many chambers had already
been demolished (for the railway, unfortunately,
was to run right through them), and when the
mound lying above them had been all removed, the
* I.e., the Pearl Hall. ° N. Choniates, p. 169.
174 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
foundations of a large Byzantine building which
rested on these vaults, were brought to light.
These foundations were parallel with the sea wall
of the Palace. The length of either side was 98-88
metres (321 ft.) and the breath 17 metres (55 ft.)
The western side of the foundations was slightly
recessed for a great part of its length, and opposite
it, I observed two steps lying in their original
position, 2.76 metres (9 ft.) apart. The breadth of
them was about 0.76 metres (2 ft. 6 in.). The area
of the building was about 1670-76 sq. metres, (1962
sq. yds.).
Some days after this, when the workmen had
broken up these strong and well built walls with
pickaxe and gunpowder, they discovered a great
heap of heavy hewn marbles in the northern
extremity of the vaults. They consisted of marble
slabs, and fragments of every shape and size, which
had fallen from the building above, as if it had
experienced a severe earthquake, and the walls and
the marbles had fallen into this hole, which had
been afterwards covered by the ruins of the arches.
In this pit four large, and six smaller capitals
were found, and many steps, the heavier of which
were similar to the two I mentioned outside the
building. From the same place two marble slabs
2.76 metres (9 ft.) long, 1.07 metres (3 ft. 5 in.)
broad, and 0.23 metre (9 in.) thick, were with much
labour recovered. Only one side was ornamented.
Among the decorations could be distinguished a
lion's and an ox's head, executed with great spirit.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 175
Similar smaller heads appeared on other fragments."
As soon as I saw the lion and the ox on these
fragments, and the varied ornamentation, I was
convinced they were relics of the Palace of the
Boukoleon, celebrated by native and foreign writers,
which anciently stood here.” The situation of the
building shows that it was not a church.”
The vaults, which were shortly after demolished,
were prisons, and communicated with the great
vault on the shore. The Continuation of Theo-
phanes" says “But Theophilos setting these oaths
at naught, places Theophobos in a certain prison
beneath the Boukoleon, and orders him to be
guarded.” Skylitses writes “A prison below the
Boukoleon.” George the Monk,” gives the following
account of Theophilos. “Before his death, this Em-
peror accursed of God, having held a secret Senate
of men likeminded with himself about Theophobos
the Persian, . . . brought him into the Palace,
and kept him beside him. And when the Persians
* All these marble ornaments were conveyed to the Imperial Museum
of Constantinople, where they are now preserved.
* "EtvXev čva,6ev čo Tös Tóv 8aat)\mtajw oikav
évôa y\vºbefora öeśvāos pºdpuapos Xtováxpovs
800v pleya)\óTNewpov tutoi, kal Xéovta poppd{et
étruitmöövta Tim Boi, kai Tivovra toû póvov-
Kai yé yove Tú y\%upata Taüta tº Tótrø k\mats.
C. Manasses, v. 4862.
* This palace, so often mentioned by the Crusaders, whose leaders
lived there, was at that time the most magnificent of the palaces.
“Ville-Hardouin etend parler du Grand Palais, qui estoit assis sur la
rive de la Propontide, et estoit de son temps nommé le Palais de
Bucoléon.” Du Cange, Hist, part i., p. 152.
* P. 136; Buſ. Mex., p. 105.
* Theophanes Con., p. 810.
176 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
sought to know what had happened to him, the
Emperor sent Petrona the Augusta's brother, and a
logothetes, and cut off the head of Theophobos.
Then they persuaded the Persians that he was in
the Palace with the Emperor. When the Emperor
miserably died of dysentery, his wretched body
was borne to the Church of the Holy Apostles,
and the body of Theophobos they secretly con-
veyed through the Boukoleon to the neighbour-
hood of the house of Narses, in the place now
called the Theophobeia," and deposited it there.”
Other writers of the Continuation say “He sent
Theophobos to the recesses of the Boukoleon and
confined him.”—“He places Theophobos in a very
gloomy dungeon beneath the Boukoleon.”
The name Boukoleon is corrupted from the Latin
Bucca Leonis," and in the later period, the Byzan-
times took it as if from 800s and Aéov, and hence
the heads of these animals sculptured on the frag-
ments found.
From the study of these ruins, especially the
steps and capitals, the architect K. Demades has
reconstructed the palace. From this sketch, a
very faithful representation of the whole building,
we get some idea of the appearance of the Imperial
palaces. Further on we shall give some account
* Byzantios (Vol. I., p. 139) places the monastery of the Theophobeia
on the Asiatic shore of the Bosphoros, in a village now called Kuzghunt-
zúk.
* Theophanes Con., p. 809.
* Genesios, p. 60 ; G. Kedrenos, Vol. II., p. 139.
* It is sometimes called Os Leomis by the Latin writers. Riant
Eacuviae Sacrae, Vol. II., p. 235.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 177
of its erection, and of the many places where it
appears in the history of the Empire.
Near this palace, to the South, was the harbour
of the Boukoleon. Here the Emperors took their
departure by the galleys called chelandia or
dromoi, either to the church of the Studium or of
Our Lady at Blachernai at public displays.” At
the festival which took place in the Sigma, and in
the mystic fountain of the Triconchos. “All those
invited go to their own abodes through the cali-
darium, and the rowers of the Imperial barge go
down to the harbour of the Boukoleon, and take their
stand where the vessel is.” I think this is the
harbour which Pachymeres means when he writes,
“some too inside the harbour at the Pharos,” be-
cause there was no other harbour near here, to the
East of the Pharos.
The palace of the Boukoleon was adorned by
Constantine VII. Porphyrogennetos with repre-
sentations of animals collected from various places."
THE PAPIAS.
In the former chapter, I spoke of the Palace gates.
The chief janitor of the Palace was called the
* Kal & 6aot)\eys eioſépxerat ātrö Tô Tax&Tuov eis Töv 8aat)\etov Špógava
pietà Tâs oiketas ačroß 6epairetas. Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 560. [Apópºwves et]
ôpopºdóes autem sunt quas Sidonius cursorias appellat. G. Kodinos,
(annot.) p. 249. See my BušavTuval Mexéral, pp. 112, 117, where I have
described the harbour of the Boukoleon.
* Cons, P., Vol. I., p. 601. Trpos to rod Taxattou veðptov čv Tó Bovko-
\éovt. G. Kedrenos, Vol. II., p. 292.
* Vol. I., p. 391.
* Theophames Com., p. 447.
I4.
17 S The Great Palace of Constantinople.
Papias," sometimes the Great Domestic Papias.”
The name comes from the Arabic Bab, a gate,
Babi, janitor.” Towards the end of the Empire,
according to Kodinos Kouropalates, the office was
a sinecure.
The Palace was not opened early, and was shut
at evening. At some festivals the courtiers
entered at night." At other times “he opened the
Palace very soon,” and at others in the evening.
“On the evening of the Sabbath of Lazarus, the
Palace was opened, and the whole senate entered.”
On certain occasions, the courtiers entered through
the night (Tauviſztol), and the Palace was opened
very early. In the reign of Constantine VII. it was
securely closed all night." Hence in his writings
we continually meet with the phrase “when the
palace opens.” By this he does not mean the
whole Palace, but the palace of the Chrysotriklinos,
the more private residence of the Emperor. On
* IIpoépxovrat Távres év tº traXarig, Kai ävotáavros toū IIatríov. Cons. P.,
Vol. I., p. 171. Cf. pp. 519, 525, 550, 566, 601. G. Kedrenos, Vol. II., p.
18, 6 Tatrías Too tra)\attov elaſeköpuaev at Tás. C. Manasses, 4696–
IIpós Töv Tóv ołkajw ptſ) aka Töv ću To's divakrópous
IIatríav \éYouev at Töv katē Papatav y\@oro av.
* Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 6.
* Sometimes also written IIatririas. Kodinos Kour., pp. 12, 28, 35,
188; Theophanes Con., p. 37; Byzantios KiroMs., Vol. III., p. 83. His
wife was called IIatrialva. Acta et Diplomata, Vol. I., p. 18. Some
derive the name from Tátras or TráTiras. Kodinos Kour, p. 188.
* Cons. P., Vol. I., pp. 108, 143, 161, 162.
* Ibid., p. 170; Theophanes Con., p. 619. [The Sabbath of the Resur-
rection of Lazarus is the Saturday before Palm Sunday. Tr.]
* Cf. Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 601. Luitprand has some remarks on the
hour of the opening of the Palace. Hist., lib. v., 21.
7 Vol. I., pp. 72, 99, 170.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 179
Easter Monday, the officers of the Palace met “very
early ’’ in the chambers of the Triconchos, and pro-
ceeding to the Chrysotriklinos opened the palace.
The palace so often mentioned in the accounts of
processions is the Chrysotriklinos.
The Papias of the Great Palace bore as a badge
of office a bunch of keys, which on state occa-
sions he waved in front of the guest. “The
Papias comes out waving his keys, and the silen-
tiarius says Kekeſa ate.” Again “The Papias at
once lifts his keys from the bench, and goes out
shaking them so that they clash, from which
all know that the Papias has come out of the
Chrysotriklinos, and is ordering the courses.” ” At
some festivals he had other functions. At the
promotion of a proconsul, when the Emperor is
sitting in the throne in the Chrysotriklinos, “the
Papias takes a censer, and burns incense as at the
promotion of a patrician, and retires.”* The Papias
accompanied the Holy Cross, when it was taken
out in the month of August, and carried round
through every quarter of the city. He then
collected the offerings of the people, a portion of
which was given to the second Papias.” If through
* Cons. P., p. 525 ; Kodinos Kour., p. 188. The silentiaries are
defined by Agathias as “those who command silence in the Emperor's
presence.” Meursii, Glossarium.
* Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 521. ‘O 6è Apôā8aa80s 6papadu Tpós Töv traitlav,
Kal &pas dir' attod tâs k\eſs Swatos, #votéev. Theophanes Con., p. 685 ; Leo
Grammaticus, p. 252.
* Cons, P., Vol. I., p. 255.
* Tó Tatríg Tô Sevrépg. Cons. P., Vol. I., pp. 709, 721, 723, 725;
aúro) &m)\ovóru Toi) trairtov kal tod óeutépov, latapévov eis rô Tpös Ščav Šeštěv
8ſixov. Ibid., p. 520.
180 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
illness or any other cause he was unable to go out,
the second Papias accompanied it, and they divided
the offerings equally. Constantine Porphyro-
gennetos mentions still further duties of the Papias.
In the time of Kantakouzenos, the Papias is
mentioned as a military officer. The left wing of
eunuchs was under the command of the great
Papias." Besides the Papias of the great Palace,
the Papias of the Manaura and of the Palace of
the Daphne are also mentioned,” as well as the door-
keepers of the Palace and the Secreta, who were
subordinates of the great Papias.”
The Palace of the Byzantine Emperors was not
a single building like those of modern European
rulers; but consisted of a number of different
structures originally founded by Constantine the
Great. Others were subsequently added by
successive Emperors, or built on the foundations of
palaces which had either fallen in ruins, or been
pulled down to build larger. Hence the many
passages or galleries which connected the various
parts of the Palace. Luitprand praises not only
* J. Kantakouzenos, Vol. I., pp. 262, 436, 465.
* Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 725.
* Ibid., Vol. I., p. 738. The duties of the Papias, according to Kodinos
Kouropalates, p. 35, were “anciently indefinite, now nothing.” This
writer, who ascribes to Constantine the greater part of the buildings of
the subsequent Emperors Justinian, Justin, Theophilos and Basil, described
the antiquities of Constantinople when her power was on the wane, at a
time when most of her buildings had fallen in ruins, and only their names
lingered in the mouths of the people. The student of these writers must
bear in mind the density of their ignorance. In the course of this work
I shall often allude to the incoherent and astonishing statements of
Kodinos to shew how ignorant were the historians of the last age.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 181
the splendour, but also the number of the palaces."
Within the Palace precincts, the Emperors also
built many churches and chapels, where the majority
of the ceremonies detailed by Constantine Porphy-
rogennetos were performed. These palaces are
often referred to collectively as to Taxatiov.” For a
clearer understanding of them I shall divide the
palaces into two classes:—
1.—Those which were connected together, and
2.—Those which were detached.
The first class I subdivide as follows:—
1. The Palace of the Chrysotriklinos.
2. The Palace of the Triconchos.
3. The Palace of the Daphne.
Thus, I think, we shall be better able to under-
stand the much confused account of the Byzantine
writers.
I may remark that the plan given in this work
differs greatly from those given by Labarte, and
in consequence my classification of the palace build-
ings is not the same as his.
The Palace of the Chrysotriklinos.
THE CHRYSOTRIKLINOS.
This, the most magnificent of the Imperial
buildings, lay to the West of, i.e. above, the Pharos,
which is still standing, and was anciently the most
* Hist., v., 21.
* IIoMAákus 66 ovveotidovrat Tots àpxova'u èv Tó traXatiq) Töv BAaxepvāv,
kal 6slMms sloºpxovirat eis rô TáAarlov. Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 560. kai rāv
pièv dvaktópwv, & Tô puéya traXártov Aéyeral, kvpetſovo.uv čá čq6öov otpartúrat
ék Tod Boravelátov, M. Attaliates, p. 270.
182 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
easterly of the Palace buildings within the precincts.
We find no record of any other building to the
East of it or the Pharos. Constantine Porphyro-
gennetos mentions this hall more frequently than
any other of the Imperial buildings, and, as I have
said above, often refers to it as “the palace.” It
was built from the foundation by Justin II. nephew
of Justinian (d. 578). It had eight chambers
communicating with a central hall,” which was
domed, and lighted by sixteen windows.” Here
stood the throne of the Emperor,” and in front
of it, as would appear from Constantime Porphyro-
gennetos, were brazen rails.” On either side of
the Emperor sat any princes who might be pre-
sent." The north side of the Chrysotriklinos was
called the left, and the south the right, because at
ceremonies and banquets the Emperor always stood
or sat facing the East.
At the east end of the left hand side of the
Chrysotriklinos was the Chamber or Chapel of
S. Theodore," where the Emperors robed on the
* "Atravres . . . trpoepkópevot v Tó huukvKXiq, Tffs àytöos . . . kal
&votéavros Toº traXartov KTX. Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 143 ; cf. p. 157. § 6é
Bagińets 6tépxera, Ötö toº avyova Téas, kal eigépxeTat év Tó Taxatiq), p. 159.
* Eis 6é Tús Ókrój Kapuāpas Toº Ypwootpuk\ivov. Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 580;
G. Kedrenos, Vol. II., p. 48.
* "Ava,0ev 6é eis rās is' pajraya, yov's kapıöpas Toº Tpow\\ov Toij attoº
Xpwootpuk)\ivov. Cons. P., Vol. I., pp. 582, 586.
*’Eká9taev ćirl toº gåvtſov čv Tó xpvootpuk\ivg. Cons. P. &v Tó toº
Xpwootpuk\ivov 8aat)\etap 6póvg kaffuðpúa'avtes awróv. M. Attaliates, p. 169.
>{v+Kos from the Latin sessus ; Cons. P., Vol. II., p. 224. This name
was given only to the Emperor's throne.
* Ibid., Vol. I., p. 283. * Ibid., Vol. I., p. 632.
7 'Arépxeral év rô vaig rod 'Aytov 6eo6%pov ću avrò rig Xpvootpuk)\ivº.
Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 440; cf. pp. 622, 623.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 183
occasion of a reception." A curtain was hung
before this chamber. Here the Emperor's crown
was kept, and Moses’ rod was preserved” along
with many vessels of gold and other precious
materials, which Constantine Porphyrogennetos
enumerates.” The Emperor's mantle, and all the
rest of his imperial robes were kept in the Chry-
sotriklinos."
On the right hand side of the Chrysotriklinos
were the silver doors" of the Long Room. It led
into the tepos kottöv, or Imperial bed-chamber;"
from which the Emperor came out through the
Long Room into the hall to meet the nobles, who
on the occasion of ceremonies stood opposite the
chamber waiting to escort him." In this room he
was guarded by the Chrysotriklinitai and armed
guards.”
Another chamber called the Pantheon is men-
tioned.” One of the eight chambers was the
Phylax or Treasury," where the many golden
vessels, etc. belonging to the hall were probably
kept. “They go through the Horologion and the
1 Cons. P., Vol. I., pp. 115, 119, 244.
2 Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 6. 3 Ibid., Vol. I., pp. 640, 92.
4 Ibid., Vol. I., p. 7. The attendants were called Chrysotriklinitai.
Ibid., pp. 30, 546.
5 Ibid., Vol. I., p. 124.
6 Cons. P., Vol. I., pp. 22, 585 ; M. Attaliates, pp. 142, 169.
7 Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 175.
8 The editor of Kodinos Kouropalates (p. 186), quotes from Theophanes:
ôuijtruto:6els [Ó 8a0 t)\et's] &Kö\eaſe Töv Tapakotpatópºevov attoo.
9'Ev rà kapāpg rod Xpugoſpur Ntvov rà oðam Tpós To IIáv6eov. Cons. P.,
Vol. I., pp. 116, 122. There was also a body of soldiers called the
Pantheon by Kedrenos. Vol. II., p. 876.
10 Cons. P., Vol. I., pp. 580, 582,
184 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
Chrysotriklinos and the Phylax.” Thence they
proceeded to the gallery of the Forty Martyrs." At
the promotion of the Zosta Patricia we read:—“The
Praepositus receives the patrician lady, who is to be
promoted, from the guards, where the bright folding
doors are.” It is probable that the costly vessels
of the Chrysotriklinos were protected by similar
doors. Possibly this is the Treasury in which Basil
the Macedonian, is said to have left 900 cen-
tenaria.” In the opinion of Reiske, this Treasury
was identical with the Church of our Lady of the
Pharos.” The many gold vessels preserved here
are enumerated in the Continuation of Theophanes
(p. 173).
To the East of the Chrysotriklinos was a j\takos
or Solarium, an open terrace, by which the church of
Our Lady of the Pharos could be approached with-
out going through the Chrysotriklinos. At the pro-
motion of the Zosta Patricia,” after the Liturgy in S.
Sophia, the patrician lady “enters the Palace through
the Eros and the Colonnade of the Forty Martyrs,
crosses the Terrace of the Chrysotriklinos, and enters
into the Pharos,” “The Magistri and Patricians,
and the rest of the Senate, with the Officers of the
1 I think that the Phylax beside the chamber of the Pantheon was a
door leading to the Chrysotriklinos.
2 Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 257.
3 Theophanes Con., p. 253. Constantine Porphyrogennetos wrote the
life of Basil. 4 Cons. P., Vol. II., p. 618.
9 Cons. P., Vol. I., pp. 257, 711, oùTo gapſ34pgs divopuéſero els Tºv
Bušavruvhu ai)\mu, äurt Tot Zúa Tpta # Zºo Telpa, Tax\. Dame d’Autour
Koraes, Posthumous Writings, Vol. I., p. 26. The Augusta had only one
Zosta. Meursii, Gloss s.v.; Le Beau, Hist, du Bas Empire, Vol. XIV.,
p. 421. 6 Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 261.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 185
Bedchamber," take their place on the Terrace of the
Chrysotriklinos if it is fine weather, if not, they
stand inside the Chrysotriklinos.” The door lead-
ing to this Terrace was called Monothyros or Mono-
thyron.” Over the door was the picture of God in
human form sitting on a throne." On either side of
this door was another also leading out to the Ter-
race.” These Porphyrogennetos calls the eastern
doors." Another set of three doors led to the
Tripeton, a piece of ground lying to the west of
the Chrysotriklinos. These doors which were
covered with silver," along with the silver table in
the neighbouring Aristeterion were made by Con-
stantine VII.”
The great golden table in the Chrysotriklinos
was oblong. The Emperor and Patriarch had their
places at the upper end of the table looking to the
East, at the other end the guests gathered in a
body” as for instance, at the banquet on Easter
Monday. The Patriarch usually waited for the
Emperor in the chamber next to the Pantheon.”
When the courtiers banquetted with the Emperor
in the Chrysotriklinos, they sat at separate tables,
while the Emperor sat at the golden table." In
1 0t toº kovšovk\etov were the eunuchs and their chief, the praepositus.
Meursii, Glossarium. The term kovšoºkMetov denoted all the courtiers.
The word is the Latin Cubiculum.
2 Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 137. 3 Ibid., p. 289.
4 Ibid., p. 519. 5 Ibid., p. 290.
6 Ibid., p. 592. 7 Ibid., pp. 90, 92, 95, 581.
S Theophanes Con., p. 450.
9 Cons. P., Vol. I., pp. 94, 580. 10 Ibid., p. 122.
ll Ett öé Taºs Katá têv kapapóv Tpairéats—éti 6é Tóv Káto Tpaireºv.
Ibid., pp. 768, 769, 770, 771, 772,
186 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
the Tripeton there were additional or side-tables,
which were used when a great many guests were
invited.” “In the chamber of the Chrysotriklinos
which leads to the Tripeton, two side-tables stand,
and another is brought in if the Emperor orders it.
The one is placed on the right, the other on the
left of the chamber.”
Only five dignitaries had the right of dining
with the Emperor at his own table in the Chryso-
triklinos—the Patriarch, the Caesar, the Nobilissi-
mus, the Kouropalates and the Zosta Patricia.”
The seat of honour was on the Emperor's left.”
The same order was observed in the Hall of
Justinian. The Patriarch, however, sat with the
Emperor at his table on all occasions.”
Theophilos made a silver table, which C. Porphy-
rogennetos often mentions, “for the accomodation
of the guests and the adornment of the Palace,” in
which so many foreigners and courtiers feasted with
the Emperor." A great chandelier hung from the
centre of the Hall over the table." The famous
golden tree so often mentioned in accounts of the
Palace was constructed by Theophilos. “Birds
sitting on the branches sung by some mechanism,
I Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 95. 2 Ibid., p. 70.
3 Ibid., pp. 726, 773, 775. 4 Ibid., pp. 92, 726, 739.
5 Kal roſ, Tatpudpxov &s éðos kaffeoffévros trap at Tø étl 6tºpov. J. Kanta-
kouzenos, Vol. I., pp. 64-65; £v Tó ÖTepXápºttpq, XpwootpukAtv9, Theophanes
Con., p. 246.
6 Elaep):ópºevot ka0éčovrat éirl rod Xpwootpuk)\ivov Ká00s et040 rat atroſs,
kal però pakpóv 6tóovrat pivotat. Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 124.
7 Ibid., p. 93; £v Tó puéoºp row xpvootpuk\ivov Karévauri toº peo attárov
troXvkavöff}\ov, p. 624; Tô 6é Aatov toº troXvkavóñ\ov toº karū to plea ov
kpep.ap.évov toû XpwarotpukAtvov, p. 724.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 187
the air being supplied by concealed passages.”
The walls were ornamented with mirrors and
coloured tiles “affording the more pleasure to the
guests owing to the delicious nature of the viands.”
Besides making the silver doors, Constantine VII.
ornamented the walls and ceiling of the Chryso-
triklinos with flowers and leaves framed in silver
circles.” In the great Tiring-room (coauſtme) of this
palace, tablets and great screens of graven silver
were hung on the windows.”
In the time of Andronikos the elder, when
ceremonies were performed in the Chrysotriklinos,
it could not contain all that were present."
Luitprand calls it the most magnificent part of
the Palace of Constantinople.”
After this account of the Chrysotriklinos, it will
be easy to understand the daily life of the inmates
of the Palace, which Constantine Porphyrogennetos
has described with so much minuteness. Early in
the morning, the attendants for the week bear the
Emperor's skaramangion from the wardrobe, and
1 Theophanes Con., p. 627; C. Manasses, vv. 5265-72.
2 Luitprand writes as follows of Constantine Porphyrogennetos (Hist.,
iii., 37): Sane Thu Çanypaſpiav Zographiam, id est picturam, perpulchre
exercebat.—Thu 6e Tås wº)paqias Téxumu TooroúTov dikpugās 6 divip ſtria Tato
dºs ojk oiu at Töv Tpo attoº 3) Tóv uet' airów. Theophanes Com., p. 450.
3 Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 582.
4 Theophanes Com., p. 456; Pachymeres, Vol. II., p. 366.
5 Chrysotriclinon id est aureum triclinium quae praestantior pars est.
Hist., v. 21. In hoc igitur Romanus aureo triclino . . . potentis-
sime degens caeteras partes palatii genero Constantino filiisque suis
Stephano et Constantino distribuerat. Legatio ad Nic. Ph., cap. 9; G.
Kedremos, Vol. I., p. 690. C. Porphyrogennetos mentions a xpvood Töptov
or Xpwooto Tóptov (Vol. T., pp. 710, 748). Reiske conjectures that it was
sala plena statuis aliisque imaginibus aureis. Ibid., Vol. II., p. 831.
188 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
place it on the bench outside the silver doors.
After the first hour, the chief of the servants comes,
and with the key knocks thrice on the silver door.
The Emperor answers, and the chamberlains bring
in the skaramangion and other garments."
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 189
CHAP'TER VII.
TEIE PENTAPYRGION.
This was probably part of the gilded furniture of
the Chrysotriklinos. The Emperor usually sat on
the golden throne in front of it.” At his marriage,
the officers of the Bedchamber “hung wreaths in
the Pentapyrgion, where the Emperor's couch
stands.” In the account of the reception of the
Ambassadors from Amerimne, Constantine Porphy-
rogennetos gives a most minute description of the
decoration of the Chrysotriklinos." Elsewhere he
writes, “at the golden table, which stands in the
magnificent Chrysotriklinos, where too, the splendid
possession of the Pentapyrgion is set forth for
honour.” “The Chrysotriklinos was arrayed as it
usually is, namely with the Pentapyrgion and the
Imperial thrones and couches, the golden table, and
other things.”
The Pentapyrgion was a magnificent structure of
wood covered over with gold. It is mentioned also
1 Concerning the attendants of the Chrysotriklinos, the Chrysotri-
klinitai, see Cons. P., Vol. I., pp. 31, 692; Kodinos Kour., p. 202, 6
Tpoka.0%uevos toū kottòvos. They are very often mentioned by the former
writer. The viyua Tuđptos was the attendant on the Emperor at his bath.
Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 293.
2 Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 92. 3 Ibid., p. 200.
4 Ibid., p. 580. 5 Ibid., p. 767.
190 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
in connection with the Magnaura." Within and
without it was hung a great variety of decorations,
golden ornaments, and the Imperial robes. Unfor-
tunately, no one has described its size and construc-
tion.”
It was originally made by the Emperor Theo-
philos, as also were the two great golden organs
adorned with different coloured stones.” On great
festivals, a small golden table was placed in the Pen-
tapyrgion. At Easter, if any of the ambassadors of
great nations were present, they were specially
invited to the table of the Emperor, who sat above
them at this small table in the Pentapyrgion,
while they sat at the great golden table. On the
left of the Pentapyrgion stood a platform with
steps on which the Emperor's attendant and his
cupbearer stood." On Easter Thursday, the Em-
peror, when receiving the Patriarch, “sits on the
golden throne before the Pentapyrgion.”
1 ééðeto 66 ypca . . . [3aat)\ukås Tupa?s petao Xóvras Tās otagoûv Katë.
Thy Mayvačpav #Tou Tô IIevratrúpylov avva.0pova 0%ual. G. Kedrenos,
Vol. II., p. 100.
2 Reiske writes (Cons. P., Vol. II., p. 683) : Quid Pentapyrgium
fuerit, cuius non infrequens Nostro et aliis mentio fit, non constat. [See
also p. 171, where he defines it as “Armarium cum quinque turriculis,
in quo stabant pendebantve iocalia pretiossima,”—Tr.] Du Cange (Cpolis.
Christ., p. 128) thinks that it was a building with five towers belonging
only to the Magnaura. It is clear that it could be conveyed from the
Chrysotriklinos to the Magnaura.
3 Theophanes Con., pp. 627, 793.
4 Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 70. Maxah)\ 6 olvox60s 60 kal trºyképumu avváða's
oi Tàs 8aat)\ukňs ai)\?s Övop.4% ova'uv. Anna Komnena, Vol. I., p. 421.
5 Ibid., p. 92.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 191
TEIE TRIPETON.
West of the Chrysotriklinos was the Tripeton, a
place very often mentioned by C. Porphyrogennetos.
It was connected with the Chrysotriklinos and the
Hall of Lausos, down from which latter a flight of
steps led—“when the Patriarch is about to
descend the stairs of the Lausiakon.” It was the
approach, or forecourt of the Chrysotriklinos. In
his account of the feast of Pentecost, Porphyro-
gennetos writes, “This too must be noticed, that
there stand in the chamber of the Chrysotriklinos,
which leads to the Tripeton, two side-tables, and if
the Emperor orders, two more extra tables are set
down. One stands in the chamber on the right,
the other in that on the left.” Again “the
Emperor enters the Chrysotriklinos through the
Tripeton.”—“He stands in the bay leading out into
the Tripeton,”—“He stands on the threshold of the
door leading from the Tripeton to the Lausiakon.”
From these words it is evident that the Tripeton
was an open court between the Hall of Lausos and
the Chrysotriklinos, with an entrance to the
former, and three doors to the Chrysotriklinos.
There is no mention of buildings or other erections
in the Tripeton, except the golden organs of which
Constantine Porphyrogennetos writes. “At once
the organ which stands in the Tripeton begins to
sound.” Lower down he again mentions it, and
1 I cannot explain the etymology of this word.
2 Cons, P., Vol. I., p. 91. 3 Ibid., p. 70.
4 Ibid., pp. 89, 90, 286.
192 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
describes it as “golden.”’’ The Tripeton is sometimes
also called the Horologion, or the Portico of the
Chrysotriklinos.” This is the place mentioned in
another writer. “The emperor (Romanus Laka-
penos), having struck the Patrician Kosmas in the
Horologion of the Palace, caused another to be
elected in his place.” The Horologion was pro-
bably similar to that in the Church of S. Sophia.
That it stood in the Tripeton is proved beyond
doubt by the following passage : “As Bardas
Caesar was going with the procession clad in a
purple skaramangion, Damianos a patrician, who
guarded the Emperor in his bedchamber, was
sitting there [at the Horologion] and did not rise to
do him honour. Seeing this the Caesar was very
wroth, and when he entered into the Chrysotriklinos,
and sat beside the Emperor, weeping with rage and
passion, the latter asked him the cause.” Constantine
Porphyrogennetos writes, “Up to the portico of
the Chrysotriklinos, where the Horologion stands.” "
From this it would appear that the Horologion was
above the door leading from the Tripeton to the
Chrysotriklinos. As regards the entrance to the
Tripeton, the following words of this same author
1 Vol. I., pp. 184, 202. Probably he also refers to this organ on
p. 765: però, thv čkºpºvnau roi, ºvarukoú 6pyávov čkötöðakovrat Távres Tās
éautów a ToMás. 2 Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 526.
3 Theophanes Con., p. 441; G. Kedrenos, Vol. II, p. 307.
4 Ibid., p. 827.
5 Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 622. This is probably what Manasses alludes
to, v. 5277—
éatortov elpyágaro aſketos tºpovopatov,
ôt’ of trapetze kaffopău Tø Baqi)\et Kaff’ &pav,
év pégous 6tarpiðovt. Tots Baat)\elous otrous.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 193
are unmistakeable; “All having entered into the
Hall of Lausos, the praepositus came out, and placed
them before the door of the Hall which leads to
the portico of the Chrysotriklinos, that is, the
Horologion.”
ARISTERION OF THE CHRYSOTRIKLINOS,
I mentioned above what Constantine Porphyro-
gennetos calls the Aristeterion in the great Hall of
Justinian, of which we still have a relic in the
Turkish name Arista Sokaghi. There was also a
private Aristeterion of the Emperor beside the
Chrysotriklinos, where certain guests feasted with
the Emperor. This room lay to the right of the
Tripeton, from which a door led to it. C.
Porphyrogennetos says in his account of the
promotion of a rector:* “After this, the praepositi
take him to the curtain hanging before the Ariste-
terion, that is before the bed-chamber, and put
his proper robes on him.” All this was done in the
Aristerion. After this ceremony, “the rector
having kissed the feet and knees of the Emperor,
the praepositi lead him out through the Horologion
into the Lausiakon.”
This banquetting hall, too, is the one mentioned
in the account of the reception of Elga of Russia.
After the banquet in the Chrysotriklinos, dessert
was served in the Aristerion.” The room had its
1 Vol. I., p. 605. 2 Ibid., pp. 529, 530.
3 Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 596. Kai ji too karð ‘Papuatov čkTXečgavros
àpxovtos toū ‘Pds yapust?, "EXya toûvopa . . . Tapeyéveto èv Kavatav-
I5
194 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
walls adorned with Bathyinian marble, and all the
floor covered with variegated mosaic work.”
TEIE NEW CEIAMBER.
In his description of the reception of Elga, Por-
phyrogennetos also writes: * “Her majesty, rising
up from the throne, crossed through the Lausiakon
and the Tripeton, into the New Chamber, and
through it to her own chamber,” and rested
there. A little after this, her majesty was sum-
moned forth, and ate with the Emperor and his
household. After the meal, dessert was served in
the Aristerion, when the small golden table was set
in the Pentapyrgion. A private door led from the
Tripeton into the New Chamber. The ladies of
the court entered “in their order from the New
Hall to the chamber of the Augusta”; then the
courtiers “came in through the Horologion and the
Chrysotriklinos.”
This bedchamber, which was frequently called the
Kalvoúpytov, was built from the foundation by Basil
the Macedonian.” It had a domed roof supported on
a series of sixteen marble pillars. Eight were of
green Thessalian marble, six of onychite, which the
sculptor had ornamented with vines and animals;
the other two were decorated with monograms.
TuvoviróAet . . . kal 6atrio 6efora èr’ otrov &véðpapae. G. Kedrenos,
Vol. II., p. 329; C. Porphyrogennetos in his accounts of the reception of
Olga, always calls her Elga.
1 Theophanes Con., p. 145; Cons. P., Vol. I., pp. 602, 603, 604.
2 Vol. I., pp. 596, 597.
3 Ibid., p. 618. 4 Theophanes Con., pp. 146, 332.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 195
The walls above the pillars, and the eastern semi-
dome were enriched with gold mosaics, represent-
ing the builder Basil the Macedonian sitting on
a throne “surrounded by his generals, offering
him as gifts, the cities which he had taken.” On
the roof were depicted the labours of Basil, his
efforts on behalf of his subjects, and the hard-
ships of his military expeditions. In the middle
of the floor was a brilliantly coloured mosaic repre-
senting a peacock, framed in Carian marble. In
the four corners of the room, which was square, there
were four eagles formed of small stones of various
colours. These are described as wonderful works
of art, which looked as if they were alive and about
to fly away. In addition to so much ornament the
walls, bore a representation of Basil and his consort
Eudokia in their Imperial robes. Beside them
were their children, holding books. “By this the
artist meant to signify that not only their sons, but
also their daughters, were versed in the mysteries
of the Holy Scriptures, and were not without a
share of the Divine Wisdom.” Such were the
adornments of this most magnificent bedchamber as
far as the ceiling. On this were inscribed the
thanks of the parents for their children, and the
children's prayers for their father and mother.
The Continuation of Theophanes has fortunately
preserved them.” That of the parents was, “We
thank Thee most gracious God, King of kings, that
Thou hast surrounded us with children, who thank
1 P. 334.
196 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
Thee for the glory of Thy wondrous works.
Oh, keep them in Thy will, that none of them
transgress Thy commands, that for this too we may
bless Thy goodness.” The children's ran : “We
bless Thee, Word of God, that Thou hast raised
our father from the lowly estate of David, and hast
anointed him with the oil of Thy Holy Spirit.
Keep him with Thy hand, together with her who
bare us, granting unto them and us a portion in
Thy Heavenly Kingdom.”
TEHE LONG CHAMBER,
This room lay to the right, or the south of the
Chrysotriklinos. “They enter privately with him
through the Long Chamber to the Church of Our
Lady of the Pharos.” On the first of January, “their
Majesties go privately through the Long Chamber
to the narthex of Our Lady of the Pharos.”
The principal doors of the Long Chamber were of
silver.” It had also three other doors, one opposite
the narthex of Our Lady of the Pharos, another
leading to the sacred bedchamber of the Emperor,
and another to that of the Augusta. It was in fact
the ante-room of the Emperor's bed-chamber.
Here the accubitor kept guard, and with
him, the servants, commonly called kottovital and
XpwootpukAwitat.” I am inclined to think that there
1 Cons. P., Vol. I., pp. 119, 137.
2 "Ečepyögevoi Tàs àpyvpås toū uákpovos triſkas, ibid., p. 124.
3 Paracoemomenos, accubitor. Const. Manass.: trapákoutov Kal pºaka Tös
Baqi)\etov k\lvms. G. Kedrenos (annot.), Vol. II., p. 925; Cons. P., Vol. I.,
p. 519; Leo Gramm., p. 250; Byzantios, KiroMs., Vol. III., p. 80.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 197
were apartments in this chamber for these guards.
The gentlemen in waiting who attended for a
week at a time in the Emperor's bed-chamber were
called é80owaôāptot.
TEIE SACRED BED-CHAMBER OF THE EMPEROR.
In front of the bed-chamber just mentioned,
Constantine VII. (Porphyrogennetos) erected a
fountain supported on marble pillars. The water
flowed from the mouth of a silver eagle, which did
not face straight forward, but looked to one side,
and held a serpent twined about its feet. He
placed artistically executed pictures of many colours
in the entrance to this richly adorned bed-
chamber.
We find but little about it in the various writ-
ings of its builder.
After a procession to S. Sophia, the Emperor
went through the whole Palace, then entered the
Chrysotriklinos attended by all the courtiers “offer-
ing up prayers, and into the bay of the same Chry-
sotriklinos where the likeness of our Lord and God
is depicted . . . and thus into the sacred bed-
chamber.” This apartment was separated from the
New Chamber by that of the Augusta.
In his account of the ceremonies to be observed
when a prince is born, he says—“The ladies in
waiting, the wives of the magistrates, proconsuls,
and patricians . . . and of the rest of the
1 Cons, P., Vol. I., p. 22.
198 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
senators enter from the New Hall and advance to
greet the Augusta, each bringing what gift" she
chooses to make. After the audience of the ladies,
all the Senate enter from the Lausiakon, by way of
the Horologion and the Chrysotriklinos.” We
also read that the Emperor entered the Triconchon,
and passing through there entered into his bed-
chamber.”
From this it is apparent that there was a way to
the Imperial Bed-chamber from the New Hall, as
well as from the Long Chamber.
THE BED-CHAMBER OF TEIE AUGUSTA
Is mentioned as standing beside the New Chamber,
and next the sacred Bed-chamber of the Emperor.
At the reception of Elga of Russia, Constantine
Porphyrogennetos writes—“Her Majesty, rising up
from the throne, crossed through the Lausiakon and
the Tripeton into the New Chamber, and through
it into her own bed-chamber,” and rested there."
Subsequently, describing the ceremonies to be
observed when a prince is born, he says that on
the eighth day, the chamber of the Augusta is
decorated with cloth of gold curtains from the
Chrysotriklinos. After the congratulations of the
ladies, all the Senate and courtiers enter from
the Lausiakon through the Horologion and the
Chrysotriklinos, and congratulate the Augusta.
1 Féviov was the term applied to the offering which those invited to the
Court brought to the Augusta.
2 Ibid., pp. 615, 618. 3 Ibid., p. 633. 4 Ibid., p. 596.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 199
From these words it is evident that those going to
the Bed-chamber of the Augusta passed through the
Chrysotriklinos and the Long Chamber. There
were accordingly three doors to this apartment,
communicating with the Emperor's chamber, the
New Hall, and the Long Chamber.
At the promotion of a Lady of the Bedchamber,
(Cubicularia), “the Praepositi go away through the
eastern curtain on the right hand side of the
Chrysotriklinos, to the Chamber of the Augusta,
and escort the candidate through the Chrysotrik-
linos to the oratory of the Holy Archmartyr
Theodore.”
TELE CEIUBCEH OF OUR LADY OF TELE PELAROS.
No one of the churches in the Palace is men-
tioned so much in the writings of the Byzantine
historians as this.” It lay near the Pharos, to
the south of it, and was, I should think, lower than
the Pharos, so as not to obscure the beacons which
were lighted there. No remains of this church are
preserved. Perhaps, however, the strong founda-
tions which are still to be seen to the south of
the Pharos, had some connection with it. In
the later ages of the Empire, according to Con-
stantine Porphyrogennetos, the Emperors were
1 Ibid., p. 623.
2 This church was a wonder to the Crusaders. Utcunqueres se habeat,
videtur fuisse aedes illa, quam magnificam Palatii Capellam vocat Villhar-
duinus noster ubi de Balduini Flandrensis Comitis Electoribus agit. Et
furent mis en une mult riche chapelle qui dedans le Palais ere. Cpolis.
Christ., lib. iii. But it is not clear what chapel the writer means. I
think he refers to the chapel in the then famous Palace of the Boukoleon.
200 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
married in this church." Formerly this cere-
mony took place in the Manaura. Here was
treasured the “new” cross of the Emperor
Constantine VII.” In this church too, Leo the
Armenian first began the war against images.”
Many pieces of the True Cross and various
valuable chandeliers and candlesticks were pre-
served. They are enumerated by Constantine
Porphyrogennetos in his account of the reception of
the ambassadors from the Emir, on which occasion
the Chrysotriklinos was decorated with them.”
The Emperors attended service here more frequently
than at any other church.” The terrace in front of
the church is mentioned in the account of the
ceremonies on the day of S. Elias." “The Emperor
supported by the Patriarch goes out of the
church, and crossing through the church of the
Pharos, and going out by the door which leads to
the Terrace, their Majesties receive processional
candles from the praepositi,' and go in procession
1 Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 201. 2 Ibid., p. 640.
3 Theophanes Con., p. 32. In this church Leo the Isaurian was mur-
dered by the followers of Michael Amorrhaios. Kodinos Kour., pp. 345,
346. Tø 6' éret #p£aro à 6vage6?)s Aéov rov karū Tàs rôu äytøv elkóvov
kaffaipéaews Xóyov troueto 6au. G. Kedrenos, Vol. I., p. 794.
4 Vol. I., pp. 570, 581.
5 Cons. P., Vol. I., pp. 71, 94, 114, 117, 137, 161, 162. Maxai,\ 6
8aat)\et's kal hoºvevvos IIpokotría ovu Tois a perépous travolvels Tóu Tàs €eotókov
waëv 6s Papos katovopºd śeral, trpoo puyóvres (Réral yivourau. G. Kedrenos,
Vol. II., p. 48; Genesios, pp. 7, 19.
6 Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 114; II., p. 214; h\takós, Latin Solarium, is a
common word in Byzantine Greek. The name was given not only to the
piazza on the top of a building or in front of it, but also to any open piece
of ground without houses.
7 Kat 67ta evoúxov Tóveis Tiju Baot)\uköv Óopoqoptav avurera'ypévov airó
Töv kopu%atóratov, 6v trpattróavrov eſtata, ‘Popalots &moka)\ety. Theophylak-
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 201
along the Terrace, and through the narrow entrance
of the Monothyros,” etc. It was also called the
Terrace of the Chrysotriklinos. In it was the
Porphry Stone."
This Terrace was a spacious place, and is such to
the present day. In his account of the festival of
S. Basil, Constantine Porphyrogennetos writes,
“Their majesties, the patricians, and the rest of
the Senate, together with the officers of the Bed-
chamber, stand in the Terrace of the Chrysotrik-
linos if it is fine weather.”” The courtiers of the
the Byzantine Palace were a numerous body.
TEIE CEIUFCEI OF S. DEMETRIOS.
This church was near that of Our Lady of the
Pharos. On the Saint's day (Oct. 26th), when the
procession entered the Chrysotriklinos, the Emperor
passed down the middle of the Hall, and entered
the Eastern doors with the procession. The
magistrates, proconsuls, patricians, and officials,
stood opposite the Church of S. Demetrios, and
their Majesties with the Patriarch in the fore-
court of the church. Then they entered and
took their proper seats. *
From the words used by Constantine Porphyro-
gennetos in his account of the observances on the
tos Sim., p. 194; Kodinos Kour., pp. 91, 361; Meursii, Glossarium ; Śiś
töv 6a)\apmtröXav evočxav. M. Attaliates, p. 51.
I Cons. P., Vol. I., pp. 63, 290. The church is sometimes called
Pharos—eioſépxetat Ó Saat)\et)s Tpós to ékTeXéa at thv 6etav pºvataya, ytav čv
tº pápg. Ibid., p. 183. No chapel in the Pharos itself is mentioned.
2 Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 137. 3 Ibid., p. 124.
202 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
eve of Palm Sunday—“ and through the other
door of S. Demetrios they enter the church of Our
Lady of the Pharos,” I conjecture that this church
was beside that of Our Lady of the Pharos, and
that both communicated by a common door."
These are all the Imperial and ecclesiastical
buildings connected with the celebrated Chryso-
triklinos. All the courtiers who were summoned,
entered the Hall by the Tripeton, or as it was also
called, the Horologion. Thence they proceeded by
a passage on the right to the Aristerion, and thence
to the New Bed-chamber. Here another door led
to the adjacent bed-chamber of the Augusta,
through which the wives of the courtiers and
others of rank went to visit the Emperor. Through
the Chrysotriklinos they entered into the Long
Chamber, and thence to the Sacred Bed-chamber of
the Emperor, which communicated with that of
the Augusta. Through the eastern door of the
Long Chamber they came out to the forecourt of
the churches of Our Lady of the Pharos, and S.
Demetrios.
These two churches, and also that of the Pana-
chrantos, which still exists under the Turkish
designation of Fenerá Jesd Medjedi,” were south
of the Imperial Bed-chamber. The forecourts and
west porches of these churches are continually
mentioned. The way to the church of the Pana-
chrantos was through the Long Chamber opposite
1 Ibid., p. 171. Du Cange nowhere mentions this church.
2 Bučavruval Mexérat, p. 322.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 203
to the Sacred Bed-chamber, and the Terrace of the
Pharos. Another church, or rather small Oratory,
was that of S. Theodore in the north-east corner
of the Chrysotriklinos. The Terrace of the Pharos
so often mentioned in the history of the Palace is
the platform still preserved on the roof of the
building which I mentioned above. From the
Chrysotriklinos they regularly went on to the
Terrace by the door Monothyros. No steps here,
either at the entrance or exit of the Pharos, are
mentioned. I gather that the floor of the Chryso-
triklinos, which was raised on arches, was on the
same level as the Terrace. At the present day,
however, the Pharos is very high, and not connected
with any other buildings. Accordingly, to raise the
floor of the Chrysotriklinos to the same level in
this hilly ground, they built the colossal foundations
and walls which may still be seen, and under which
the public road now runs, as I mentioned in my
account of the ruins of the Pharos. The appearance
of the south side of these buildings with which
others—the Long Chamber, and the Aristerion—
were evidently connected, plainly shews that the
buildings have been removed by violent means.
The house above, through which I went to reach
the Terrace of the Pharos, now occupies the entire
site of the Chrysotriklinos. From its windows a full
view of the houses and gardens of the Turks can
be had ; but I saw no sign of Byzantine buildings.
From the long list which Constantine Porphyro-
gennetos gives of the golden vessels and ornaments
of all kinds belonging to the Chrysotriklinos, I am
204 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
led to suppose—as I said above—that the majority
of them were kept in the vaults of the Pharos, and
that probably the Phylax of the Chrysotriklinos
was the way down to these vaults.
It is probable that the dietarii or guards of the
Pharos lived in the upper chambers of the still
extant building. The strong vaults below were,
in my opinion, the Treasury, to which doors beside
the chamber of the Chrysotriklinos called the
Pantheon led through the Phylax. At the pro-
cession of the Holy Cross in August, writes
Constantine Porphyrogennetos, “the Holy Cross
must be brought from the Treasury of the Great
Palace. After the procession, it is restored to the
keeper of the Treasury, and laid past in the Sacred
Treasury.” According to him it was in the Great
Palace, that is in the palace of the Chrysotriklinos.
He mentions no other place in the Palace suitable
for guarding such valuable objects."
The Palace of the Triconchon.
THE HALL OF LAUSOS, OR THE LAUSIAKON.
The palace of the Triconchon was separated from
the higher palace of the Chrysotriklinos by the
passage or gallery called the Lausiakon.” The
1 Cons. P., pp. 538, 547, 550. Nothing definite is known of the
ava repºrta and 38&Kua of the Pharos mentioned on p. 645.
2. Why this Hall was so called, I do not know. A place called Lausos,
beside the Copper-market, is mentioned. See Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 169;
Gyllius, De Topographia, lib. ii., cap. 25. Byzantios (Vol. I., p. 439) is
of opinion that this Hall was called after the Palace of Lausos erected
beside the Bit Bazár.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 205
South end of it was connected with the Hall
of Justinian, and the north with the Gallery
of the Forty Saints. On Easter Tuesday, the
Emperor proceeded to the Church of SS. Sergius
and Bacchus, through the Hippodrome and the
ASecreta." The courtiers assembled in the Hall
of Justinian and the Lausiakon to wait until the
Emperor came out from the Chrysotriklinos. As
he went through the Tripeton into the Lausi-
akon, the patricians and generals stood on
either side of the passage, as far as the door
from the Lausiakon into the Hall of Justinian.
This door is continually mentioned. The bench
of the Kouropalates stood beside it.” Proceeding
thence they went to the Skyla. The Vault
(Tpotikm)” of the Lausiakon, was the name given to
the passage between the Lausiakon and the Palace of
the Triconchon. The Zosta Patricia, at her instal-
lation, went from the Tripeton to the Lausiakon,
“and ascends to the Vault of the Lausiakon.” “
From the Lausiakon a bronze door opened to the
kitchens, where the dishes for the Emperor and the
guests in the Chrysotriklinos were cooked. “The
Hetairiarch,” writes Constantine Porphyrogennetos,
1 Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 85.
2 Byzantios, KiroMs., Vol. III., p. 79. Cons. P. Vol. I., p. 288. Tijv
pietà. 8aat)\éa Tp(6tmv ćpxīv Kektmuévov (KoupotraXátmv 6é attöv oi Tepi Tà.
8aat)\eta KaNeſv eld,0aa-v). Nikephoros Patr., p. 7. Thu q vkakhu Tàs ačXàs
éputéirwatevuévos, Šv KoupotraXátmv ji Papalav \éyet pavi). Kodinos Kour.,
p. 184. A Gallis olim dicebatur major domus. Meursii, Glossarium ;
G. Kedrenos, Vol. II., p. 913; M. Attaliates, p. 250.
3 Ut Latini curvam et curvulam, sic Graeci Tpotſukju appellabant a TpéTw,
verto, curvo, volvo, volutam, une vote. Cons. P., Vol. II., p. 650.
4 Cons, P., Wol, I., p. 260.
206 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
“sits in the Lausiakon before the door opening into
the kitchens.' I have placed the kitchens to the
west of the Lausiakon.
According to Kodinos, the Lausiakon and the
Chrysotriklinos were built by Justinian.” Both
the Lausiakon and the Hall of Justinian were long
corridors, roofed over in parts.
In my opinion, the portion of the Lausiakon next
the door of the Tripeton was roofed in, to protect
the dishes as they were carried through it from the
kitchens to the Chrysotriklinos. It is probable
that the remaining portion was uncovered. Mention
is made of the lamplighters of the Lausiakon and
the Hall of Justinian,” a proof that parts at least of
them were roofed, in and lighted with lamps or
candles.
In time of storms and heavy wind some festivals
were celebrated in the Triconchon instead of in
these Halls. The courtiers went to it through
these corridors." Once during the reign of
Michael son of Theophilos, a violent storm
sprang up ; and as the courtiers summoned could
not stand in the open court of the Secret Foun-
tain, they were called into the Lausiakon, at the
Horologion or gate of the Tripeton, where they
received the usual gifts.” “Leo the Armenian
gave many judgments himself, sitting in the Lausia-
kon.” It was here that Theophilos the Iconoclast
1 Ibid., p. 519. 2 G. Kodinos, p. 100.
3 Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 605. 4 Ibid., p. 296. 5 Ibid., p, 605.
3 Theophanes Con., p. 30. śxpmuário e 6é Tà TAeta kal év tá, Aava wakºp
ka9%uevos TpukXtvg. G. Kedrenos, Vol. II., p. 60 ; tā tr}\eta Öe róv Öuoukn-
pdraw v Tºp Aava taká xpmuarišew 6thvvev. Genesios. pp. 18, 87, 88.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 207
summoned the brothers Theophanes and Theodoros,
that he might speak with them concerning images
and doctrine. Finally, after fruitless arguments
and questions, he ordered both to be beaten with rods
in the Mesokepion of the Lausiakon." This same
Emperor ornamented both the Lausiakon and the
Hall of Justinian with gold mosaics. He also
transferred capitals to it from the palace of the
tyrant Basiliskos.”
THE CHURCEI OF S. BASIL.
In the Lausiakon a church was built, dedicated
to S. Basil. Constantine Porphyrogennetos makes
its site clear. In certain processions during Lent
“the Cross . . . is brought out, and offered
to the adoration of the whole senate in the Lausia-
kon, on the left [east] side, before the chapel of S.
Basil.” “A procession is formed before the church
of S. Basil.” On the strength of these passages I
have placed the church on the eastern side of the
Lausiakon." The “left” side in the first quotation
is taken relatively to the path of the Emperor and
his courtiers from the Lausiakon to the church.
The Emperor and his train visited this church
on the 1st of January [the Saint's day] and
1 Theophanes Con., pp. 104, 105. The Mesokepion lay to the east of
the Lausiakon.
2 Ibid., p. 147.
3 Cons. P., Vol. I., pp. 550, 559.
4 I think that the words of this writer, Vol. I., p. 523—Kai WeTö. Tö
diroMüo at thv 6etav \ettovpytav čv tº Aavorakó—refer to this church of S.
Basil. No other church in this Hall is ever mentioned.
208 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
“remained until after the reading of the Holy
Gospel.”
THE TRICONCEION.
North of the Lausiakon stood a building called
the Triconchon and several other buildings con-
nected with it, all bounded on the South side by
the Hall of Justinian, which was connected with
the Lausiakon. Among this pile of buildings,
which was larger than the Chrysotriklinos, the
Triconchon was the most prominent, and I have
thought it well to call them collectively the Palace
of the Triconchon.
The ascent to it from the Lausiakon was through
the covered way of the Vault (Tpotikh), by a staircase.”
The Triconchon had three “conchs”orbays,sometimes
also termed apses. At Christmas the patricians and
other officers “receive the Emperor in the semi-
circle of the apse, that is the Triconchon.” On the
festival of S. Demetrios [Oct. 26th, Constantine
Porphyrogennetos writes that the Patriarch on
entering, comes in by the galleries of the Tricon-
chon, and takes his seat in the chamber of the
Chrysotriklinos which is next the Pantheon,"
showing that there was a direct passage from the
Triconchon to the palace of the Chrysotriklinos.
The Triconchon derived its name from its shape.”
1 Ibid., p. 137. 2 Cons. P., Vol. I, p. 260; II., p. 649.
3 Cons. P., Vol. I., pp. 128, 72. 4 Ibid., p. 121.
5 Theophanes Con., p. 140. Ó 6é €eo6&pmros lötz év tá; Neyop,évg Tpuköyxºp
toū Taxatiow Tvø6els kal airós ééopla 6m. Ibid., p. 892; cf. 400. On page
438 it is called Tpukù5a)\os, and the Vault beside it is mentioned.
The Great Palace of Canstantinople. 209
It had three apses, the eastern, or middle apse,
which faced the sea and rested on four pillars of
Roman marble, and two at the sides, one on the
north, and the other on the south. In the western
or higher side,' which rested on two columns, there
were three doors. The middle door was of silver;
those on either side of it were of burnished bronze.
From a passage in Constantine Porphyrogennetos
it would appear that the two ends of the Tricon-
chon were called Bathmidia—the Steps. “The
officers of the Bedchamber stand . . . some in
the apse above on the Bathmidion, and some on
the left side, they also on the Bathmidion.”
THE SIGMA.
Through the three doors in the higher side of the
Triconchon we pass into another covered building
called from its shape [C] the Sigma. Like the
Triconchon, its walls were covered with marbles of
various colours.” The roof, which was solidly built
and brilliantly coloured, rested on fifteen pillars of
Dokimaian marble. Descending by a spiral stair-
case" to the vaults below, we find a chamber of the
l [The author is here referring to the configuration of the Palace site,
which slopes steeply upwards to the west.—Tr.]
2 Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 298.
3 Theophanes Com., p. 140, where the historian has a great deal to say
about the Triconchon.
4 Stépaš and a Tupdiktov, a name for a spiral stair. Porphyrogennetos
mentions one in the church at Blachermai, Vol. I., p. 151. O'Toupéktov
l’ampinus, Corimbus. &\tº, övopa Kūptov Tó Karā Kūk)\ov atpeºpópevow.
Meursi; Glossarium ; A. Koraës, Posthumous Writings by A. Z.
Manoukas, Athens, 1881, p. 279, s. v. pressoir,
16
210 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
same shape, which had seventeen pillars. The
floor was paved with stone from Piperai. Lower
down, on its eastern side, and under the Triconchon
adjoining, the architect built a “Tetraseron,” similar
in shape to the Triconchon above, with an apse on
the eastern side and two at the north and south
sides. The northern bay, which was built by
Theophilos, was supported on two pillars, and was
called the Mysterion, because if any one standing
near the eastern or western apse said anything to
himself in a low voice, another person standing on
the axis of the ellipse opposite to him, with his ear
against the wall, could hear what he said.
Theophilos built the Triconchon and the Sigma
in the eleventh year of his reign.” I think that he
restored them, and did not build them from the
foundation. According to Kodinos this building
was founded by the Emperor Constantine.”
I mentioned the vault under the Sigma called
the Mysterion. It appears that there was also a
Secret Chamber (eiðurov) or Treasury in this vault."
We saw that Theophilos is said to have left 97
centenaria of gold, which had belonged to his father
Michael, in the Imperial Treasury. This treasury of
course was in the Chrysotriklinos. Basil the Mace-
1 Videtur idem cum Terpaºp9 vel retpatróprºp fuisse. Cons. P., Vol. II.,
p. 217.
2 Theophanes Con., pp. 640, 645, 806 ; Leo Gramm., p. 225.
3 P. 19. According to Leo Grammatikos, the Triconchon, the Sigma,
and the Fountain, were built by Theophilos. P. 225.
4 ‘O 6é ºptAoqipovoúlevos ūr' atyroſ kov påtmru Yvdºpºms Utréðeußev airó Töv čv Tó
juukuk)\iw, 3 vov \éyétat a lypa, 0mgavpôv čvaktuq 0évra övä, öp00p.app.apúa'ews.
G. Kedremos, Vol. II., p. 31.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 2 11
donian at this proclamation “at once summoned all
the leaders of the Senate, and also those of dis-
tinguished rank, and opened the Strong-room of the
Imperial treasures in their presence.” A little
further on the same writer calls it “the Store-room
and Imperial Treasury.” C. Porphyrogennetos
writes, “and at once the Protovestiarius descends
from the Sigma by the wooden spiral stair-case,
bringing with him the Emperor's largess” which
he distributed among the guests. * *
A great crowd gathered in the Sigma on the ev
of the day on which the Emperor was to enter the
city." From this may be judged the size of the
building where so many could dance.
THE SECRET FOUNTAIN OF TEIE SIGMLA.
This was a building connected with, and com-
municating with the Sigma, on the western side of
which it was situated. It was called sometimes
the Apse of the Secret Fountain of the Triconchon,
sometimes the Secret Fountain of the Triconchon.
Constantine Porphyrogennetos gives a minute de-
scription of the procession of the Emperor and his
court on Palm Sunday. “All go through the single
door which leads to the treasury in the Secret
Fountain, carrying candles. . . . The Emperor
proceeds to the Chrysotriklinos, and the priests
come out from the church of the Pharos, carrying
1 Theophanes Con., pp. 253, 255.
2 Tapºvetov Kai Baouxtröv 6 moravpoq’v\dkuov.
3 Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 601. - 4 Ibid., p.
27
S
212 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
the cross of the church. .” After the
procession, the Emperor went out to the “semi-
circle of the fountain of the Triconchon, . . . he
goes through [the Hall of the Augusteus, and the
apse of the Triconchon, while the courtiers stand
in the same apse of the Triconchon, and greet the
Emperor.” "
This apse is continually mentioned. It was the
vaulted doorway by which the Secret Fountain
communicated with the gallery of the Daphne, or,
as it was sometimes called, of the Augustaion. At
the greatfestival of the Dedication of Constantinople,
which was celebrated in the Hippodrome on the 11th
of May, when the Emperor went to view the races,
“he comes out from his God-protected chamber,
and escorted as usual, passes through the gallery
of the Triconchon, the apse, and the Daphne, and
ascends to the windows of the Imperial Stand by
the private spiral stair.” On Easter Eve the
prefects went into the semi-circle of the Mystic
Fountain of the Triconchon.” In another place he
says, “They receive the Emperor in the semicircle
of the Secret Fountain of the Triconchon’’ (p. 128.)
The burnished single door (monothyros) of the
Triconchon, probably the door which led into the
gallery of the Augusteus," is also mentioned.
In this Fountain of the Triconchon were three
doors, and three marble platforms, on which
1 Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 174; cf. pp. 128, 143,297.
2 Vol. I., pp. 341, 360.
3 Ibid., pp. 180, 600 ; Theophanes Con., p. 892.
4 Cons, P., Vol. I., pp. 72, 298, 310.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 213
some of the courtiers stood at public receptions."
It was not roofed over, and hence was some-
times termed the Exaéron.” In the time of Michael
son of Theophilos, a great storm sprang up, and this
Fountain became impassable on account of the
violent wind and deep snow. The courtiers
therefore went to the Lausiakon and performed the
Brumalia there. In stormy weather the great re-
ceptions of the Emperor were not held at this
Fountain, but under cover, in the neighbouring
Triconchon. So Constantine Porphyrogennetos in-
forms us.”
In the middle of this secret court stood the foun-
tain from which it took its name. Here there were
steps of white Prokonnessian marble, and in the
centre of them a marble arch springing from two
slender marble pillars. By the eastern side of the
adjoining Sigma were two bronze lions from whose
gaping mouths water continually poured, flooding
the whole Sigma and refreshing the invited courtiers.
On the occasion of a reception, the fountain was
filled with pistachios, almonds, and pine-apples. The
factions stood at the foot of the steps, the Senate
opposite, with the Emperor sitting on a throne of
gold and marble." The Emperor Theophilos was
1 Ibid., pp. 144, 303, 349. IIotſ\trutov, from the Latin pulpitum, was
any elevated platform. Another in the Chrysotriklinos is mentioned ;
p. 243. -
2 Theophanes Con., p. 141. EŠáepov, locus aeri expositus. Area
domus. Tá a\\óTpta éðdiq m, Čv ois owk eigw oikiai Kai Tà Tów Yevtóvãov Čšćepa."
Meursii Glossarium.
3 Cons. P., Vol. I., pp. 296, 600, 605.
4 Theophanes Con., p. 142,
214 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
so fond of this place, that he caused the routine of
business and the daily processions to be performed
in the Triconchon." He brought the ascetic
Methodios to this fountain, where he remained till
his death.” This court of the fountain must have
been of considerable size, for the festival of the
torches,” at which a great many people gathered
together and danced with torches in their hands,
was celebrated here.
THE DOOR OF THE SPATHARIKION."
This door was on the left side of the Secret
Fountain. The patriarch went out of the Chryso-
triklinos by it, and passed into the Hall of the
Augusteus. By it too, all the courtiers entered who
awaited the Emperor at the elevation of the Holy
Cross. When he came out of the Chrysotriklinos
the door was opened. Their majesties went out
through it, and crossed to the Manaura, and
through the galleries above it to S. Sophia. Near
here, as I think, the Delphax anciently stood—
1 Ibid.
2 Theophanes Con., p. 645. Fountain—puéAm—was the name generally
given in Byzantine churches to a tank filled with water in front or inside
of the narthex, in which the worshippers bathed their feet, hands and
faces, before entering the church. The Catholics observed the same
custom. G. Pachymeres, Vol. II., pp. 22, 722. •.
3 Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 349. Pak\apéa, saltatio, chorea cum facibus,
Vol. II., p. 295.
4 IIºm Toij >Taffapuktov. Cons. P., Vol. I., pp. 96, 125, 157. Byzantios
(Vol. III., p. 91, n.) says that there was a Spatharikion, i.e., a place
where the Spatharioi stayed. A place of this name is merely men-
tioned by C. Porphyrogennetos (p. 125); what purpose the building
served I do not know,
7 he (freat Palace of Constantinople. 215
or rather this part of the Palace was once called the
Delphax. No writer except Constantine Porphyro-
gennetos mentions it, and we can unfortunately
learn nothing from him. Subsequently the Delphax
was beside the Onopodium.
THE GALLERY OF THE FORTY SAINTS.
This, which is sometimes called simply the Forty
Saints, was a gallery, north of the Chrysotriklinos
and the Triconchon, by which the Emperor often
went to the former. “And going out of the
Chrysotriklinos he passes through the gallery of
the Forty Saints.”' I do not know whether or
not this gallery was named in honour of the
Forty Martyrs, who are commemorated on the 9th
of March. On that day the Emperor went to the
church of these martyrs, “situated in the middle
of the city.” There was a way up to the gallery
from the Triconchon. The Emperor “goes into the
semi-circle of the Triconchon, and passes through
the gallery of the Forty Saints, and goes into
the Chrysotriklinos.” From these words it is clear
that there was an entrance to the Triconchon from
the gallery of the Forty Saints. Elsewhere he
writes, “the Emperor goes into the semi-circle of
the Triconchon, and passing through the gallery
of the Forty Saints, enters into the Hall.” This
gallery extended from the side of the Secret
l Cons, P., Vol. I., pp. 85, 107, 129, 180, 348.
2 N. Choniates, p. 431 ; N. Gregoras, Vol. I., p. 460; Chron. Pasch.,
Wol, I., p. 590; Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 550 ; Synaxaristes, March 9th,
216 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
Fountain, to the Chrysotriklinos and the Pharos.
It was thus the northern boundary of the Triconchon.
Many entrances between it and the buildings along
side of it are mentioned, to which I shall refer again.
According to the Continuation of Theophanes, this
marble-paved walk, which extended to the Pharos,
was built by Basil the Macedonian.' From his
language I think that the other galleries were
also paved with marble. -
THE HALL OF THE PEARL
was built by Theophilos.” It lay north of the
gallery of the Forty Saints and parallel with it.
Eight pillars of rose-coloured marble supported the
roof. The walls were adorned with representations
of all kinds of animals, and the floor was of mosaic
work and Prokonnesian marble. The Emperor had a
bedchamber either above the ground-floor of this
hall, or beside it. Four pillars of Bathyinian
marble upheld the “gold-starred orb of the roof.”
The porches on its eastern and southern sides
rested on four pillars of Thessalian marble, so that
there were sixteen columns in this hall. The walls
and floor were gorgeously ornamented with marbles
and variegated mosaics.
The chamber of this spacious hall was occu-
pied by Theophilos from the spring to the autumnal
equinox. At the approach of winter he went over
to the Carian Hall to escape the bitter north winds,
| Theophanes Con.. p. 336. 2 1//id., p. 143.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 217
and to enjoy the warmth of the mild south winds
which prevail in winter. “Under one of the im-
perial houses, which is called the Pearl, he made
this man a prisoner.” Near to this hall “there
was a piazza facing the north, from which the old
Tzykanisterion, while it existed, was seen.”
From this I infer that the building was lofty and
overlooked the ancient Mesokepion, which our
author calls the old Tzykanisterion. The build-
ings about the Chrysotriklinos were built on lower
ground, and would not obstruct the view from the
upper chamber of this Hall.
After the death of Theophilos this building be-
came the residence of the Papias. It communicated
with the gallery of the Forty Saints. At the
present day there is a Turkish building with a
similar name” on the shore of the Akropolis, on the
south side of the palace of the Boukoleon.
THE ERóS.
This, like the preceding, was the work of Theo-
philos. “On the left side, that is to the east of the
Sigma, another hall has been erected, called the
Erós, which they formerly used as an armoury.”
1 Theophanes Con., pp. 350, 697, 698; G. Kedrenos, Vol. II., p. 246.
The reference is to Leo, son of Basil, who was shut up in the Hall, along
with his wife Theophano, for the space of three years.
2 Theophanes Con., p. 144. Theophilos built this Hall before his
marriage with Theodora. Zbid., p. 790.
3 Intzelê kiösk, or the Hall of the Pearl.
4 Theophames Con., p. 143. Byzantios thinks that Erós ought to be
written -1rés, because of the use to which it was put. KiroMs., Vol. I.,
p, 201, note,
218 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
“At the installation of the Zosta Patricia,” Con-
stantine Porphyrogennetos writes, “they bring her
into the palace through the Erős and the gallery
of the Forty Saints, and she crosses the terrace of
the Chrysotriklinos and enters [the Church of] the
Pharos.” Coming back “she goes out to the Erós,
and proceeds to the side of the Manaura.” This
building is seldom mentioned, and we know but
little about it.
At the promotion of a demarch, the same writer
says, “The newly appointed demarch goes away,
through the Lausiakon, the Erós, and the Daphne,
into the [Hall of the Augusteus, and sits there.”
This building was full of all kinds of weapons,
old and new. Whether it was originally built for
an armoury, we have no means of determining.
Constantine Porphyrogennetos says nothing about
the weapons.
THE CHURCH OF S. JOHN.
This church was built by the side of the Secret
Fountain of the Triconchon, and was separated from
it by the gallery of the Forty Saints. There was a
direct way from the fountain to the church, as may
be inferred from the words of Constantine Porphyro-
gennetos. “They enter the apse of the Secret
Fountain of the Triconchon, and while all the afore-
mentioned are standing in front of the Church of
S. John and receiving the Emperor,” etc. (p. 297).
Further on, describing the ceremonies at the evening
I ('ons. P., Vol. I., p. 26]. 2 /hill., p. 270.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 219
races, he writes, “As they stand in the semi-circle
of the Triconchon in front of the Church of S. John.”
(pp. 307, 309.) The church must have been on the
north side of the Secret Fountain, since the opposite
side was occupied by other buildings.
These are all the buildings on the north side of
the Gallery of the Forty Saints.
THE CARIAN VESTIARY."
This building also was erected by Theophilos. It
was situated to the east of the Hall Pyxites, and
on the right side of the passage called the Vault
(TpoTuch). It got its name from the fact that the
pavement was of Carian Marble, “like some broad
river.” It was the wardrobe where the precious
silken robes were kept. Mention is made of “the
great pieces of embossed silver-work, from those
stored in the Carian Westiary,” and “the embossed
silver work” kept there.”
In this building many costly silver vessels and
gold-embroidered stuffs were preserved, for use at the
1 Béatta trapó, To’s ‘Papuatous Tà ipºdtia, Čš of Kai Beatláptov Kupta's év tº Tă
8aat)\lká čvöðuata pu)\áo govtat, Meursii Glossarium. Gold and silver
vessels were preserved in the Vestiary. Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 242. The
officers of the wardrobe were called 8eatláptot, 6ea Tuapºrat, and 8e0 Tiff-
Tapes. The Chosbaitai were vestiaries. Vestiaritae igitur erant Chosbaitae
omnes; sed non vicissim omnes vestiaritae erant Chosbaitae. Ibid.,
Vol. II., p. 847. Pachymeres writes (Vol. II., p. 556) oërø y&p
[Beatláptos] 5 tis Šatrávns xopmyós Toſs étri Tôv vºdºv Čvowāšetat. Michael
Attaliates ealls the Vestiarius Tpa Toogºoſtms (p. 192). I think that the
Chosbaitai who guarded the Emperor's throne were what are now called
Cherbátai (Xepšátat). Cons. P., Vol. J., pp. 269, 344, 719, 738. The learned
Teiske is of a different opinion. (Cons, P., Vol. II., p. 847.)
2 Cons, P., Vol. I., pp. 582, 502.
22() The Great Palace of Constantinople.
magnificent receptions of ambassadors. The gold
and silver utensils for the Emperor's table were
also kept here. The officer who had charge of all
these was called the Westiarius.'
Theophilos is often praised by many Byzantine
writers for the great and magnificent buildings he
erected in Constantinople and the Palace precincts.”
THE EIDIKON OR TREASURY.
“The Patriarch goes out through the single door
of the Eidikon, . . . the officers of the Bed-
chamber receive him when he is about to descend
the staircase of the Lausiakon, and they pass
through the Lausiakon, . . . and conduct him
to the Tripeton, where he stands in front of the
Horologion.” A door led from the Treasury to
the Lausiakon. “Through the single door which
is at the Eidikon,” “at the door leading to the
Eidikon.” “And certain robes of the Emperor
and Augusta . . . Some of cloth of gold and
some gold embroidered which were in the Eidikon.”
Many ships were equipped from this private
Treasury." The Government stores were called
Genikon." Here probably were what Choniates
1 Ibid., pp. 582, 592, 594.
2 Theophanes Con., p. 139. He paid great attention to the wall of the
harbour, where his name appears on many towers.
3 Cons. P., Vol. I., pp. 91, 174.
4 Ibid., pp. 169, 174, 180, 263, 297, 519.
5 Ibid., pp. 671, 673.
6 Theophanes Con., p. 173. At p. 257 the accumulations of Michael,
the father of Theophilos, are enumerated.
7 Ibid., p. 260 : I. Meursii Glossarium, s.a. Tevuków.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 221
terms the Chrysoplousia, mentioned in the account
of the insurrection against Andronikos. “They
plundered, not only what money they found stored
up in the Chrysoplousia (and that was, exclusive of
the ingots not cut into money, twelve centenaria of
gold, thirty of silver, and two hundred of bronze
coinage), but everything else besides.”
This private storehouse for the Emperor's pro-
perty was, according to Kodinos, built by Constan-
tine the Great.” Near it were the Asekreteia—pro-
bably the offices of the overseers of the business of
the treasury. So I infer from the words of Con-
stantine Porphyrogennetos, “They open the Ase-
kreteia, and the door leading to the Eidikon.”
Here too were the aſkpivia Tov 8ap64pov, or
offices for business with such nations as the Sara-
cens and Persians. “An account of the Persian
ambassador's expenses is kept in the Scrinia.”
The clerks who worked in these offices were called
the Chartularies of the Barbarians."
Descending from the Triconchon through the
Vault, this Treasury was on the left hand, the
Westiary and the kitchens on the right. “The
Hetairiarch sits down in the Lausiakon, before the
bronze door which opens into the kitchens.” This
was done by the servants of the Palace daily.
TEIE BATEIS OF THEOKTISTOS.
These baths, along with several other buildings,
1 l’. 453 2 b. 19. 3 Vol. I., pp. 519, 5–0,
4 Cons. P., Vol. I., pp. 400, 404.
222 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
were built by the all powerful Theoktistos, who
had charge of affairs in the time of Theodora,
mother of Michael the Drunkard. “This same
Theoktistos, being joint ruler with Theodora, made
houses and baths, and a garden in the place now
called the Apse, that he might be near the Palace;
and for safety, and his own protection, he placed an
iron gate at the Daphne, and appointed a janitor
to guard it.” The apse mentioned was in the
higher or western side of the Secret Fountain in
the Triconchon. Constantine Porphyrogennetos,
who mentions everything in the Palace grounds,
says nothing about the baths. Probably they were
destroyed after the death of Theoktistos.”
TEIE HALL PYXITES.
South of the Sigma, and near its staircase, Theo-
philos built some halls. “Pyxites was the name of
one, and there was another higher up which had
no name.” Along the walls there were inscribed
lines addressed by one Stephen of the Capitol.
The other hall was built between the Pyxites and
the Bath of Theoktistos, as a residence for the
Court clergy, who are often mentioned in the history
of the Palace.
1 Theophanes Con., p. 815. Labarte (p. 143) has misunderstood this
passage. He translates Tpos Tô TAffavov abrov cival row Taxatiov, by “qui
est près du palais,” instead of “afin qu'il soit près du palais.”
2 Bardas Caesar put him to death in the Palace. Theophanes Con.,
pp. 657, 822; G. Kedrenos, Vol. II., p. 157; Leo Grammaticus, p. 235.
Theophanes Con., p. 143.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 223
CHAPTER VIII.
THE ECAMELAS.
The Emperor Theophilos, who built and orna-
mented so many edifices, after the erection of the
above-mentioned Triconchon, the Carian Vestiary,
the Pyxites, the Eros and the Hall of the Pearl,
erected some further buildings." On the open
ground south of the Triconchon, he built the Hall
called Kamélas, and the sleeping chambers adjoin-
ing called the second and third. He thus built a
series of three bedchambers. The Kamélas, the
most brilliant of all, had six pillars of Thessalian
marble supporting the ceiling, which was spangled
with gold. The lower part of the walls was lined
with slabs of the same marble, and the upper was
ornamented with sculptures of figures gathering fruit.
The floor was paved with Prokonnesian marble.
Built in connection with these chambers was a
chapel containing two sanctuaries, one in honour
of Our Lady, the other dedicated to Michael, the
leader of the heavenly hosts.
THE MESOPA.TOS.
South of the Kamélas was the Mesopatos, which
faced the Chrysotriklinos. Constantine VII.
1 Theophanes Con, p. 144.
224 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
Porphyrogennetos set this building apart for the
Palace library. “The oracle was a Sybilline one,
recorded in some book in the Imperial Library.”
“And the place below this, which is called Meso-
patos, is the dwelling of the eunuchs” entrusted
with the women's quarters.” These words lead me
to believe that the eunuchs of the Palace occupied
a portion of the library ; or that after the death of
the bibliophile Constantine, the library was trans-
ferred to other quarters, and the whole building
Occupied by them. According to Zosimos, this
library was built by Julian.” “He also built the
library in the Emperor's Porch, and placed there
all the books he possessed.” The historians, un-
fortunately, do not indicate the situation of the
public library of Constantinople. That mentioned
by Manasses" lay “near the church of the Wisdom
of God,” outside the Palace. The building which
contained so many MSS., and was the abode of so
many scholars, is never mentioned in the writings
of Constantine Porphyrogennetos, although he
mentions parts of the Palace about which all other
writers are silent.
THE WESTIARY OF THE AUGUSTA.
The third bedchamber connected with the Meso-
1 Theophanes Con., p. 36. Kai Tô (3tp}\tov (3agu)\ukň Buſºvo0%km évôeivat
ôté, Geoq àvous, ibid., p. 689; IIept trpéopewy Papatov trpós éðvikoús, p. 4 ;
Gyllius, lib. ii., cap. 20.
2 [Kaptºp.66ww.] Theophames Com., p. 145. Carzimasium autem (; raeci
vocant amputatis virilibus et virga puerum eunuchum. Luitprand, //ist.,
lib. vi., sec. 6.
3 P. 140. 4 |'v. 4257-4303.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 225
patos, to the south of which it stood, was that of
the Augusta. It was originally built expressly
for a vestiary by Theophilos, and was so
used in the time of the Continuation of Theo-
phanes. “He also built the Kamélas, and the
second bedchamber adjoining it, and the one next
it again in order, the third, which is now the
Vestiary of the Augusta.” This chamber had a
roof similar to that of the Kamélas, and a floor of
Prokonnesian marble.” The walls were magnifi-
cently adorned, not, however, by Theophilos, but
by his son, Michael. These three bedchambers
were all adorned with marbles, gilding, and many
coloured mosaics.
THE MOUSIKOS.
Under this third bedchamber, to the south of
the Kamélas and Mesopatos, there was an under-
ground apartment, the roof of which rested on
Seven pillars of Parian marble, five on the south,
and two on the eastern side.” Slabs of Pegannous-
ian, Carian, and green Thessalian marble were laid on
two of its walls. It was called the Mousikos from the
artistic effect of the marbles, and the skilful polish-
ing of the stones of the roof. “If you saw it you
would say it was a meadow, teeming with different
coloured flowers.”
On the west side of this there was another
building rivalling it in beauty. Its roof rested on
1 Theophanes Con., p. 144, 2 Ibid., p. 145.
3 Ibid., p. 146. * 4 Ibid., p. 146.
I 7
226 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
five columns of Carian marble, three on the
south, and two on the west side. Nothing is said
by the historians as to what purpose it served.
THE CHAPEL OF S. ANN.
Near the Westiary of the Augusta—“at the foot
of it "-was another building divided into two
rooms." Here the Emperor Leo built a chapel, dedi-
cated to S. Ann. The roof was supported by four
pillars of Bathyinian marble, and the floor was laid
with Prokonnesian stone. Beside the chapel was
the bedchamber of the Augusta, communicating
with the Mousikos under it by a steep stair. “It
lies to the west of the Mousikos. The descent to
the above-mentioned bedchamber is by a stair, and
the entrance likewise.”
THE TETRAKOUBOUIKLON.
This other hall is mentioned in the Continuation
of Theophanes, as a building of Theophilos, near to,
and on the east side of the above mentioned
buildings. It had four magnificent bedchambers.
Two of them looked to the Mesopatos. Of these
“one has its golden ceiling contained under four
apses.” The other two looked in the direction of
the Lausiakon. The floor of this hall was paved
1 Ibid. On p. 98 it is said that Theophilos built “beneath the
bed-chamber" a church dedicated to Our Lady, the triapsidal church
to the name of the Heavenly Captain, “and on either side of it to the
names of Holy Women-martyrs.” He probably renewed the Church of
Our Lady of the Pharos, and that of S. Ann. No other church near the
bed-chamber is mentioned, except that of the Pharos.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 227
with Prokonnesian marble and coloured, though
not with mosaic. A fire subsequently destroyed
these adornments.
These were the principal buildings erected by the
Emperors in the neighbourhood of the Triconchon.
No others in this vicinity are mentioned. North
of the buildings constructed by Theophilos, there
was a garden extending as far as the Hall of
Justinian, which was the southern boundary of
these palaces. The northern boundary was the
gallery of the Forty Saints, the eastern the
Lausiakon, the south the Hall of Justinian which
I shall presently describe, and the western the
gallery of the Augusteus.
The Palace of the Daphne.
We proceed now to describe the many and
varied palace buildings of the Daphne, which were
connected with the wall separating the Palace from
the Augustaion. In my own opinion, it is the most
intricate and obscure portion of all the Palace to
describe.
The palace of the Daphne was separated from
that of the Triconchon by a passage called the
gallery of the Augusteus, or sometimes of the
Daphne. West of this was a building called the
Daphne. “The Daphne was so called because here
stood a pillar which was once the most prophetic
Daphne of Apollo.” Constantine Porphyrogen-
1 G. Kodinos, pp. 100, 271.
228 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
netos calls it the Daphne of S. Stephen the first
Martyr."
THE OCTAGON.
The Octagon, or Octagonal Chamber, was so
called, because it had eight porches, in which,
according to Kodinos, there were teachers of every
branch of knowledge.” A passage led from the
Bedchamber of the Daphne into the Octagon.
“Their Majesties go out of the bedchamber of the
Daphne . . . into the Octagonal Chamber, and
there they put on their robes.” This building stood
in the palace of the Daphne, in front of the Church
of S. Stephen, and lay to the east of it. “After
this their Majesties enter with the Officers of the
Bedchamber into the Octagon which is in front of
S. Stephen's . . . and go into the Bedchamber
of the Daphne.” “Their Majesties put off their
‘pagan’ robes in the Bedchamber of the Daphne,
and go out to the Octagonal Chamber.” “The
Augusta enters the Octagon, which is outside S.
Stephen’s.”
1 Vol. I., p. 550. Aéyovoſt 6é kal Touro trepi Tàs 64%ums, Štu Üytetas
épyaatmpuóv éa ruv' 66ev kai ptſ).Ma aúrðs étrečíðovro toſs dipxovoſt trapū roß
ôňuov, tº Tp(97 m rod 'Iavovaptov p.mvós. Geoponicorum auctor, ii., 2, quoted
in notes on G. Kodinos, p. 271. To this day many in Constantinople burn
bay leaves and drink a decoction of the ashes as a remedy for inter-
mittent fevers.--Aaqvivºmu popæ Baktmptav, Tooro Aéºyeuv eld,0aoruv of Ütró
Tuvav ćtrugovXevögevot, trapóa'ov &Aeëtqāppakov # 64pum, Souidas.
2 G. Kodinos, p. 83. Gyllius, lib. ii., cap. 20.
3 Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 26.
4 Cons. P., Vol. I., pp. 21, 33, 212. The Octagon mentioned in the
Chronicon Paschale, Vol, I., p. 623, lay in rà Trépuſſ toū ‘Aytov 0eoôtºpov toà
>qapaktov, the place now called Vefa meiddini, north of the gate Oun
cabán.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 229
These passages show that the Octagon, the
Church of S. Stephen, and the Bedchamber of the
Daphne, were all close together.
In his account of the Nika Riot, Kedrenos writes,
“Then indeed both the Octagon, and the baths of
Severus called the Zeuxippos were burnt.”" No
other writer mentions the burning of the building.
It was not far from the Senate-House, and probably
the flames reached it.
The Council of Constantinople, which is com-
monly known as the Quinisextan, met in this
palace in a building called the Dome. One
hundred and seventy bishops were present.
No one, however, mentions the site, or the vulgar
name of the building where they met. Phrantzes
has the following remarks on the Council. “The
nuns in the convent of the Ever Blessed he ordered
to depart to the Church of the Holy Prophet John
the Forerunner in the Dome, where in the reign
of Justinian Rhinotnetos the Quinisextan Holy
Synod assembled, for at that time it was a magnifi-
cent palace near the Ever Blessed, on the north
side.” The words shew how little Phrantzes knew
of these once famous palaces.
This little Church of S. John the Forerunner,
which Phrantzes alone has mentioned, was at one
time a Mussulman school, and is now a mosque
called Achmet Pasha Medjedi.” It stands near
l Vol. I., p. 647. 2 P. 307,
3 Bušavruval Mexérat, p. 303, where there is also a representation of this
church. The Patriarch Constantius’ KToxts, p. 67, and Byzantios,
KiroNis, Vol. 1., p. 576.
230 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
the Church of the Most Blessed, and barely
holds a hundred worshippers. All the historians of
the Councils of Constantinople say that the Quini-
sextan' Council met in the Dome of the Palace, an
apartment called the Great par excellence. The
Council did not meet in the Five Chambers, for they
were built by a later Emperor, Basil the Macedonian;”
and it was out of the question to hold a Council
which lasted for many months in the Chrysotriklinos,
on account of the many ceremonies which took
place there. I think that a building suitable both
for its size, and its proximity to the celebrated
Church of S. Stephen, is found in this Octagon.
No one of the historians, however, calls it the
Dome, and no building of that name is mentioned
by Constantine Porphyrogennetos.
I remarked above that in all his account of the
Palace, this writer never speaks of a library. All
the chief monasteries of Constantinople had libraries
for the use of the monks. One of them has
fortunately been preserved, that of the once famous
monastery of Christ Almighty,” to the west of the
mosque Zeirék djami. It is an octagonal building
of stone, now used as a mosque. According to the
Turkish priests it was formerly a library, or as
they called it Kitáb hanó. This Octagon of the
Palace of the Daphne, or, as Kodinos calls it, the
1 IIev6ékirm, Quinisexta. Le Concile se tint dans une Salle du palais
Impérial, en Latin trullus, c'est à dire döme. Histoire chronologique ef
dogmatique des Conciles de la Chrétiente, par M. Roisselet de Sanctières,
Paris, 1846. Vol. III., pp. 102, 131.
2 Theophanes Con., p. 335. 3 Bućavruval Mexéral, p. 352,
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 231
Octagon with four porches (retpadiatov Öktāyovov),'
was near the Bronze Gate, and was most likely a
school where “teachers of every branch of know-
ledge” taught, until the reign of Leo Syrogenes.
Possibly it was the Palace library. But in the
most exhaustive account of the Palace, this Octagon
is mentioned as a part of the Palace where the
Imperial ceremonies were performed, and nothing is
said of books or scholars.
THE CHURCH OF S. STEPHEN IN THE DAPEINE.
Close to the Palace of the Daphne was the
Church of S. Stephen. As to the site of this
Church which is often mentioned, the words of
Constantine Porphyrogennetos are clear. “The
usual ecclesiastical ceremony having been performed
in the Church of the first martyr Stephen in the
Daphne.” “Passing through the Hall of the
Augusteus he enters S. Stephen's . . . and
goes to his own Bedchamber.”” On the eve of the
Feast of Lights [Epiphany] when the Emperor and
Patriarch attended service here together, the
Emperor went into the Bedchamber of the Daphne
near the Church of S. Stephen.” This church lay
to the east of the Octagon and the Bedchamber,"
as is evident from the account of the coronation
of the Augusta. “The Patriarch comes through
the Daphne, and enters the Church of S. Stephen,
l P. S3.
2 Cons. P., Vol. I., pp. 71, 129, 196, 628. 3 Ibid., p. 140.
4 Labarte (p. 66) places it in the Hippodrome beside the Imperial
Stand,
232 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
and receives their Majesties.” After a little he
“goes out by the Octagonal Bedchamber.” Still
more explicit are the words in the description of
the coronation and nuptials of the Augusta. “The
Augusta goes out to the Octagon, which is outside
the church of S. Stephen, and the Emperor and
the Augusta go into S. Stephen's and the betrothal
takes place.” This church was built by Pulcheria
sister of Theodosios.”
Near this church, to the south of it, was the
hippodrome of the Palace which is the one meant
by Constantine Porphyrogennetos when he describes
the creation of a patrician. “He goes into the
church of the hippodrome, to S. Stephen’s.” This
passage does not refer to the chapel of S. Stephen
in the Imperial Stand of the Great Hippodrome,
for he continues “and escorted by the officers,
he goes to the Consistory, and lights candles.” “
The vessels preserved in this church are enumerated
by Constantine Porphyrogennetos.” The Proto-
pappas of the Daphne is also mentioned." The
marriages of the Emperors were sometimes per-
formed here. “He is married in the church
of S. Stephen which is in the Daphne.” "
1 Cons. P., pp. 202, 203; G. Kedrenos, Vol. I., p. 713 ; II., p. 17.
According to this writer, Zeno deposited in this church the Gospel
according to St. Matthew, written by the hand of the Apostle Barnabas,
Vol. II., p. 619. This church was repaired by Basil the Macedonian.
Ibid., Vol. II., p. 239.
2 Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 212. 3 G. Kedrenos, Vol. I., p. 592.
4 Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 251. 5 Vol. I., p. 640,
6 Cons. P., Vol. I., pp. 539, 540, 549.
7 Kal otépovtat &pſpºt, pot v Tó evKrmpiq, toº, ‘Aytov >Teq,évov. Theo-
phanes Con., pp. 625, 655, 816; Kodinos Kour., p. 351.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 233
“They marry to him [the Emperor Michael]
Eudokia daughter of Dekapolites, with whom he is
crowned in the church of S. Stephen which is in
the Daphne. The nuptial chamber was in the
Manaura, and the Senate banquetted in the Hall of
the Nineteen Couches.” This church was originally
built by Constantine the Great who “ used it as a
winter bedchamber.” “The damsel Epiphania, who
is also called Eudokia was married in S. Stephen's
in the Palace.”
TEIE BEDCHAMBER, OF THE DAPHNE.
When a triumph was celebrated in honour of a
victory, “The Emperor escorted by the courtiers
goes into the Bedchamber of the Daphne.” “The
Emperor goes into the Bedchamber of the Augusteus
which is there.” On the festival of the Nativity,
“The Emperor passing through the Augusteus
enters S. Stephen's . . . he comes out, and goes
into his bedchamber to wait the time.” “ There
was a door leading from the Octagon into this
chamber.” We learn very little about its site from
the historians. As I said before, it was near the
church of S. Stephen. This apartment was some-
times also called the Bedchamber of the Augusteus."
THE GAT,LERY OF S. STEPHEN.
This was the name given to the passage leading
from the Bedchamber of the Daphne to the Gallery
l G. Kodinos, p. 18. 2 Chron. Pasch., Vol. I., p. 703.
3 Cons. P., Vol. I., pp. 71, T2, 129, 608. 4 Ibid, p. 136.
ū Ibid., pp. 71, 72, 180, -
234 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
of the Augusteus, which separated the Palaces of
the Daphne and the Triconchon. At the corona-
tion of the Augusta, Constantine Porphyrogennetos
writes, “the Emperor signs to the praepositus
and he brings in the Augusta . . . through
the Gallery of S. Stephen into the Augusteus,
from the Bedchamber in the Octagon” (p. 208).
This was done that the Augusta might not have to
pass through the midst of the people who were
gathered in the Hall of the Augusteus." This
gallery divided the Octagon, the Church of
S. Stephen, and the Hall of the Augusteus from
the [Palace] hippodrome which lay to the south of
them. I do not know whether there was a door in
the Hall of the Augusteus leading to the gallery.
The only entrance was through the Bedchamber
above the Octagon, by which the Augusta went to
the gallery of the Daphne.
THE HAILL OF THE AUGUSTEUS
extended from the Octagon and the church of
the Daphne to the gallery of the same name.
It is continually mentioned in connection with the
ceremonies of the Palace. The Emperor went
through it to reach the Octagon.” From it he
1 From some words of C. Porphyrogennetos, it appears that the
Augusta appeared with her face veiled. Kai étrucketrážovrat # Te Atºyoſora
ſcal rô Trauðtov čqat A&pata Xpwooijdhavra, Vol. I., p. 618. On this Reiske
remarks, Vol. II., p. 729 : Videtur ex his verbis colligi posse, Augustam
suum vultum nudum proceribus conspiciendum non dedisse, sed aut
pone velum, aut indutam calyptram cum iis egisse, more a Persis trans-
sum to et in aulam Turcicam propagato,
2 Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 72,
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 235
passed through the narrow entrance and porch of
the Augusteus called the Golden Hand,' entered
the brazen gate of the Onopous and so went to the
Consistory. On the Sunday of the Antipascha
(Low Sunday), ‘‘a. procession (ueTaa Tártuov) is formed
in the Consistory, and their Majesties go up to the
Augusteus.” That this hall, which was often called
simply the Augusteus, lay north of the Octagon is
evident from the language of Constantine Porphyro-
gennetos. “Their Majesties change their ‘pagan
robes in the bedchamber of the Daphne, and going
out to the octagonal bedchamber, proceed through
the Augusteus.” -
What is called the portico of the Augusteus was
a doorway leading to the gallery of the Daphne
or Augusteus.” This door is mentioned in the
account of the ceremonies to be observed at
Christmas. “The officers of the Bedchamber come
into the Augusteus and stand in lines in the form
of a II; and when the Emperor enters, the great
doors of the Augusteus are at once made fast.” "
At the promotion of a demarch, “He proceeds
through the Lausiakon, the Erós, and the
1 Ibid., pp. 9, 129, 136.
2 Vol. I., p. 33. "Evöoffew yap Tijs weyá\ms TóAms toū Aëyovo Téas to Tavtal
of vinymaſtváptot, 8aa Tášovtes Tú Xpua & Kai ék \{0qu T'uutov Kateo Revaguéva
Xepvuò6šeata. Ibid., p. 9. The “pagan ” robes were those worn on days
when there was no festival. Atómthotov Tó trayavöv was a robe without
ornamentation (p. 181). The “pagan ” races were those held when the
|Emperor was not present (p. 334). “It must be observed that [no
promotion] takes place on a feast day, but only on a pagan Sunday ’’
(pp. 261, 367.)
3 Jhid., p. 209, 4 Ibid., p. 136,
236 &Y ( *
The Great Palace of Constantinople.
l
Daphne to the Augusteus.” By Daphne I think
the writer means the gallery of that name, which
was also known as the gallery of the Augusteus.
“Be it known that the gallery from the
Augustaion to the Apse was garnished with various
embroidered hangings.” “ The Augusteus must
have been a place of considerable size, for in it the
Emperor sometimes received all the officers, his
kinsmen, and the Patriarch.” The coronation of
the Augusta was often celebrated in this Hall."
From this I infer that part of it was roofed over.
THE CHURCH OF OUR LADY IN THE DAPHNE.
“And their Majesties proceed to the first built
(ſporoxtla Tw) church of our Most Holy Lady.”
What the writer means by calling it “first built "
I do not know. Probably it had, like the two
following chapels, been built shortly before by Basil
the Macedonian, the father of Constantine Porphy-
rogennetos.
THE CHURCH OF THE HOLY THINITY.
Near the above, and probably connected with it,
was the church, or rather chapel, of the Holy
Trinity. Our historians record but little about
1 Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 270. 2 Ibid., pp. 573, 574. 3 Ibid., p. 630.
4 /bid., p. 205. Th 6é ké roſ, 'Okrw8ptov Amvös éa répôm Mapia h yvyi)
Aéovros év Tó Tptk\ivº Toº Abyovo réals. G. Kedrenos, Vol. I., p. 792;
II., p. 822. The commentator on Kodinos Kouropalates (p. 355) is quite
mistaken when he remarks on the passage : éa répôm év tá. Tpuk\{vg roſ,
Aöyova Téas h Baqixtoo a Elphum, idemdue est quod dicitur Xpugoſiv Tp(K)\tvov
a Justiniano 2 exstructum. This and similar mistakes arise from
insufficient study of the Palace. 5 Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 7.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 237
these two small churches. Both of them lay to
the South of the palace of the Daphne, possibly near
the Hall of Justinian. When a procession was
made to the Great Church, the Emperor went to
the church of Our Lady and lit candles, thence he
proceeded to the adjoining church of the Trinity."
Constantine Porphyrogennetos mentions a recess
(a Tevåklov) in this church, where sacred relics were
preserved.” On the 25th of March, “the procession
goes chanting a processional hymn from the church
of Our Lady of the Pharos to the church of the Holy
Trinity in the Daphne, and when it returns their
Majesties give a banquet in the splendid Hall of
Justinian.” “
THE BAPTISTERY.
After worshipping in these two churches, the
Emperor proceeded to the Baptistery “where the
three large and beautiful crosses stand.” In the
procession at Christmas, the Emperor and the
courtiers “pass through the Daphne into the church
of the Holy Trinity ; and having lit candles there
he goes out, and likewise lights candles in
the Baptistery at the crosses.”" This Baptistery
is sometimes called simply the Crosses. “Having
lit candles and prayed, . . . he goes to the
Crosses.”" These three buildings, which are
mentioned together, were all near each other.
1 Cons. P., Vol. I, p. S.
2 Cons, P., Vol. 1, , p. 8. Ibid., p. 763.
4 Ibid., pp. 129, 532, Ibid., p. 174.
238 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
The Baptistery was farthest south. Their site is
evident from the route followed by the Emperor.
He went first to the church of Our Lady, then to
the Trinity, and lastly to the Baptistery. Con-
stantine Porphyrogennetos calls these three
churches “the chapels of the Daphne.” "
THE TELERMASTRA.
To get to the Consistory, one had to go through
the Palace hippodrome, and the Thermastra. That
the latter was nearthebippodrome, is evident from the
following words of Constantine Porphyrogennetos.
“The domesticus of the schools and the domesticus
of the excubita . . . went down to the Ther-
mastra; for the captain of the watch was at his
own post in the hippodrome.”—“They entered
through the Thermastra to the secret fountain of
the Sigma.”—“Within the gate leading from the
Thermastra to the Lausiakon.” ”
In this part of the Palace it is difficult to distin-
guish the different doors and passages of the
Thermastra, by which the people went to the
Consistory. It was an underground chamber and
is seldom mentioned.
The roof of the great underground chamber which
1 Vol. I., p. 176.
2 Cons. P., Vol. I., pp. 272, 340, 602, 605. He mentions a place in
this neighbourhood called the Kastrésiakon. Possibly the Thermastra
bore this name. p.e6to Tavrat at Yuvaikes Kal dirépxovrat éirl toos éAeqavrivous
TV\óvas Toij Kaarpmotákov. Vol. I., p. 211. The kao Tphotos of the
Emperor's table is also mentioned : \appévet dTö Tóu Xelpöv Tod Kaa-
Tpmatov 6 Tarpiðpxms Tov 0upwatów. Ibid., pp. 542, 744, 748, 750, 755,
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 239
I mentioned in speaking of the Hall of Justinian, is
supported by eight marble pillars. The height of
the pillars to the capitals is 375 m. [12 ft. 2 in.].
The capitals are of the ordinary Byzantine form and
workmanship. The length of the vault is 30 m. [97
ft. 6 in..], the height 5.25 m. [17 ft. 6 in..], and the
walls are 2.25 m. [7 ft. 4 in..] thick. This gives some
idea of the solidity of the building, and enables us
to understand how it has remained so long intact.
Through this vault people went from the Hall of
Justinian and the covered hippodrome to the most
northerly buildings of the Palace.
This vault lies in a street now called Giùno
Giorméz, or the Dark Alley.
TEIE IVORY GATE.
This gate, which led into the Thermastra, was on
the east side of the great covered hippodrome, or
promenade of the Palace. It is mentioned by
Porphyrogennetos, “And they open the Ivory
Gate”—“They go up through the Ivory Gate”—
“They rise from the table, and going out by the Ivory
Gate, each one goes to his own place.”" From the
following words of the historian Kinnamos it would
appear that this gate was also a prison. “Thomas
being taken into the prison in the Palace
which is usually called the Ivory, there ended his
life.” He was of course imprisoned in the gate-
house. Other writers are silent on this point. It
was at this gate that the assassins of Michael, son
l l’p. 171, 518, 600, 602. 2 P. 297.
240 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
of Theophilos came in the early morning, and con-
cealed themselves." The priests of the Palace, the
Imperial Clergy as they were called, passed the
night outside the Palace. “For an ancient custom
prevailed, that the priests should remain outside
the Palace at night, until the time appointed for
them to enter at dawn.” On the eve of Palm Sun-
day, after vespers in the church of S. Demetrios,
all the courtiers went away by the Ivory Gate.”
THE GOLDEN HAND.
From the Hall of the Augusteus, one entered
another called the Onopous or Onopodium. The
passage by which the two were connected was called
the Passage (a Tevov, a Tevaktov), the Porch of the
Augusteus, and the Golden Hand. Constantine
Porphyrogennetos usually terms it the atevöv.” It
was a narrow passage roofed over. “The Emperor
goes through the narrow passage of the Golden
Hand, and comes into the Onopous.”—“Through
the narrow passage of the Golden Hand he enters
the bronze gate of the Onopous.” From this
we learn that the door which closed the Golden
Hand was called the Bronze Gate. “He goes
through the Augusteus and the passage, and the
Onopous.”—“And they escort him as far as the
passage of the Onopous.”—“And going through
1 G. Kedrenos, Vol. II., p. 66. 2 J. Genesios, p. 24.
3 Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 171.
4 Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 136. Reiske does not in the least understand
its situation. Vol. II., p. 168.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 241
the narrow passage, that is, the Golden Hand, he
ascends to the Onopous.”—“The porch of the
Augusteus or the Golden Hand.”
From these passages it is evident that beside the
Hall of the Augusteus there was another called the
Onopous or Onopodium ; into which one entered
through the Golden Hand. The door here is con-
tinually mentioned in connection with the various
ceremonies, and its situation is quite plain from
the words of Constantine Porphyrogennetos. This
portico was vaulted and rested on two marble
pillars.
THE ONOPOUS OR ONOPODIUM.
The majority of the Palace buildings bear Greek
or Latin names. It should be kept in mind that
at the time when the Palace was founded, Latin
was understood by all, owing to the emigration of
so many persons from Rome. Hence we find
Cubiculum, Consistory, Numera, Candidati, the
Hall of the Nineteen Accubita, Boukoleon (Bucca
leonis), and a great many more foreign names
current in the months of the Byzantines until the
final capture.
I think that the Onopodium, and its neighbour
the Delphax which I mentioned before, bear names
which were used by the ancient Byzantines, or
were current among the populace before the Palace
buildings were erected. Anciently there must have
i Ibid., Vol. I., pp. 72, 147, 163, 176,232, 573, 578.
I8
242 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
been in this spot, stalls or stables where asses and
swine were kept; and the Palace buildings inherited
these incongruous names.
On Low Sunday, “A procession is formed in the
Consistory, and their Majesties go to the Hall of
the Augusteus, and change their robes,
The first reception, of the patricians, takes place
at the Onopodium. . . . They proceed to
the Great Consistory where the prefects stand.”"
From these words it is evident that the Onopodium
was near the Consistory, in fact was connected with
it. On Orthodoxy Sunday (the First Sunday
in Lent) the Emperor went into the Consistory
where the senate congratulated him, while the
Master of Ceremonies and the silentiarii remained
in the Onopodium.” At the feast of the Annuncia-
tion “The Emperor, escorted by the officers of the
Bedchamber, goes through the passage of the
Golden Hand, and proceeds to the Onopous. As
he stands at the Bronze Gate, the patricians and
generals receive him . . . Then these same
e together with the whole Senate, go to the
Consistory.” At another festival, that of the
Exaltation of the Holy Crosses, after the ceremony
in S. Sophia, the Emperor entered the Palace by
the Bronze Gate." He then went through the
Schools and the Excubita to the Consistory, where
the Senate was waiting, and the Master of Cere-
1 Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 97. 2 Ibid., p. 159. 3 Ibid., p. 163.
4 Ibid., p. 128. [This Bronze Gate is the Palace gate opening into the
Augustaion. It should not be confounded with the Bronze Gate mentioned
in the preceding quotation, which was at the end of the Golden Hand.—Tr.]
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 243
monies and the silentiarii received him. On the
eve of the Feast of Lights (Epiphany), the Emperor
and the Patriarch went out of the Palace to the
Hall of the Augusteus, and there embraced each
other. The Patriarch went to the Great Church
accompanied by some officers of the Bedchamber
and Consistory, while the Emperor returned to
the Palace. From the account which Constantine
Porphyrogennetos gives, it appears that the Hall of
the Augusteus was near the Onopodium and the
Consistory."
At the coronation of the Emperor, he went out
from the Augusteus and proceeded to the Ono-
podium, where the first reception of the patricians
took place, after which they went down to the
Great Consistory.”
These passages do not inform us whether the
Onopodium was roofed over, or not.
At the promotion of a magister, “the triple
door of the Onopodium is also guarded.” He
probably means the doors leading to the Exaëron
of the Nineteen Couches. From the foregoing
passages we know that one door leading from the
Hall of the Augusteus to the Onopodium was called
the Golden Hand, or the Bronze Gate. Another
door is mentioned called
TEIE DOOR OF TELE PLATFORM.
Constantine Porphyrogennetos writes, “asthe Em-
peror comes out from the door of the Platform that is
l Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 142. 2 Ibid., p. 192. 3 Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 234.
244 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
to the Onopodium.” It appears from other passages
that it was a marble balcony leading from the
Nineteen Couches to the Onopodium. “The prae-
positus signs to the ostiarius who holds the curtain
of the marble platform which leads out to the
Onopodium.” This writer thereforementions the fol-
lowing doors in the Onopodium : the Golden Hand
leading from the Hall of the Augusteus, this door
of the Platform on the west side, and the three doors
leading from the Onopodium to the Consistory. I
have discovered no door from it to the gallery of
the Augusteus. A kauexaſktov or baldaquin is men-
tioned in connection with this platform.”
THE CONSISTORY.
This was a spacious building situated to the
north of the Onopodium. It communicated with it
by three doors of ivory, termed the left hand, middle,
and right hand, doors." Mention is made of the
Winter Consistory, the great Summer Consistory,
and the Ante-consistory, where ambassadors sat
before they were admitted to the presence of the
Emperor. From the language of Constantine, I
infer that there were three chambers, two of them
on the east side of the Great Chamber with the
porphyry stone and the Throne upon it." The
1 ‘H TVAm roß row\ttrov. Ibid., p. 130.
2 Cons. P., Vol. I., pp. 11, 143. Platforms are mentioned in S. Sophia
and the entrance to the Chrysotriklinos. Ibid., pp. 134, 243.
3 Ibid., p. 11.
4 Ibid., pp. 73, 84, 107, 168, 234.
5 Cons. P., Vol. I., pp. 398, 404, 407.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 245
building was called the Consistory because the
chief officers of state often sat together there with
the Emperor. On this account the meeting itself was
called a Consistory."
At the reception of the Persian ambassadors, we
are told, “the usher (döuta'atováAtos) must conduct
the ambassador, and place him beside the wall
within the curtain of the great Summer Consistory.
The doors of the Consistory are also opened if he
has horses among his presents. . . . The Decurion
goes into the lesser Consistory.”
All the ambassadors were received in the Con-
sistory without weapons. “They [the Western
ambassadors] do not come armed into the presence
of the Emperor because they are not barbarian
ambassadors.”
The Crucifix of S. Constantine and Moses’ rod *
were also kept in the Consistory. Here too there
was a baldaquin, covering the Porphyry Stone, on
which the Emperor's throne stood. Porphyry steps
led up to it.” From the Onopodium they de-
scended into the Consistory by steps through
the three doors which we have mentioned.
“The Spatharioi descend the steps of the Consis-
1 Kovatoirépwov, 6etov avvéðptov, Hesychios; Kovalo Túptov, trapū ‘Papuatous
oùTaj \éyeTai Tô ovvéðptov Kal to a ſortmua &v6a trepi Tôv étrelyövtaſy 8ovXečovtat,
Souidas; Évêa to Tavtat iſtratou, kovo to Túptov kal ol \ottrol ovyk)\mtukot. Cons.
P., Vol. I., pp. 97, 257. Kovoſta Tapwavös, Consistorianus. Meursii
Glossarium.
2 Cons. P., Vol. I., pp. 405, 394, 396. It is probable that this custom
has descended to the Turks from the Byzantine Court.
3 Cons, P., Vol. I., p. 10. This rod is also mentioned as being in the
Chapel of S. Theodore in the Chrysotriklinos. See ch. vi. of this work.
4 Ibid., pp. 63, 69, 73, 98, 130, 163, 181, 232, 233.
246 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
tory,”—“The three doors of the Consistory are
opened,”—The Emperor “sits down in the Great
Consistory and the magistrates enter.””
When the precious throne was set in the Con-
sistory it was guarded by silentiarii and chosbaltai.”
As long as it was there, no one remained in the
Consistory at night. All the doors of the buildings
around were securely shut, and not even the
patricians were admitted. “They change their
robes in the Indoi as they have not permission to
enter while the throne stands there.” ”
TEIE CHURCEI OF OUR LORD.
This church is often mentioned. In the procession
to the tomb of S. Mokios,” the Emperor received
the magistrates in the Church of Our Lord,
whence all proceeded together to the shrine of the
Saint. The gate of the narthex was of bronze.
“As the Emperor enters the bronze gate of Our
Lord’s.” “ The Emperor, at the feast of the
Annunciation, passed through the Gallery of Our
Lord, and entered the Apse of the Triconchos.
From it he went through the Gallery of the Forty
Saints to the Chrysotriklinos." Treasures of great
1 Ibid., pp. 63, 405.
2 The Chosbaltai were vestiaries who had charge of the Emperor's
sandals. Cons. P., Vol. II., pp. 42, 847. [See note on p. 219. —Tr.]
3 Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 234. I think that Labarte is mistaken in say-
ing that there was a banquetting-hall beside the Consistory. See “Les
Salles à manger’’ in his work.
4 Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 98.
5 Ibid., pp. 84, 107, 230.
6 Ibwd., p. 169.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 247
value were preserved in the church." The Emperors
were sometimes crowned outside it. “He
himself [the Emperor] sat outside the Church of
Our Lord, in the place where the Emperors were
wont to be crowned . . . before going on
horseback to the Church of the Holy Apostles.”
On the way back they put off their crowns, in the
porch of this church.” From it they ascended into
the Augusteus by the porticos.” The passage from
the gate of the Spatharikion to this church was
called the Gallery of the Lord. The Emperor on
coming out of the Palace, passed through the
Gallery of the Forty Saints, the gate of the Spatha-
rikion, and this gallery, and thus arrived at the
Church of Our Lord.”
According to Kodinos, this church which stood
at the north side of the Consistory, was built by
the Emperor Constantine the Great.
THE OVAL.
This building was so called from its shape. It
stood on the left side [south] of the church of Our
Lord which again was to the south of the Manaura.
On the second day of the first week, “the courtiers
go through the Gallery of the Forty Saints, the
Sigma, and the Church of Our Lord, and thence
proceed through the Sakella, the Oval, and the
passage leading to the terrace of the Manaura, and
enter the Great Hall.” Constantine Porphyro-
1 Ibid., pp. 591, 641. 2 Ibid., pp. 32, 188, 593-4.
3 Ibid., p. 270. 4 Ibid., pp. 169, 635. * Ibid., pp. 545, 567.
248 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
gennetos states that it is a mistake to call the Hall
of the Manaura the Oval, “for the charter
room of the Treasury is called the Oval.” A
similar chamber in the Palace of Blachernai is
mentioned. The Emperor “took the air (ěvatóplače)
sitting in the middle of the Oval.” Kodinos
states that this building was erected by Constantine
the Great. -
According to some authorities, it was in this
building that the Quinisextan Council of 691 A.D.
met.” No one has left any account of the dimen-
sions of the building, and the apartments it
contained. -
So far we have been considering the chief
buildings on either side of the gallery of the Daphne
*Ibid., p. 593. XakéA\a 8tov to xpvotov Tiberat. XakéA\tov Šuotos.
Hesychios. Baxóvrtov, papa ſtruou, ÉÉ oë kal a’akeXXáptos. Souidas.
* Kal datpatrów Trept to traXártov et)\oupévaju, kal toº Baqi)\éa's peºyovros
&Tö Tótrovels Tótrov, Šu év táv Kottaviakov Tó Xeyop,évg détºp karéAa3ew airów
# 6pyń, Öate alqviðtov eipegåval vekpóv. G. Pachymeres, Vol. I., pp. 405,
621. G. Kodinos, p. 227. An Oval in Nikaia is also mentioned, Acta et
Diplomata, Vol. III., p. 65. t
*Byzantios, Kiro)\ts, Vol. I., p. 206, note. Bušavruval Mexérat, p. 303.
Cons. P., Vol. II., p. 263. "Qptae jj čv rig Tpotſ\\g rod peyúNov traXarlov
ava rāga 6ela kal olkovºevukh &yta Güvoôos, j kal Trev6ékrm Aeyop,évm. Meursii
Glossarium. Kal & Tâs év Tó Tpotſ\\p Térapros Tſis olkovaevukňs ékrms avvóóov.
N. Gregoras, Vol. I., p. 407. No one, however, notices the building in
which this Synod met. The language of Du Cange on the subject is
equally vague. “Le triclinium Tholotum qu'Anastasius Dicorus fit batir,
qui est cette partie du palais nommé Trullus, où fut tenu le Concile in
Trullo. Hist. de l'Empire, etc. Pt. i., p. 152. Banduri says the same.
Vol. II., p. 355. Willelmus Tyrius, lib. xxii., cap. 4. The Synaxaristes,
who has valuable information on all matters Byzantine collected from the
writings of Simeon Metaphrastes, says in his account of this Synod, cele-
brated on the 14th of September: air) # &yla kal olkovgevik) 2%uoôos, avvm-
6poto'0m év tá, Tpotſ\\@ Toº traXartov rá, Āeyop,évg &árov, &rl Täs 3aat)\etas
Kovaravrivov roſ, IIoyovátov. Ed. Zakynthos, 1808, Vol. I., p. 52. [See
also p. 230, note, of this work.-Tr.]
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 249
and those above the Hall of the Augusteus.
Other galleries and buildings, mentioned even
more frequently than these await our attention.
In the study of such questions as this we have to
proceed with great caution, and begin with the
buildings which stood near those still in existence,
that we may not go astray.
THE EXAERON OR AREA.
North of the Octagon and of the church
of S. Stephen, lay the gallery or Hall of the
Nineteen Couches famous in Byzantine history.
The northern portion of it was the Area or
Exaéron." The courtiers descended to it from the
Hall of the Candidati, by doors.” Descending from
the Exaéron they entered the Onopodium, and some
stood there and others at the Golden Hand, the
entrance to the Hall of the Augusteus.” They
descended into the Exaéron by steps on account of
the steepness of the ground.
TEIE HALL OF TEIE NINETEEN COUCHES.
No spot in the Palace precincts is mentioned so
* "Ečáepov, Locus aeri expositus, Tà ax\óTpta éðdºm, Čvois owk eloſiv oiktat,
kal tă Töv Yettóvajv éšáepa. Meursii Glossarium. Area, aij}\}), trpaguá,
iſtratópov, &Aws, &\dºvtov, oxoMášav Tótros. TAwa. A. Koraës Posthumous
Works, ed. A. Z. Māmoukas, Athens, 1881, p. 10. In the procession
to the church of the Studium, they went to the spacious court
(aúXī) of the church by the gate called Narlé kapé, passed through
the exaëron and entered the right-hand porch of the church (Cons. P.,
Vol. I., p. 563). This makes it plain that C. Porphyrogennetos uses
ea'aéron, of an open space, and such the place is to this day.
* Coms. P., Vol. I., p. 20.
* Ibid., p. 21.
250 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
often as the Hall of the Nineteen Couches, or, as it
is frequently called, the Great Hall. According to
Kodinos, it was built by Constantine the Great."
On festivals and great processions, especially on
Easter Sunday, “Their Majesties go out of the
Palace . . . and the customary salutation takes
place in the Great Hall of the Nineteen Couches.”
On the Feast of Lights [Epiphany] the Patriarch
goes into the church of S. Stephen in the Daphne;
and when the Emperor is about to recline at table in
the Hall of the Nineteen Couches, he summons the
Patriarch. After the usual salutations, the Patriarch
again returns to S. Stephen's, and puts off his palli-
um.” In this Hall of the Couches, the courtiers and
bishops who accompanied the Patriarch stood on
the “right and left sides” of the apartment.
Constantine Porphyrogennetos terms those who
occupied the best places the first accubiti (Tois
Tp(\tovs äkkovéirovs).
At the coronation of the Augusta, the people
gathered in the tribune of the Nineteen Couches,
the patricians stood in the Onopodion, and the
senators in the portico of the Nineteen Couches.
1 P. 18.
*Tp(K)\lvos Táv w0' àkkovštrov, Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 187. This Hall is
called both &kkoúðtra and &koú8tra. Ibid., pp. 63, 73, 146. In the Middle
Ages the Aristeria were called accubita, Joannes Lydos, p. 130. 'Ełkowºgara,
excubita, is the cohors imperatoria. J. Meursii Glossarium. For the
signification of this word see Reiske's notes on Cons. P., Vol. II., p. 124.
"H Te Aéâts Töv čková'írav Tóv Aattvav čarlu (&koúgga, yāp trap& "Papalots rô
āvattºrTw), a muatvet atpopués ſpp.évas els tºpos kal pa)\akēs, aārat 6é Tpvpils kal
pa)\aktas eloſiv. Kodinos Kouropalates, p. 301. Aeró. Thu ätröAvoriu Tàs
ékk\matas, 8te äkovg|3to watu ol āeatrótal émi Tàs Tpatréms. Cons. P., Vol. I.,
pp. 52, 47, 54.
* Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 146.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 251
This portico leading from the Exaéron to the Great
Hall is often mentioned."
In the middle of this Hall, the remains of
deceased Emperors and Augustae were placed on a
golden couch, called the “Bed of Sorrow,” before
their interment in the Church of the Apostles.”
Outside of the Hall was the tribune of the
Area, where at the election of a Caesar all the
officers and military stood, congratulating the
Emperor and the Caesar. “Their Majesties sit
down in the Great Hall of the Nineteen Couches,
and the Patriarch comes in at once and awaits
them in the church of S. Stephen. . . . The
patricians form a Consistory at the portico of the
Nineteen Couches, and the remaining senators go
out and stand on the steps of the Area on either
side of the terrace.” This passage shews that in
front of the Nineteen Couches there was an open
space, the Exaéron or Area, and round it steps for
the use of those commanded to attend the Imperial
festivals. “And they stood on the steps of the
terrace area, on either side of the terrace.”—“They
stood on the steps of the area.” “
The silver pillars of this hall, behind which the
Emperor robed, are mentioned.”
In the Area there was a terrace, or terraces, and
* Ibid., pp. 204, 62, 619.
*Ibid., p. 275. Kai Taºrmv 8aat)\lkôs Tupaio as Kal év tº xpwookoWAfftºp kal
ôté, papyaputóv Kal Atówv KXtvm teffeto a . . . 6&TTétat év \dpvaku.
Theophanes Con., p. 473.
* Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 218.
*Ibid., p. 628,
* Ibid., pp. 25, 62.
252 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
steps leading up to them. Part of the floor
was called the Tribune." At the election of a
Caesar, their Majesties and the Patriarch went up
to the tribune, and the Emperor said what he
wished to the people, The people replied if they
had anything to answer. Before this part of the
ceremonies, Constantine Porphyrogennetos writes
of their Majesties passing with the Patriarch
through the great Hall of the Nineteen Couches,
not having yet arrived at the terrace of the
Tribune. From this it is clear that it was at
the lower or eastern part of the Hall.” The great
door of the Tribune is mentioned in the account of
the coronation of the Augusta. We learn from
a phrase in Constantine Porphyrogennetos that
there were chambers in this Hall. He speaks of
the servants in the chambers of the Nineteen
Couches.”
Great companies of guests sat and feasted together
in this spacious Hall, and used to greet the
Emperor in Latin." At the Imperial table the
chiefs of the Blue and Green factions stood on the
*’Ev Tó Tptgovva Miq, \eyop,évg 6ekaevuča àkkovgåra v. G. Kedrenos, Vol.
II., p. 942. Toârg rig &ret lyöuktuávt y Tú huépg roº IIáaxa, ća répôm Kavarav-
Tivos ūtrö Aéovtos toū trarpès attoſ év tá, Tpušovva Atq, Tóv évveakatóeka &kov-
8trov. Theophanes, Vol. I., p. 616. Nikephoros Patriarches, p. 64.
* Cons. P., Vol. I., pp. 218, 222, 226. £keºffew oëv et pmuoguevos karéXage
Thu Aeyop,éumu XaXKāv, kal 6l airfis elde\0&v épôaa’ev Čižpt Töv čákovštrov.
G. Kedrenos, Vol. II., p. 280.
* Cons. P., Vol. I., pp. 577, 589. I think that by the words kal irport-
6eral KAfftoptov ću Tô Trept}\érrg Tpuk\ſvg Tóv kaðuapérov (pp. 773, 781), he
means the Hall of the Stand in the Hippodrome. Cf. 778.
*Aéyoval ol Trévre BovkáAuot, Kovačpſ3et Aéows hutréptovg. 8éarpova, 8 €att
pe6eppeyevöplewov PvX4éet 6 6.e0s thv 3aot)\etav Úpiſov, etc., etc.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 253
right and left respectively, along with many of the
members.
On the day of S. Elias, “a banquet is set before
the Emperor on a separate table in the middle of
the Hall of the Nineteen pleasant Couches, and
the praepositi feast with the Emperor.” The
couches were ranged along the walls of the Hall,
and in the middle there was a great clear floor. The
Emperor sometimes banquetted here with certain of
the distinguished courtiers, others sat at the lower or
eastern couches.”
From other words of Constantine it is evident
that this Hall was near another called the Hall of
the schools.” The portico of the Great Hall is also
mentioned, which, as I said, led into the adjoining
Onopodium. From this Hall they descended into
the Onopodium, and through it entered the Con-
sistory.
As I said before, the deceased Emperors lay in
state in this Hall; and here the clergy of S. Sophia
and the Senate met together. All the Emperors
were interred in churches or monasteries outside
the Palace, with the exception of John Tzimiskes,
who was buried at the Bronze Gate.”
The writers of the Continuation of Theophanes
thus narrate the ceremonies at the interment of
* Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 778. Joannes Kantakouzenos makes the follow-
ing remarks about the mode of these feasts (Vol. III., p. 28). Töv ćtt-
qavóv Šē IIeporâu ol āX\ot kai Pogatov ćirl Tatrātav ša av divakek\ip.évot Troös
Tô &o 6lely 80'ov Ópā00at (Tö 8aot)\éans.
* Cons. P., Vol. I., pp. 362, 370.
* Vol. I., p. 12.
* Cons. P., Wol, I., pp. 26, 218, 219, 226,
254 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
Constantine VII. Porphyrogennetos. “Having
washed the body, they set it in the Hall of the
Nineteen Couches, and honouring it with psalms,
straightway bore it out, and placed it at the Bronze
Gate, where the arch priest and priests, the
magistrates, patricians, and the whole Senate ex-
changed a final embrace. Then the Master of
Ceremonies, as was his wont, called out, ‘Come
forth, O King. The King of Kings and Lord of
Lords summons thee.’ Whereupon the great mul-
titude raised shouts and shrieks and lamentations.
When he had called this three times, they raised
the prince, and bore him from the Imperial house
to the Thoroughfare (Mesé), and so to the church
of the Holy Apostles.”
On the ninth day of the Dekaëmeron, the so-
called Gothikon was celebrated in this Hall. As
the Emperor was sitting at supper, musicians
entered, and two Goths, wearing masks and sheep-
skins, with the woolly side out, uttering good
wishes to the Emperor in “Gothic,” a barbarous
jargon, which we now find hard to explain or to
understand, and holding small shields in their left
hands and staves in their right. They and a band
of performers gambolled and danced, and greeted
the Emperor in their unintelligible Gothic tongue
without ceasing, until the end of the banquet. In
his account, Constantine Porphyrogennetos men-
tions the “two entrances of the Great Hall.” In
another passage he speaks of the “great door of
* Theophanes Con., p. 467.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 255
the Couches.” So that the other was probably
known as the “smaller.””
Subordinate to the domesticus of the Couches
were the following officers, topoteretai, chartularii,
scribes, protomandators, drakonarioi, skeuopohoroi,
signophoroi, senatores, and mandatores.” The ac-
cubitores were the guards of this Hall.”
In the time of Alexios Komnenos, Varangi are
also mentioned, who were quartered in the Nine-
teen Couches as guards." Constantine Porphyro-
gennetos never mentions them.
That the space covered by this Hall was large,
is evident from the account of the feast which
took place on Christmas - day.” Besides many
magistrates, proconusls, and patricians, the officers
of the different ranks to the number of a hundred
and sixty-eight, the twenty-four Hagarenes of the
Praetorium, twelve friendly Bulgars, and twelve
poor brethren were invited. The Hagarenes sat
opposite the Emperor at the sixth and seventh
tables, the Bulgars and poor brethren at the
ninth. The Emperor sat at a separate table facing
the East, so that some of his guests were behind
him, and others in front. On either side of the
tables were benches. On the sixth day of this feast
the Patriarch and twelve abbots were invited.
* Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 381; II., p. 355.
* Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 717.
* Köpms ékovšutépav, Chron. Pasch., Vol. I., p. 611; Nikephoros Patri-
arch., p. 36.
*J. Meursii Glossarium, s. v. Bapáyyou. Kodinos Kouropalates, pp. 264,
265. [Cleasby, Icelandic Dict., s.v. Vaeringi.]
* Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 741.
256 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
After them two hundred and sixteen abbots of
different monasteries were entertained. On the
eleventh day the feast came to an end in the Hall
of Justinian, when two hundred and sixteen
guests banquetted at separate tables."
After the ceremony on the 20th of July (S.
Elias' day) a banquet took place in this Hall, which
Constantine Porphyrogennetos styles “pleasant.””
In the reign of Constantine VII., Porphyrogen-
netos, the roof of the Hall decayed and fell in.
The building, or at least part of it, was therefore
roofed over. The Emperor restored the old gilt
ceiling, which was destroyed, and made it brilliant
and new in appearance. He also formed octagonal
niches, which he adorned with round windows, and
a variety of carvings formed like wreaths of vines,
and all kinds of leaves and branches. All these were
gilded to the delight and admiration of the be-
holders.” &
The many things that Luitprand relates in praise
of the size and beauty of the building, while sneer-
ing at the builders and occupants, are very curi-
ous. “There is a house beside the hippodrome,”
facing the north, of wonderful loftiness and beauty,
which is called the Nineteen Couches. Here are
set nineteen tables at which they recline to eat,
and do not sit as in other places. All the vessels
are not of silver but of gold.”
* Ibid., p. 753. Xaptorów Tpatréâv, the &mokotrów Tpaireſöv of C. Por-
phyrogennetos.
*Ibid., p. 778,
* Theophanes Con., p. 449.
*i.e., the Palace hippodrome, Hist, vi., 8.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 257
THE DIECIONION.
Between the Hall of the Nineteen Couches and
the Onopodium, there was a building called the
Dikionion. At the coronation and nuptials of the
Augusta, she went into the Onopodium, and thence
to the Dikionion." The senators and others subse-
quently formed a consistory in the Great Hall as
far as the Dikionion and the Onopodium. From
the following it appears that it was a covered pas-
Sage supported on two pillars, leading from the
Great Hall to the Onopodium. “When the Augusta
comes from the Terrace, the patricians go to the
Golden Hand escorting her, and the company of
the prefects extends to the Dikionion. When
the Augusta arrives at the middle of them,
they exclaim, ‘For many long and prosperous
years.’ The patricians in the Golden Hand do the
same, . . . the Augusta passes through, and
enters the Hall of the Augusteus.” The officers
followed the Augusta, and went with her into the
Hall.
THE SCHOOLS, OR THE HALL OF THE SCHOOLS.
This gallery was alongside the Hall of the Nine-
teen Couches, or rather, was connected with, and
lay to the north of it. On the second day of the
Renewal (Easter Monday), the Emperor went
through the Great Hall, the Schools, and the
Bronze Gate to S. Sophia. At Christmas, the
* Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 211, et sqq.
I9
258 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
Emperor went through the Schools, and coming to
the fifth School, lit his candle before the Cross.
The door of the fifth School is also spoken of
From this I should suppose that there was a fixed
place for each School in this Hall. On the Feast
of the Annunciation, again, the Emperor passed
through the Couches and the Schools, and went
out by the Bronze Gate."
At the reception of the Mussulman envoys in
the time of Constantine and Romanus, which took
place in the Schools, sailors were posted on every
side of the building, armed with leathern bucklers
and swords.”
Mention is made of a dome with eight pillars in
the first School, under which a very beautiful
silver cross stood. I think this is the atpoyyúxov
alluded to by Constantine Porphyrogennetos.
“The Emperor goes also into the Schools, within
the door where the cross stands, and takes his
*Ibid., pp. 73, 131-2, 163. Many Schools are mentioned in the works
of the Byzantine writers. Chronicon Paschale, Vol. I., p. 502. The
Schools were seven in number. Xph Töv påywarpov trgoevtpetrio at Töv kópmra
Tās ékrms 3) égööplms XóXms. Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 391. The Scholares
were the guards of the Palace. Ibid., Vol. I., p. 60. Procopius in Anec-
dotis et Agathias Scolares palatii ter mille ac quingentos numero fuisse
testantur. Cpolis Christ., Vol. II., cap. iv. Sunt autem scholae
idem atque cohortes et quidem quae hic designantur scholae
militum palatinorum, non tam pompaticorum, quam vere militantium et
Imperatorem domi forisque comitantium et protegentium. Ibid., p. 837.
Agathias, p. 310. śv Šešíg kara)\ttrövtes Tó Tów axoMöv a ſuraypa. M.
Attaliates, p. 112. 'O’Iovulap . . . trpáros étrotmoſe kavölöárovs kal Tpwrik-
Twpas, kal rô Táyga röv axoxaptay ovarma &ºevos, ékáAeaev aſſº ê 'Iovvutºpwu els
Tö tätov Švoga. G. Kedrenos, Vol. I., p. 451; II., p. 940. J. Meursii,
Glossarium, S. v. oxo)\áptol.
* Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 579.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 259
place in the chamber of the atpoyyºov.” There
was a door at the Bronze Gate leading to the
Schools, “as far as the great door of the Schools
which leads out to the dome of the Bronze Gate.” ”
TELE LIGEITS.
East of the Hall of the Schools there was
another similar Hall or passage called the Lights
(\{xyot). From the Hall of the Nineteen Couches
they ascended to the Lights, where a silver cross
stood.” A chamber in this Hall is mentioned, which
was, I think, situated in the part connected with
the Schools.
In some processions the foreigners who hap-
pened to be in the city at the time assembled here
to greet the Emperor. “The last reception takes
place at the Tribune, that is before the Lights.”
This Hall was near, or rather was connected with,
the Great Hall. From it doors led to the Schools.
“The Blue faction stands at the Lights to receive
the prefect.” “ Kodinos writes as follows concern-
ing this Hall : “The Emperor Constantine built
the Lights or the dome of the seven lights which is
still standing in the Schools.” This leads one to
suppose that the latter building was roofed over.
* Vol. I., p. 131. direpyöpevol &v Tó Öktakuðvø 66\p #yovy eis Thy Tp(6tmv
axóAmv, Šutrep Tiju Taxatav Ka)\odot xapayúv. Ibid., p. 11.
*Ibid., Vol. I., pp. 11, 19, 27.
* Cons. P., Vol. I., pp. 12, 13. Reiske, ibid., II., p. 83, thinks it
got the name : forte quia ibi in processionibus transeunte Imperatore
lychni accendebantur.
* Cons. P., Vol. I., pp. 13, 20, 27, 40, 265.
* G. Kodinos, p. 18.
260 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
TEIE TRIBUNE.
The Tribune was a place near the Lights and the
Curtains. “The Emperor Romanus made a pro-
cession to the Tribune, and all accompanied him
thither with arms.”—“The Emperor Romanus
made a procession to the Tribune.”" According
to Kodinos,” the dances of the two factions took
place here in the time of Heraclius. The Tribune
is continually mentioned, especially in the account
of the coronation of the Augusta. “She comes out
through the middle door of the Tribune.” “In the
Tribune, where the sceptre and cross stand.” Leo at
his coronation, “having been covered with a breast-
plate by the Candidati in the Tribunal, and having
put on the Imperial robes and diadem,” shewed him-
self to the people.” According to Constantine Por-
phyrogennetos, the Lights was called the Tribune.
“The first reception takes place at the Tribune,
i.e., before the Lights” (eis To Tp(3ovvá\tov, #yovy els
Tovs Aixvows)." In describing the Palace I look upon
this writer as the safest guide. Some speak as if the
Tribune were in the Hall of the Nineteen Couches.
Constantine Porphyrogennetos says it was in the
Lights. The Lights, the Nineteen Couches, and
the Hall of the Candidati were close together, and
* Theophanes Con., pp. 389, 891.
*P. 36. Souidas, s.v. TpušovváAtov.
* Cons. P., Vol. I., pp. 210, 411. Kodinos Kouropalates, p. 359. Tri-
bunalium enim palatium erat augustissimum. G. Kedrenos, Vol. II.,
p. 823.
*Vol. I., pp. 35, 40. Describing the Hippodrome (p. 312), he mentions
a tribune on which the urn stood.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 261
the buildings are often confused. In my opinion,
a part of the Lights was called the Tribune. In
his account of the procession of the Emperor to S.
Sophia, the writer above-mentioned says that the
drapers and the silversmiths decorated the Tribune
with silken hangings and rugs (p. 572).
THE HALL OF THE CANDIDATI.
The Hall or Long Room (Mákpov) of the Candi-
dati was close to the Consistory, for there was a
direct passage from one to the other. “The three
ivory doors of the Consistory and those leading to
the Long Room of the Candidati are made safe,
© and the officials stand in the Long Room
of the Candidati, and the same patricians go to the
Bronze Gates of the Curtains.” "
At the promotion of a prefect, “the Master of
Ceremonies raises him up, and conducts him to the
winter consistory, . . . and he comes to the
Long Room of the Candidati.” Once Constantine
Porphyrogennetos mentions a room called the
Indoi. I think it must have been in this Hall.
“In the morning the Senate change their robes in
the Long Room of the Candidati, and the patri-
cians in the Indoi, as they are not allowed to enter
the Hall of the Nineteen Couches while the throne
stands there.” ‘’ Near this Hall was the secretum
of the prefects, but it is difficult to determine its
exact site." According to the Chronicom Paschale,”
* Ibid., pp. 234, 239. * Ibid., p. 265. *Ibid., pp. 234, 236.
*Ibid., p. 197, 577. * Vol. I., p. 501.
262 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
the Candidati were chosen from the Scholars. These
were of the sixth school. In the account of the
Hall of the Schools I mentioned the first and fifth
Schools. Probably there were places for each of
the Schools. At the reception of Olga of Russia
“she went out through the Anadendrarion, the
Hall of the Candidati, and the Hall where the
Kamelaukion stands, and the magistri are created.”
This Hall lay to the south side of the Manaura.
“And the factions stand in the Hall of the Candi-
dati, on either side near the steps of the Manaura."
TELE CUFTAINS.
This building was north of the Halls of the
Schools, the Lights, and the Candidati. The his-
torians do not state whether the place was open or
roofed in. On the feast of the Annunciation, after
the ceremony in S. Sophia, the Emperor passed
through the Schools and the Curtains.” A bronze
gate stood between the Curtains and the Hall of
the Schools. “Accompanied by them as far as the
bronze gate of the Curtains.” The Emperor was
“accompanied by all the dignitaries of the Prae-
torium as far as the bronze gate of the Curtains.”
He went from the Curtains to the Bronze Gate
[leading into the Forum] through the Hall of the
Schools. Gates led from the Curtains to the
Schools, the Lights, and the Hall of the Candidati.
I Cons. P., Vol. I., pp. 595, 197, 213. This Hall had a bronze door
opening to the Manaura, ibid., p. 578.
*Ibid., p. 168. *Ibid., pp. 239, 252, 265.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 263
CHAPTER IX.
THE CHURCH OF THE HOLY APOSTLES.
THIS church was near the Schools, on their south
side, and consequently between them and the
Bronze Gate. “The fourth reception takes place
at the entrance of the Holy Apostles, that is at the
Schools.”—“The fourth reception is at the Holy
Apostles, or the Schools.”—“The Green faction
stands at the Holy Apostles, at the Schools.”
From these passages it is evident that this church
was either within or very close to the Schools. It
is seldom mentioned, but, according to George
Kodinos,” it was founded by the Emperor Constan-
time.
TEIE BRONZE GATE.
After the study of the many galleries and halls of
the Palace I come now to a building which is men-
tioned more frequently than any other, not by Con-
stantine Porphyrogennetos alone, but by all the
Byzantine historians. It was called the Bronze
Gate (; XaAkm), on account of its roof of gilded
bronze.” By this building the Emperor and his
* Cons. P., Vol. I., pp. 13, 19, 40, 252. 2 P. lS.
* The Patriarch Constantius is wrong in calling the Senate-house
Chalké, 'EXdooroves Xuyypaqal, év KT6Nst, 1866, p. 380—kal Nottröv évé"T-
264. The Great Palace of Constantinople.
courtiers went in and out of the Palace, to which
it was the principal entrance, like the Gyrolimne at
Blachernai. It was the great Imperial Gate of the
Palace, and no one but the Emperor might enter it
on horseback.
The Bronze Gate, or rather gatehouse, was
built by Justinian after the Nika Riot, and was
beautified by many of the succeeding Emperors.
Prokopios' gives us the best description of the
erection of the building by Justinian. “The out-
work, which they call Chalké, is of this sort ; four
upright walls, very lofty, stand in the form of a
square. In all respects they are similar to one
another, except that those facing the north and
south are somewhat shorter than the others.”
Eight arches supported the domes, four the lofty
dome in the middle ; and two others north and
south of it were each supported by a pair of arches.
“All the ceiling is decorated with pictures, not
such as are formed with wax melted and laid on to
harden, but made of small stones fitted together,
gay with various colours, which represent men and
other objects. . . On one side is represented
war and battle, and many cities are being taken—
some in Italy, Some in Libya—and the Emperor
pma'av Thu etoročov rod traXartov Tiju XaXkóorreyov, kal ékaú0m pietà Toi) trop-
Thkov Tóv axo)\aptav. Chron. Pasch., Vol. I. p. 621 ; Theophanes, Vol. I.,
p. 283 ; G. Kedrenos, Vol. I., p. 647; 6 6& Tepl airów Töv ktova XaXkòs
ätras képapos fiv 6táxpvaos, thv eta'o60V Tot Taxatiov Kaova Taurivov toº peºyáXov
Baat)\éa’s étruka)\&Traju, ärts kal pºéxpt toº vöv XaXkſ, trpoo`ayopeterat. Ibid.,
pp. 656-7; Aedificium iderat aeneis tegulis tectum, per quod in magnum
palatium aditus patebat. Cons. P., Vol. II., p. 91,
* Vol. III., p. 203,
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 265
Justinian is conquering by his general Belisarius.
In the middle stand the Emperor and the
Empress Theodora as if rejoicing and celebrating a
victory, and ruling over the Vandals and Goths.
They are attended by prisoners of war and captives,
and the Roman Senate surrounds them, all in
festal array. . . As far as the mosaics above,
all the interior is covered with magnificent marbles,
not the walls only, but also all the floor.” Accord-
ing to Kedrenos' this splendid house of the Bronze
Gate was built by the architect Aitherios, and
Anastasios the Counsellor.
The magnificence and splendour of the famous
Bronze Gate are evident from these words of Pro-
kopios. But what is of more importance to us is
its site, and the doors leading from the Augustaion
to the Palace. Little is said by later writers of the
exterior of the building so extolled by Prokopios.
Within or close to it, John Tzimiskes built en-
tirely anew the chapel of Christ the Saviour, in
which he was buried. Leo the Deacon writes thus
of it”: “Going out from the Palace he proceeds
to the chapel dedicated to Christ the Saviour at
the Bronze Gate, to propitiate the Deity; having
viewed this narrow chapel, which can scarcely con-
tain fifteen persons, and has a crooked and difficult
approach . . . he is urged by her to build this
one, larger and more comely, from the foundation.”
“And passing through the chapel of the Saviour
* Vol. I., p. 563. * Pp. 128, 167.
266 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
Christ in the Bronze Gate, he continues on his
way.” "
Constantine Porphyrogennetos, describing the
procession of the Emperor and the court to S.
Sophia, says that the fourth reception took place
outside the Bar of the Bronze Gate. “Thereafter
the fifth reception takes place before the great door
leading into the Augustaion.” From this we
learn that outside of the Bronze Gate there
was a door leading from the Palace into the
Augustaion. From the Augustaion they entered
the Imperial buildings by the same gate “at the
Bar leading into the Bronze Gate.”
What was called the Bar or Bars (kāyke)\ov,
káyke Aa) was in the Palace wall, and had an
extensive court behind it. Here there were two
doors, the great gate and a smaller one, leading
from the Augustaion into the Gatehouse. The
fourth reception took place at the smaller gate.
“The Emperor passes through the Excubita and
the Schools, and goes out to the great door, and,
proceeding through the Milion and the Augustaion,
enters the Horologion door of the Great Church.”
When the Emperor came out from S. Sophia he
“entered the great door of the Bronze Gate.”
Describing the return of the Emperor to the
Palace on the feast of the Holy Cross, Constantine
1 N. Choniates, p. 353—kal Töv ću Tú XaAkm kata)\agóvros vaðv toº
2007?pos. G. Kedrenos, Vol. II., pp. 240, 556.
* Cons. P., Vol. I., pp. 14, 32, 57, 63. In many other places he calls
this the Great Gate.
* Ibid., p. 63; cf. p. 163. * Ibid., pp. 69, 146.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 267
Porphyrogennetos writes: “The Emperor with the
procession enters the little door of the Bronze
Gate;” and in another place, “through the little
door of the Bronze Gate he goes to the Holy
Well.” I
There were thus two doors, both of iron, in the
exit of the Bronze Gate. They are mentioned
very frequently in the accounts of the processions
to S. Sophia. “Thence amid acclamations he came
to the Bronze Gate, and, having entered through
the iron door of the same Bronze Gate, he pro-
ceeded to the Excubita.” At the coronation of
Leo the Armenian, as he went from S. Sophia to
the Palace, “he arrived before the doors of the
Bronze Gate.” From these passages I conclude
that the Bronze Gate should be placed between the
Patriarcheion and the Senate House, where I have
marked it on the map. Then the Emperor, when
he came out from the Bar of the Bronze Gate,
would have to turn to the right, and proceed as
Constantime describes.
At the Imperial door of the Bronze Gate, Zeno
erected a statue of himself and his first wife
Ariadne. On the left side of the gate there were
four columns from the temple of Artemis in
1 Ibid., pp. 127, 155, 183—kai 3) elowby kal Tpô Tóv XaAkmåårov čTigrás
Trv\óv. Genesios, p. 6.
* Theophanes Con., pp. 383, 719 ; Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 19—oºrtves
&\9óvres év Tm XaXkm &pg retáptm Tās vuktös, Kai Toys pºakas &#atratiff-
oravres, – €keiðey obv et q\mpotſpuévos Katé\age töv \eyop,évmu XaXKāv, Kai Öu’
aúrijs eloe),6&v, épôagev dxpt Töv čkov6trov, G. Kedrenos, Vol. II., pp.
29, 280; Leo Gram., p. 289.
268 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
Ephesus." Probably these columns stood in the
Bar.
From the Hall of the Schools a door led into the
great dome of the Bronze Gate.” “Thus the third
reception takes place within the Bronze Gate, that
is, at the door of the Schools leading to the dome
of the Bronze Gate.”—“He passes through the
Schools, and goes out by the great door of the
Bronze Gate.” According to the same writer,
there was a vaulted forecourt behind the two iron
doors opening to the Augustaion, where the recep-
tions took place on great festivals. “The notary
of the Green faction stands outside the iron door
of the same passage in which the vault is.” Else-
where he calls this vault “the Bar” and “the
passage " (a Tevåklov).
When the Emperor passed through the galleries
of the Schools, the Excubita, and the Bronze Gate,
and the Bar outside, he “turns to the right with
the procession and goes to the Holy Well.” If
the door of the Bronze Gate was north of the
church of Our Lady in the Coppermarket, which
lay east of the still extant eastern door of S.
Sophia, then the Emperor would have to turn to
the right, as he went to the Holy Well by the
usual way—“ and as he was approaching the
Imperial buildings, and indeed was in front of the
divine likeness of the Word of God who was made
flesh for us, at the place called the Bronze Gate.”
* G. Kodinos, pp. 33, 34. Tàs 'Aprépubos 0eås, ék Tod vaoû roſ, "Eqeatov
#kaat, p. 176. * Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 13.
* Ibid., p. 27. * Ibid., Vol. I., p. 608,
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 269
The monk Lazarus, who lived in the time of Theo-
philos son of Michael, placed this picture there—
“The picture of the God-man in the Bronze Gate this
man set up with his own hands.” “The Bronze
Gate, the most magnificent and wonderful house,
which was falling into decay through time and the
negligence of those in power, Basil, the Macedonian,
restored and made the common court of justice.”
The Emperor Constantine built the palace of the
Bronze Gate and the Hall of the Nineteen
Couches.” According to Leo the Deacon, Nike-
phoros Phokas built, or rather repaired, them."
Romanus repaired this gate.” “The Emperor
Romanus . . . burnt the bills (600Xoyias) at the
porphyry omphalion of the Bronze Gate, amid the
acclamation of all.” This omphalion was probably
under the great dome mentioned by Prokopios.
In the days of Niketas Choniates the Bronze
Gate was converted into a gaol. “He also trans-
ferred thither the bronze gates, which formerly
closed the entrance to the Great Palace. They
were broad and exceeding high, and to our day
enclose the prison which is called from them the
Bronze Gate.”"
* Theophanes Con., pp. 18, 103; G. Kedrenos, Vol. I., p. 704. Balsa-
mon says, “to the holy shrine of this church [every one] entered un-
hindered.” Byzantios, KtroXts., Vol. I... p. 194.
* Theophanes Con., p. 259; G. Kedrenos, Vol. II., p. 204.
* G. Kodinos, p. 18. * Ibid., p. 128. * Ibid., p. 127.
° Theophanes Con., p. 429 ; G. Kedrenos, Vol. II., p. 318. Omphalia
were the ornaments of many splendid buildings. They are mentioned in
connection with the Bronze Gate, the Hall of Justinian, etc.
° P. 582. Thy to) traNattou XaXkóate yov, #Tis fiv h vöv KaNovuévy, XaXkſ,
kai eis eipktiv xpmuarišovoa. Zonaras; G. Kodinos, p. 226; G. Kedrenos,
270 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
TEIE CEIYTOS.
This was the name of a passage between the
Hall of the Schools and the Bronze Gate. “And
he goes out by the little door of the Bronze Gate,
the Chytos, and proceeds to the Holy Well.”
“And he enters by the Chytos of the Bronze Gate
to the Holy Well.” “Entering by the Chytos of
the lesser door of the Bronze Gate.”
From all the above passages it is evident that
the Bronze Gate lay beside the Palace wall, and
that by it people went in and out of the Palace
on the great festivals. In front of it were iron
bars, with two doors, a great and a little, and
two others behind them, also of iron. I think
that these doors of the Bronze Gate which led into
the Augustaion, were between the Senate House,
on the south, and the Patriarcheion on the north.”
In my opinion the iron rails were in the Palace
wall, because in front of them were the Passages of
Achilles, open and accessible to all the people.
Behind them, and extending to the two inner
doors, was a chamber or covered forecourt, where
the officers and courtiers waited for the Em-
peror on great festivals. I say it was roofed
in, because at the reception of the Persian ambas-
Vol. II., p. 613. We have already seen that Basil the Macedonian turned
it into a court-house.
1 Cons. P., Vol. I., pp. 159, 181, 231, 240; Vol. II., p. 123.
* No one but the Emperor entered the Palace on horseback. Šv 6é rég
Traptéval pºeff' (Tirov "Apagos éptaúxevos Tá ávákropa, kal pºetv elatéval 6t&
Tàs trººms pe6??)u ?, Čk ràs éöpas àtróðagus éqetrat póvous roſs at Tokparópou.
N. Choniates, p. 69.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 271
Sadors they hung in the forecourt, which Constan-
tine Porphyrogennetos here calls the Bar, a chain
with the silver chandelier belonging to the church
of Blachernai.”
TEIE PORTA REGIA.
This gate was probably known as the Porta
Regia in earlier times, and afterwards received
another designation. The learned Reiske thinks
that the Bronze Gate anciently bore this name.”
Identical in meaning are the names of the lake
Rhegion, now called Kioutzouk tºekmetze,” and the
modern fortified land gate opposite the Greek
hospital, with the seven towers, which was
formerly called the Gate of the Rhegion.” Constan-
tine the Great “built also two rostra, and called
the place of the rostra Regia.”
With regard to the site of the Porta Regia, we
learn nothing clearer from Constantine Porphyro-
gennetos. At the creation of an Augustalis or
proconsul, “When he has gone out with the pre-
fects as far as the Porta Regia, . . . he takes
his seat in his chariot with the prefect of the
Praetorian guard, and proceeds to the Praetorium,”
* Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 570.
* Ibid., Vol. II., p. 367. Reiske, through his ignorance of the ground,
has fallen into some mistakes, which he himself frequently acknowledges.
* Képa)\os Tpatriðapºos ačyáros ék too pºlyuv. Koraës, "Atakta, Vol. I.,
p. 21, l, 169.
* Bušavruval Mexétat, pp. 77, 78.
* Theophanes Con., p. 528. The first descriptions of Byzantion are for
the most part Vague.
272 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
a building in front of the church of S. Anastasia."
At the promotion of the Kouropalates, the patricians
accompanied him to the church of our Lord, and
thence to the Regia.” The Kouropalates was
attended by the courtiers as far as the Regia,
and others through the Schools, and to the
Bronze Gate. Leo at his coronation came “to the
Palace, and all the senators met him inside the
Porta Regia.” The Persian ambassador entered
the Palace by the Porta Regia, and rested
in the School of the Magister near the Regia."
From all these passages it is evident that the
Regia was a gate leading out of the Palace. Per-
haps it was the gate elsewhere called the Gate of
Meletios.
TEIE GATE OF MIELETIOS OR MELETE.
“The fifth reception is at the place called
Achilles near the great gate of Meletios,”—“They
hold a reception then opposite the Achilles, at the
Gate of Melete.”" This gate, which Constantine
Porphyrogennetos calls the great gate, and men-
tions along with the Baths of Achilles beside S.
Sophia and the Bronze Gate," seems to me to
* Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 388. * Ibid., p. 230.
* Ibid., p. 415. * Ibid., p. 404.
* Ibid., pp. 37, 56.
° Ibid., Vol. II., p. 143. 'Axi\\eys erat nomen thermarum, haud procul
Chalcen et St. Sophiam. Sic dictae illae the mae a celebri statua Achillis
ibi conspicua. In the consulship of Theodosios Augustus [the younger]
and Maximus, ékámarau rô 8pta kal Tô 6muôotov ć 'Ax)\\eys. Chrom. Pasch,
Vol. I., p. 582. Byzantios, Kroxºs., Vol. I., p. 526.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 273
have been east of S. Sophia, and north of the
Church of our Lady in the Coppermarket. The
peristyle which surrounded the Augustaion pro-
bably took its name of the Gallery of Achilles,
from this Bath. Unfortunately, it is hard to deter-
mine from the above indications, the site of the
Achilles and the Gate of Meletios, though so fre-
quently mentioned by Constantine. As I said
before, it is probable that the name was sometimes
given to the Porta Regia. I have placed it north
of the church of Our Lady in the Coppermarket."
These considerations lead me to place the Baths
of Achilles here also, and between the two this
Gate of Meletios.
TEIE GATE MONOTEIYROS.
In the description of the Numera, I mentioned
the Gate Monothyros, which may still be seen in
the Palace wall. I suppose it is to this door one
of the writers of the Continuation of Theophanes”
alludes, when he says, “underneath which at the
very entrance of the gate called Monothyros, is the
most beautiful chapel of S. John the Divine [the
Diippion], which the Emperor Basil himself built.”
Two other gates of this name in the Palace are
mentioned, one leading from the Chrysotriklinos to
* In Theophanes Con., p. 449, we ad : Ötta 6ev Yāp kai TXmatov Tàs
trav0avpdatov čkk\matas Tīs preyāXms atá8)\v. v Tów it traptov Tod Tatpl-
dpxov kal Tourov lööv Ó dyabós, [Constantime VII, Porphyrogennetos]
où 6tkatov Kplvas oik")Tiptov peretrovijo ato kai yo)pokopetov tooto Kateo Ketſao'ev,
It lay to the north of the Porta Regia.
3 P. 336,
2O
274 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
the Terrace of the Pharos, the other to the vaulted
ascent between the Lausiakon and the Triconchon.
There is no mention of buildings beside the
Palace wall north from the Numera to the Bronze
Gate. At the great entrance of the Bronze Gate
there were, no doubt, quarters for the guards and
janitors. In all likelihood the Numera were origin-
ally barracks for the soldiers of the Palace. These
however kept guard mainly in the galleries. From
the description which we have already given, it is
clear that the Emperors built their palaces at a dis-
tance from the walls of the Augustaion, that they
might be more easily defended against the citizens
in a riot.
From the Bronze Gate to the south end of
the Numera, there was a space unoccupied by
buildings. This space, which extended from north
to south parallel with the Numera, and communi-
cated by doors with the Hall of Justinian, was the
hippodrome, or rather hippodromes, of the Palace,
which some occasionally confuse with the Great
Hippodrome.
THE HIPPODROME OF THE PALACE, OR THE OPEN
EIIPPODROME.
The Emperor Theophilos, “rising from his
throne, mounted his horse, and went through the
Gallery of Achilles, and by the side of the Baths
of Zeuxippos, and came into the open hippodrome.
Going in under the Stand, he went through the
Daphne, into the covered hippodrome below. Then
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 275
he dismounted, and went into the Skyla in the
Palace.”" From this it is clear that beside the open
hippodrome, on the east side of it, there was another
which was covered over. In this latter the Emperor
and the courtiers took exercise in stormy and rainy
weather. The historians, however, record extremely
little about either. The uncovered hippodrome was
for the use of the Emperor and his children. “The
hippodrome in the Palace was so called, because it
was the custom of the Emperors when they took
exercise in private, to ride on horseback there.” “In
the morning the janitors open the Hall of Justinian,
and the Skyla, and the door leading into the Hippo-
drome.” ‘’ This shews that there must have been
an entrance to the hippodrome from the Hall of
Justinian. From the account of the creation of a
patrician, I infer that there was a chapel in the
stand of this hippodrome. The dedication of it is
unknown. “ They go out in procession to the
church of the hippodrome, and there light candles,
and return to the consistory.” “ The same
writer mentions a church of Our Lady in the first
bay of the Mangana of the Great Hippodrome.
On the feast of the Adoration of the Cross, after
service in the church of the Pharos, the courtiers
went out, and sat in the hippodrome.” The follow-
ing passages: “He passes through the hippodrome
and the thermastra, and arrives at the consistory—
“The praepositi and the officers of the Bedchamber
* Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 507. * G. Kodinos, p. 101.
* Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 518.
* Ibid., p. 239. * Ibid., p. 161.
276 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
enter from the Caballarius, or from the church of
Our Lord, or from the hippodrome, or the Tzykanis-
terion, or the Daphne *-* It should be known
that the hippodrome was decorated by the prefect
with purple hangings; ”’ together with those
already quoted, all prove that there was a hippo-
drome inside the Palace, and that it had a stand
for the Emperor. Naturally too, there would be
raised seats from which spectators could get an un-
interrupted view of the competitors. I have placed
the stand at the end of the hippodrome, alongside
the gallery of S. Stephen in the Daphne.
Theophanes says in his account of the Nika Riot,
“When the Emperor heard of the effrontery of
the populace and Hypatios, he entered the Palace,
and ascended what is called the Pulpita, behind the
stand of the hippodrome.” In this horrible dis-
turbance Justinian could not possibly have been in
the stand of the Great Hippodrome.
THE PROMENADE OF THE PALACE, OR THE COVERED
EIIPPODF.OME.
“Because in the higher ground near the Bronze
Gate, opposite the promenade of the Palace, a
monument to the famous Pulcheria was erected,
and in the same place the statue of Ariadne and
Zeno stands.” This promenade was on the east
side of the upper hippodrome. Constantine Por-
phyrogennetos calls the hippodrome of the Palace
* Ibid., pp. 250, 557, 573. * Vol. I., p. 284.
* G. Kodinos, p. 34.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 277
the open (&akétaatos), and the promenade the
covered (akeTaa Tós) hippodrome. The northernmost,
the open Palace hippodrome, is frequently men-
tioned. It, as well as the covered one below, served
as the promenade of the Emperor and his court.
The lower was smaller than the upper. To this
day the site of the Palace hippodromes remains
more level than the rest of the ground.
Both of these hippodromes, which lay on the east
side of the Numera beside the Hall of Justinian,
communicated with the galleries in the Palace of
the Daphne. The entrance from the Augustaion
was by the Gate of the Skyla, and the Monothyros
beside the Numera.
I think their length must have been about three
hundred paces. They were divided from the
Numera by the wall in front, which is still pre-
served, and on which, as I said, traces of arches are
yet to be seen.
From the Imperial stand in the north end of the
open hippodrome, one entered the gallery of the
Daphne and of the Forty Saints. East of the
covered hippodrome there were built three small
chapels, probably connected with one another, which
the Emperor entered on great festivals. They were
divided from the covered hippodrome by a wall.
In the later writers, these hippodromes are fre-
quently confounded with the Great Hippodrome.
Owing to this their statements are often hard to
understand. It is unfortunate that Constantine
Porphyrogennetos has given us no account of any
of the equestrian or other games celebrated in
278 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
them. Such an account would have been of great
value.
TEIE EIALL OF JUSTINIAN.
This hall, frequently called simply the Justinian,
is very often mentioned in the descriptions of the
state ceremonies given by Constantine Porphyro-
gennetos. It is the place a portion of which is now
called Arista Sokaghi. The rising ground above it
which led to the Augustaion was anciently called
the Skyla. Porphyrogennetos calls it a “most
seemly and noble hall.” ” So too, Pachymeres, de-
scribing its fall in the reign of Andronikos Palaio-
logos, says that it was “magnificent as to the
walls, magnificent as to the ceiling, and of exceeding
beauty.””
On Easter Tuesday, “the magistrates go into the
Hall of Justinian before following the Emperor to
* [The word which we have throughout translated “hall ” is Tp(k\lvos
in the original. The author has the following note.] The word belongs to
the inhabitants of the East. Anciently every apartment, except the vesti-
bule, had couches along three sides which were used for sitting on in the
day, and for sleeping on at night. Thus any room came to be called
TpíkAtvos or Tpuk\ivtov [triclinium]. In Byzantine history, especially in
descriptions of the Palace, the name was applied not only to the great
apartments where the guards and soldiers were quartered, but to the
many galleries and passages which connected the different groups of the
Palace buildings. Sleeping rooms were specially termed kottòves. Rooms
were called TrevTák\ºvot, €Trák\ivot, Čuvéâk\ivot, etc., according to the num-
ber of couches they contained. See Banduri, Imp. Orient, , Vol. II.,
p. 601 ; Triclinium, ou lit triangulaire des Anciens, que les sophas
couverts d’une toile blanche représentent exactement. Voyage littéraire
de la Grèce, par M. Guys; Paris, 1776; Vol. I., p. 431.
* Vol. I., pp. 293, 592, 775.
* Vol. II., p. 145.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 279
the Church of SS. Sergius and Bacchus.” On
their return, they again passed through the same
hall. At the same festival the Emperor went out
from the Chrysotriklinos, passed through the Tripe-
ton into the Lausiakon, and thence to the upper
end of the Hall of Justinian, “to the first ompha-
lion.” From other words of Constantine Porphy-
rogennetos it appears that there was more than
one omphalion in this hall. “When he (the drun-
garios) comes into the great Ilall of Justinian, he
makes obeisance at each one of the great omphalia
to the master of ceremonies and to the silentiaries.”
From this hall the Emperor went westward up to
the Skyla. Thence he proceeded to the Great Hippo-
drome, where the courtiers and the populace were
waiting to welcome him. “ The Saracen ambass-
adors “sat in the Hall of Justinian at the East
end next the Mesokepion.”
At the reception of Olga of Russia, a platform
was erected in the Hall of Justinian, and on it the
great throne of Theophilos was set.”
On the 25th of March a banquet was given, and
all the courtiers and officers in Imperial posts
feasted with the Emperor in the very magnificent
Hall of Justinian." In this hall the foreigners and
distinguished courtiers supped with the Emperor,
who sat at a separate table at the upper or Western
end of the hall. Because this and other great
* Cons. P., Vol. I., pp. 86, 90, 91.
* Vol. I., p. 524, * Ibid., p. 86. * Ibid, p. 585.
* Ibid., p. 595. The throne was always elevated on a base, which was
often called TočNTutov. * Ibid., p. 762.
280 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
banquets were held here, Constantine Porphyro-
gennetos, and Anna Komnené after him, call this
hall the Aristeterion par eaccellence. This name
remained current among succeeding generations of
Greeks, from whom the Turks borrowed the word,
and so we were able to identify this part of the
site of the ancient Palace."
This hall faced the East, and was connected with
the Lausiakon, which extended to the Chrysotri-
klinos. It was the most spacious and splendid of
all the halls and galleries of the Palace.”
On Palm Sunday the ceremonies took place in
the Chrysotriklinos. Those invited went from the
church of Our Lady in the Pharos to the church of
the Holy Trinity in the Daphne, and thence to the
Hall of Justinian, where the Emperor sat at his
separate table. On Maundy Thursday the ban-
quet * was held in the same hall, and all the
* Regarding the Imperial table in this hall and elsewhere, see Kodinos
Kouropalates, pp. 57, 62, 63, 298. Byzantios says of this Aristeterion,
(Kroxºs., Vol. I., p. 204) perú 6é Tajra firov Tó Apua Tºrſipuov, Tô (i)\\ws
ka)\oºpewov AeXquköv kal AeXgbukſ, 87ſov hpia rav orvuſ)000s oi at Tokpátopes,
ã)\\o trapó, Tô Eaſtwaróptov Tów w8’’Akkov6trav. C. Porphyrogennetos in his
account of the ceremonies in the Chrysotriklinos indicates that the kitchen
of the Aristeterion lay beside the Tripeton. There is no mention of a
kitchen in this hall, where so many courtiers and ambassadors feasted.
* Basil the Macedonian, having returned from “Tephrike and Ger-
many,” made “a very great banquet in the hall Justinian.” Cons. P.,
Vol. I., p. 502. In the Anthology, Vol. II., p. 265, there is the following
epigram which mentions this hall—
ğaçöpóu 'Iova ruvuavôs (Évaš Čpe Xópov ćyelpet
"HeXtºp trapéxwu 0ápagos &vepxopévg.
OùTrote yāp rotoorov ćirl x00wós éðpake KäAAos
Työffew otpavtºmu oipov direpzópevos.
* KXmtéptov, ovutróatov, convivium. Cons. P., Vol. II., p. 891. KAmrw-
petſev ad convivium vocare. Notat quoque KAmtéptov triclinium vel Salam,
in qua convivia celebrantur, Ibid., p. 824, .
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 281
generals and courtiers were invited to feast with
the Emperor, who sat as usual at a separate table."
On the evening of the Great and Holy Sabbath
(Easter Eve) after the procession to S. Sophia, a
banquet was held in the Hall of Justinian. On the
morrow of New or Low Sunday the ceremonies
were repeated in this hall. On Whitsunday the
banquet was held in the “splendid hall of
Justinian.”—“An Imperial banquet having been
prepared, the Emperor sits down at a separate
table in the Hall of Justinian.” On the 20th of
July (S. Elias' day), after service in the chapel of
the prophet Elias in the New Church, many guests
were invited to this hall. On the 6th of April (S.
Eutychius, Patriarch of Constantinople), after the
Divine Liturgy in S. Sophia, the Emperor returned
to the Palace, and was present at a banquet in this
Hall with many of his friends and courtiers.”
Mention is once made of the Tympaneon in this
famous hall. “They, too, make obeisance below
in the Tympaneon of the Hall of Justinian, and sit
down on the benches.” Perhaps it was a place
where the musicians at the dramatic festivals had
their station. From the use of the word kóTo, I
should infer that it was at the east end of the hall,
near the Burnished Door of the Lausiakon.” Owing
1 Ibid., Vol. I., pp. 763, 764, 765, 777.
* Ibid., Vol. I., pp. 765, 775, 777, 780, 782.
* Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 780.
* Ibid., Vol. I., p. 524. Reiske translates, in tympaneo (id est in
statione tympanorum) in triclinio Justiniani. A similar word is Tupatóvtov,
a sort of head dress. Kodinos Kouropalates, p. 362.
* Kat Katépxovtat . . . els Tiju Yavathu TúNºv thv eio &yova'avels Tô
Xavouaköv, kał Św' airfis Tàs trºms eloſépxovtat eis to \avoraków. Cons. P.,
282 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
to the steep slope of the ground here, the word
Káto in Constantine signifies East, and Čvo West.
On the 8th of September, at the feast of the
Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, after the
Liturgy in the church of Our Lady in the Copper-
market, the Emperor and all the Senate went to
the Hall of Justinian. All banquetted with him in
this hall. A few days later, on the 14th–the day
of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross—the courtiers
and generals were invited to a banquet with the
Emperor in this hall. Here the dramatic festivals
took place."
Pachymeres, when referring to Andronikos Palaio-
logos, says of this hall : “At the Hall of Justinian,
which was built by the younger Justinian, remark-
able for its size, and wonderfully spacious to the view
of those entering by the doors for the first time,
reaching up to a great height, splendid as to the
walls, splendid as to the ceiling, and of exceeding
beauty. .” No one has lauded it so much
as he. I consider that a great part, if not all, of
this hall, was roofed over. “The Hall of Justinian
and the Lausiakon were not decorated, except that,
as usual, holophota were hung up, with no lack of
the usual chandeliers.”
This hall was built by Justinian II., Rhinot-
metos," and adorned by Theophilos with various
Vol. I., p. 518. This door is sometimes called the door of the Kouro-
palates. * Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 592.
* Vol. II. p. 145. * Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 580.
* Labarte writes (p. 218) : Justinien Rhinomète, à la fin du septième
siècle, dota le palais impérial d’une vaste galerie qui prit son nom ; on
peut la comparer, pour l'étendue et la disposition, a la grande galerie du
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 283
mosaics." It was sometimes called the Hall of
Justinian Rhinotnetos in consequence of the deco-
rations placed there by that Emperor. “And a
nuptial couch was designed, and placed in the hall
of Justinian Rhinotmetos.” The passage refers to
Romanus, son of Constantine VII., and Anastasia,
daughter of Kamateras. In Chapter VI. I de-
scribed some remains of this hall, which are
preserved in a Turkish garden.
THE SECYLA.
The Hall of Justinian formed the southern
extremity of the palaces of the Daphne and the
Triconchon. Its eastern end was, as I said, con-
nected by the Burnished Door with the Lausiakon,
which extended as far as the Tripeton and the
Chrysotriklinos. “When the Papias opens the
door, the Senate enters through the Skyla” and
the Hall of Justinian and the Lausiakon to the
Musée du Louvre. 'Iova Tuvavös Šč eis Tà Toº Taxatiov KTiogata éireplexeſTo.
kal éatmoſe to 'Iovativuavoj Tpuk\ivtov \eyóuevov, Kai Tà toi, Taxatiow Tept-
Teixtapata. Theophanes, Vol. I., p. 561.
* Theophanes Con., p. 147. It is probably for this that Constantine
calls this the New Hall (I., 97), śv Tó vép Tpuk\tvº Tó KaNovgév4, Iowa-
Tuvuavoſ). Manasses calls the builder the young Justinus.
Aetypa \aptpóT)tos at Tod Kai Weya)\otſperetas
‘O Xpºoreós Te Kai TepTvös év divakTópous oikos,
"Os étu tod óopºſitopos Tiju k\ffaly Teptodºet.
—v. 3301.
* Theophanes Con., p. 458. Kantakouzenos mentions the house of
Justinian in the place now called Tekfºr Serai on the land walls. Vol. II.,
p. 537. This has led Byzantios into error. See KiroNºs., Vol. I., p. 201.
* >köNa Tó dtrö Töv troXeptav dumpmaéva Tà ék Töv vexpów, \{q}upa 6é Šk
Töv ščurov. Souidas ; Cons, P., Vol. II., p. 726, Probably such spoils
were anciently stored here.
284 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
Chrysotriklinos." As to the northern end, Con-
stantine Porphyrogennetos is quite explicit. In his
description of the ceremonies at the feast of S.
Demetrios in the Pharos, he writes: “It should be
understood that the magistri and proconsuls stand
in the Skyla, that is, at the end of the Justinian.”
Genesios writes: “And about a certain part of the
Palace, the name of which is Skyla, Michael defiled
the edge of Leo's raiment by treading on it.”
“When they came to the Skyla he defiled the
raiment of Leo.” This happened after the corona-
tion of Leo the Armenian. Describing the murder
of Theoktistos, the favourite of Theodora, Genesios
also writes: “He is dragged along the ground by
ten hypaspistai outside to the Skyla.” I think it
was here the spoils taken in battle were anciently
stored and not, as Byzantios thinks,” in the Skylo-
mangana, which were the kennels of the hounds
(akółot) used in the chase.
The Skyla stood near the hippodrome of the
Palace. “The patrician elect goes out through the
Skyla to the hippodrome.” On the Emperor's
birthday a banquet was held in the Hall of Justinian
at two tables. From the account of the banquet,
I infer that the tables were set near the Skyla,
for the attendants who were present guarded the
* Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 114.
* Ibid., pp. 123, 249, 277, 523. These passages leave no doubt about
the site of the Skyla.
* Genesios, p. 7 ; Theophanes Con., p. 604.
* Genesios, p. 88. * KToxts., Vol. I., p. 213,
* Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 249.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 285
robes of the guests in the Skyla. The guests
“handed them to the attendants at the Skyla.”
THE APSE OF TELE SECYLA.
Mention is also made of the Apse of the Skyla,
which must have been situated on its south side,
because the north was blocked up by the Numera.
“They seek the prefect in the Apse of the Skyla”
—“He seeks the quaestor in the Apse of the
Skyla.” On the eve, and on the day of the
festival of S. Elias, the courtiers came to the
Palace, and made their way through the Skyla to
the Hall of Justinian, and the Lausiakon, to the
Chrysotriklinos.” This is clear proof that there
was a door through the Skyla, leading to the
Augustaion.
At the reception of the Saracen Ambassadors,
Constantine Porphyrogennetos says, “ and they
entered, and sat down in the western end of the
Hall of Justinian on the benches there ; ” that is
near the so called Skyla, “ the upper end of the
Hall of Justinian.” Describing the installation of
the president of the Senate, he says that after
the ceremony in the stand of the Hippodrome, the
president is escorted through the Skyla, and is met
in the entrance of the Hall of Justinian by the
silentiaries. . . . then he enters into the
Lausiakon.” The passage shews that the site of
the Skyla was at the upper end of the Hall of
Justinian.
* Ibid., p. 277. * Ibid., pp. 273, 274. * Ibid., p. 114.
“Ibid., p. 584. * Ibid., p. 442.
286 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
At the reception of Olga of Russia, the Empress
sat at the Skyla . . . and her daughter-in-
law on the sellium." From this I should suppose
that the Skyla was a large and beautifully orna-
mented chamber.
At the promotion of the president of the Senate,
after some ceremonies in the Stand of the Great
Hippodrome, “he enters by the Skyla, and is met
in the entrance to the Hall of Justinian by the
silentiaries . . . then he enters the Lausiakon
and proceeds to the Emperor.” That
there was an entrance to the Imperial apartments
is evident also from the following words used of
the attendants on Leo the Armenian, “when they
arrived at the Skyla, for so a place at the Imperial
entrances is called. .” “ The murderers of
Leo the Armenian dragged his body through the
Skyla out to the Great Hippodrome.*
The courtiers waited in the Skyla for the
Emperor when he returned from the Church of
SS. Sergius and Bacchus, and accompanied him
through the Hall of Justinian to the Chryso-
triklinos. The Skyla was a large place, as appears
from the fact that the patricians, who were a
numerous body, waited in the Skyla to greet the
Emperor on his return from the same church on
Easter Tuesday.”
* Ibid., p. 595. * Ibid., p. 442. * Theophanes Com., p. 19.
* Theophanes Con., p. 40. They murdered Leo in the Palace “where
none of the Emperors had ever before been murdered ; ” ibid., p. 778.
G. Kedrenos, Vol. II., p. 67—rós Tpès Töv 'Iowa ruviavoº Tplk\uvov ºpepoda as
TúNas avvéTrvčev. Genesios, p. 89. * Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 89.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 287
A Terrace beside the Skyla is also mentioned.
“The Emperor proceeds escorted by them all,
when they are about to enter the door
leading from the Justinian to the terrace.” Pos-
sibly the Terrace and the Apse were one and the
Same structure.
Every day the attendants of the Palace opened
the doors of the Hall of Justinian and the Skyla,
and the door to the hippodrome of the Palace.”
THE WOODEN STAIRCASE OF THE PALACE.
I have already had to explain the passage in the
Byzantine writers relating to the wooden staircase
by which the Emperor could pass unobserved from
the Church of Our Lady in the Coppermarket to
the catechumenia of S. Sophia. In the course of
the ceremonies performed in the Palace, the ascent
of the Emperor from Our Lady's to S. Sophia is
not mentioned at all. Constantine Porphyro-
gennetos writes: “ and he goes up by the wooden
staircase and enters the catechumenia of the Great
Church;” and again, the Emperor “passes through
the Manaura and its upper gallery, and enters
the catechumenia of the Great Church by the
wooden staircase.” ‘’
* Ibid., p. 286.
* Ibid., p. 518. After the study of the whole Palace, Constantine Por-
phyrogennetos’ writings are easy to understand. Labarte (p. 181) thinks
that the Emperor addressed the populace collected in the Great Hippo-
drome from the terrace of the Skyla. I think that Constantine rather
means the Palace hippodrome beside the Hall of Justinian. People in the
Great Hippodrome could not have heard the Emperor speak 150 yards
away, more especially when the lofty tiers of seats intervened.
* Cons. P., Vol. I., pp. 125, 157.
288 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
According to my calculation, the walls of the
Palace were over a hundred feet from the walls
of S. Sophia. No staircase from the Palace
walls to S. Sophia is mentioned. I have no hesita-
tion in holding that there was a gate in the Palace
wall to the left of the Church of Our Lady, an
Imperial gate, by which the Emperor entered the
south chapel of the church, and thence went on to
S. Sophia. This gate was the gate of Meletios, or the
Porta Regia, which Constantine Porphyrogennetos
mentions," and which was beside the church of Our
Lady in the Coppermarket. Thus the ascent so
frequently referred to, from the Palace to S. Sophia,
is more intelligible.”
TEIE CABALL ARTUS.
The space known by this name lay, I think, be-
tween the Manaura and the Church of Our Lord.
“The praepositi enter with the officers of the Bed-
chamber, either from the Caballarius, or from the
Church of Our Lord, or from the hippodrome, or
the Tzykanisterion, or from the Daphne.”—“The
remains are borne out through the Caballarius, and
placed in the Nineteen Couches.” “ I suppose that
it is this which Kodinos calls the Caballas. * He
says it was built by Constantine the Great. Pro-
bably it was roofed over. How the name origin-
ated I do not know ; but it is, no doubt, of great
* Ibid., p. 56; Vol. II., p. 143.
* Labarte (p. 192) holds that the Emperor went to the catechumenia of
S. Sophia from the Manaura, by a staircase supported on arches.
* Cons. P. Vol. I., pp., 557, 275. 4 P. 19,
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 289
antiquity, like Delphax and Onopous. The Cabal-
larius is seldom mentioned.
These are the principal buildings and galleries of
the connected palaces.
A PROCESSION TO THE CEIUPCH OF S. SOPHIA.
After the description of so many civil and
ecclesiastical buildings, and of the galleries through
which the Emperor and the courtiers accompany-
ing him passed, it will be well to place ourselves
under the guidance of Constantine Porphyrogen-
netos and follow him as he describes the procession
at one of the great feasts. To do so will facilitate
our study of this veritable maze of buildings.
He begins his work, De Ceremoniis, by describ-
ing “the forms to be observed when a procession is
made to the Great Church, or the order and
arrangement of the seemly and splendid progresses
in which the Emperor goes to the Great Church.”
On the eve of one of the great feasts, the
praepositi” enter the Chrysotriklinos and remind
the Emperor of the festival of the morrow, and the
Emperor gives orders for the procession on that
day. The praepositi go out, and give the neces-
sary orders to the servants of the officers of the
Bedchamber * and the two demarchs. They con-
* Vol. I., p. 5.
* The praepositi were all eunuchs. Their introduction into the Palace
was borrowed from the Persian court.
* Kov6oºk\etov, cubiculum. C. Porphyrogennetos applies this name
sometimes to the Chrysotriklinos, sometimes to all the attendants in it.
2 I
290 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
vey similar orders to the domesticus of the
Numera, the count of the walls, and all the
military and civil officers, that all may attend to
their respective duties. They notify the prefect
of the city to see after the setting in order and
cleansing of the Imperial exit by which the
Emperor is to pass, and to adorn all the thorough-
fares leading from it with laurel, rosemary, and
sweet-smelling flowers of various colours.
Very early the following morning—the morning
of the festival—the praepositi and all the atten-
dants of the Chrysotriklinos go into the Caballarius
and wait there. When the Chrysotriklinos has
been opened by the Great Papias, they enter and
sit down at the curtain before the chamber Pan-
theon, on the left side of the Chrysotriklinos.
Next, the vestitores, or officers of the wardrobe,
enter the Chrysotriklinos, and take the rod of
Moses, which is preserved in the Chapel of S.
Theodore on the left side of the exit to the Terrace
of the Pharos.' The servants of the Bedchamber
and the dietarii take the chests * in which the
The word is sometimes used of the octagonal chamber of the Daphne,
which was between the bed-chamber of that palace and the chapel of
S. Stephen.
1 In his plans Labarte places this chapel in the chamber on the right
side of the way out to the Terrace of the Pharos. When speaking of the
position of the chambers of the Chrysotriklinos, and of all the Palace
buildings, C. Porphyrogennetos supposes he is facing the east, and con-
sequently the right hand is south, and the left north. Moreover, owing
to the eastward slope of the ground, to go east was to descend.
These facts should be kept in mind while reading C. Porphyrogennetos.
[In this connection see chapter v., p. 148.] r
* TagXtov–0%km, kigoºrtov ; French, layette, tiroir. Cons, P., Vol. II.,
p. 44.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 291
Emperor's robes and crowns are kept. The
Imperial spatharioi take armour and shields and
spears. The allaximoi take the Imperial robes and
place them in the octagonal chamber of the
Daphne, in front of the chapel of S. Stephen the
first martyr. Thence they proceed to the neigh-
bouring Onopodium, and the spatharioi with the
arms stand beside them.
After these preparations, the Emperor comes out
from his sacred bedchamber, clad in a skara-
mangion. Having first prayed in the apse of the
Chrysotriklinos, where the likeness of our Lord is
depicted, he meets the praepositi, who up to this
time have been waiting in the Pantheon. After
the prayer before the picture, he is clad in his gold-
bordered Sagum,’ and goes out through the Phylax.
This Phylax or Treasury in the left side of the
Chrysotriklinos, so often mentioned, leads out to
the gallery of the Forty Saints. From this gallery
he goes into the Sigma, where many courtiers
receive him. Escorted by them from the Sigma, he
proceeds to the “first built ’’ chapel of Our Most
Blessed Lady on the south side of the covered
hippodrome. Here he receives candles from the
praepositi, and returns thanks to God with thrice
repeated prostrations, and with burning of lights.
He does the same in the adjoining chapel of the
Holy Trinity, and at the same time venerates
the holy relics in a recess in this church.”
* A garment reaching to the knees.
* Sacred relics were often preserved in some confined part of the church,
especially inside the sanctuary. In the church of the Blachernai only the
292 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
After this he goes into the Baptistery, where the
three great and beautiful crosses stand, and at a
sign from the praepositus the officers of the Bed-
chamber light the candles. After these prayers the
Emperor returns through the Hall of the Augustai-
on, where the attendants of the Chrysotriklinos
and his personal attendants await him, and
receive him with acclamation. Hence the Em-
peror proceeds, accompanied only by the officers
of the Bedchamber and the koitonitai to the
octagonal chamber in front of the chapel of S.
Stephen where, as we saw, the Imperial robes have
already been conveyed. Here the officers of the
Bedchamber salute the Emperor with the customary
salutations. Hence he goes with all the praepositi
to the church of S. Stephen, and adores the great
cross of Constantine with thrice-repeated pro-
strations and with burning of lights. After this
ceremony he goes into the bedchamber of the
Daphne, which lies above the octagonal chamber.
Soon the referendarius' conveys to the courtiers
the Patriarch's orders about the ecclesiastical
arrangements, which the praepositi announce to the
Emperor.
From the bedchamber of the Daphne the
Emperor again goes to the octagonal chamber, and
the praepositus calls “in a loud voice " for the
vestitores to come and array the Emperor in his
Emperor viewed the pallium (omophorion) and holy raiment of Our Lady,
Bušavruval Mexérat, p. 394. -
* An officer of the Patriarch, who conveyed his orders to the Emperor
and the officers of the Palace. Cons. P., Vol. II., p. 60,
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 293
splendid robes. As soon as this is done they
retire. All the officers of the Bedchamber sur-
round the Emperor, and the praepositi crown him."
After this ceremony the Emperor, wearing his
crown, goes out from the chamber, through the
Hall of the Augusteus. Here stand the logothetes
of the dromos, of the kamikleion,” and various other
officials. Within the great gate of the Hall stand
the nipsestarioi, holding gold and jewelled basins.”
The Emperor stands at the Golden Hand, i.e., at
the porch of the Hall of the Augustaion, outside
the great door, where all the officers of the Chryso-
triklinos are awaiting him." At a sign from the
Emperor the praepositus, having bowed his head,
goes out and introduces the magistri, proconsuls,
generals, and castellans,” who stand in their proper
places, and salute the Emperor. When all are
thus standing, at a sign from the Emperor, the
* When the Emperor entered the church he took off his crown, dro-
a répétat as C. Porphyrogennetos puts it. 'Atrö Töv čketoſe, ótépxoviral év
tú vapômki Tàs toū Kvptov čkk\morias, kal ékefore daga)\{ópevot jTô Tóv
kovšukovXaptaſv Tów TrvXóv, diroo Téqovtat trapö. Töv trpattoo traju ol āeo Total,
kai eloſépxoviral év Tó vaø toū Kuptov. Vol. I., pp. 32, 107. Leo Gram-
maticus says of Michael, “When he came to the Imperial doors, he did
not put off his crown as is the custom of the Emperors, but went in with
it on, up to the holy doors,” p. 246.
* Kavlk)\etov, the ink-bottle containing the scarlet ink used by the
Emperor to sign his name. The officer who held it was called 6 to)
Kavuk}\etov, or à étri tod Kavuk)\etov. Koraës, "ATakta, Vol. I., p. 320 ; Cons.
P., Vol. II., p. 58.
* Ibid., Vol. II., p. 61.
* This door led from the upper end of the Hall of the Augustaion to
the Onopodium.
"[KAetolovpdpxat, or commanders of the frontier forts, See Cons. P.,
Vol. II., p. 72, Tr.]
294 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
praepositus says, “Sonorously and harmoniously,”
kéMeča-ate."
From the Golden Hand the Emperor proceeds to
the Onopodium, where the navarchos and all the
crew of the Imperial galley are waiting, and the
Imperial spatharioi bearing the Emperor's armour.
At a sign from the praepositus they too wish a long
and prosperous reign to the Emperor. From the
Onopodium, where up to this time the Emperor has
been standing with the courtiers and all the higher
officers, they all go to the Great Consistory, where
are the great cross of Constantine and Moses
rod, which was placed there early in the morning.
Here the protasekretes and all the Imperial notaries
and chartularies surround the Emperor. After the
customary salutations in the Consistory, the
Emperor goes to the Hall of the Candidati where
the clergy of the Patriarch are waiting. Here the
Emperor kisses the cross of Our Lord, which is
brought from the sacristy of the neighbouring
church of Our Lord. Hence he proceeds to the
octagonal dome in the first School where the
beautiful silver cross stands, and gives thanks to
God with triple prostrations, and with lighting
of candles.
From the Schools the Emperor goes to the ad-
joining Hall of the Nineteen Couches. Here those
* [The author translates this here by troXuxpovía ate. Reiske, in Cons. P.,
Vol. II., p. 603, has a long note on the word. He translates it : placeat
vobis, velitis, juvet, etc. Leiche always translates jubete, ‘‘stricte ad
litteram et exemplum Latinorum medii aevi.” Reiske thinks it arises
from the Greeks confusing juvet with jube (which they would pronounce
alike), and translates accordingly. Tr.]
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 295
who hold the Roman sceptres called 37Aa and
others stand in a line right and left, ready to
accompany the Emperor. In this spacious hall the
many servants of the Palace, the courtiers, the
dipanitai, and all the nomikoi (precentors) stand
saluting the Emperor. After the customary prayers
and wishes for long life, the Emperor goes up to the
Lights, where the silver cross stands.
In this procession, the dealers in garments and
the silversmiths' decorate the Tribune with purple
hangings and draperies, and with all sorts of gold
and silver work. On the right and left sides of the
tribunal stand the foreigners who happen to be in
Constantinople, the Saracens, Franks, and Bulgars,
the guild-masters of the city, and the officers of the
prefect. Hence the Emperor, accompanied by all
who are assembled here, goes through the Hall of
the Schools, and returns thanks to God with triple
prostrations and with lighting of candles in the
entrance of the Church of the Holy Apostles. Here
the chiefs of the Blue and Green factions are re-
ceived. Within the Bronze Gate, under the great
dome, the physicians stand on the left, those of the
palaestra on the right, and greet the Emperor, wish-
ing that God may guide him through many pros-
perous seasons. Thence he goes to the bronze door
where the organ-players * stand on either side and
greet him in the wonted manner.
* From the accounts of many Imperial processions it appears that
the Imperial decorations were insufficient, and they procured more from
the dealers in such goods in Constantinople.
* 'Opyaváptot—Qui organis canunt, organa pulsant. Cons. P., Vol. II.,
p. 92,
296 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
From the great dome of the Bronze Gate the
Emperor goes to its inner door, between the bronze
door and the two outer doors, the larger and the
smaller. This place Constantine Porphyrogennetos
more than once calls the Bar of the Bronze Gate."
Here the demarch of the Blue faction stands with
the White faction behind him. Another reception
is held before the great door opening into the
Passages of Achilles in the Augustaion, where the
demarch of the Green faction is waiting with the
Red faction. After the demarch come the demok-
ratai of the Blue and Green factions. The accounts
given by Constantine Porphyrogennetos make it
plain that between the inner and outer doors of the
Bronze Gate, there was a spacious court where all
the courtiers stood greeting the Emperor.
The reader will understand the route of the
Emperor from the Chrysotriklinos, through the
many surrounding chapels, halls, and galleries more
clearly if he consults the accompanying map, and
from it too he will perceive the correctness of my
disposition of all these buildings in the Palace
precinct.
From the Bronze Gate, which the historians
justify us in calling the Great Gate of the Palace,
the Emperor proceeds through the Middle of the
Augustaion to S. Sophia.
The sixth reception takes place at the Horologion
of the church, where the demarch of the Blue fac-
tion with the White faction receives the Emperor.
* Tó Káyke)\ov tís XaAkīs, Vol. I., p. 14,
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 297
From this door the Emperor, wearing his crown,
goes into the entrance of the outer narthex, and
then puts it off. As he stands at the door of the
narthex,” the Patriarch with his suite receives
him. The Emperor, still without his crown, ap-
proaches the Patriarch and kisses the Gospels held
by the archdeacon. Then he greets and embraces
the Patriarch, and both proceed together to the
Imperial doors of the inner narthex. There they
give thanks to God “ with triple prostrations, and
lighting of candles.” After the prayer of the Patri-
arch is finished they both enter the church. As
they walk to the soleas, the bearers of the sceptres
and all the vessels follow them, and take their
stand right and left in their appointed stations.
The Roman vela and ptychia” are placed on either
side of the soleas. The magistri, proconsuls and
other senators, with the Emperor's servants, stand
on the south side of the church where the Emperor
passed. When the Emperor and the Patriarch
arrive at the porphyry Omphalion in the soleas, in
front of the Beautiful doors, the Patriarch goes
within the rails” alone, and through the Sacred
door on the left-hand side.
After the customary prostration, the Emperor
having returned thanks to God, enters with obeis-
ances, through the holy door, held open by the
* Three great doors lead into the outer narthex of S. Sophia.
* The Truxta, according to some eitüxta, were, I think, silk hangings
on which designs were painted or embroidered. Cons. P., Vol. II., p. 668.
* From these words of C. Porphyrogennetos, it is clear that there were
rails in front of the doors of the bema, that the people standing in the
choir and soleas might be kept away from the doors of the sanctuary.
298 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
Patriarch, and advancing to the Holy Table he
kisses the altar covering which the Patriarch lifts,
and offers to him. Then they spread the two white
veils (dépas) on the altar, and the Emperor kisses
the two holy cups offered by the Patriarch, the
golden patens, and the corporal cloth. After
this, the Emperor and the Patriarch kiss the holy
gilded Crucifixion. The Emperor takes a censer
from the hands of the Patriarch, and burns in-
cense before it ; then he takes leave of the Patri-
arch and goes into the chapel of the metatorion.
In this chapel, which now no longer exists, the
Emperor kisses the Holy Cross, and proceeds to
the metatorion. When the elements are brought
in, the Emperor follows them, along with the
Senate and the officers of the Bedchamber, while
those who hold the sceptres, etc., stand in their set
places. When they arrive at the Holy door, they
stand with the elements on the soleas. The arch-
deacon censes the Emperor, then the Patriarch, and
finally the Holy Altar. After the elements are
brought in, the Emperor takes leave of the Patriarch,
and goes into the metatorion through the right side
of the bema. At the time of Communion, he comes
out from the metatorion, and receives the Holy
Eucharist from the Patriarch on the right side of
the bema, then embraces the Patriarch again, and
* Gr. 6://ukeiſelv, Öyukátop, ÖViktov, obsequi, obsecator, obsequium, a term
applied usually to all the attendants on the Emperor, or to officers or
others of rank who followed him in processions, and, in fact, on all
occasions. Gepaireia, French suite, cortège. Koraës, "Arakra, Vol. I.,
p. 279.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 299
returns to the metatorion, where he breakfasts
with such senators as are prominent, or intimate
with him. After this the praepositi enter. The
Emperor puts on his mantle, and they admit the
Patriarch, who has now finished the Liturgy. He
embraces the Emperor, and both proceed to the
chamber of the Holy Well. The Emperor stands
at the door post, and gives his bounty to the arch-
deacon, the doorkeepers, the singers, the poor, and
the vergers." Thereafter he goes through the door
to the Holy Well, and the Patriarch puts his crown
on again. He receives purses (&Toków8ta) from the
Patriarch, and hands them over to the praepositi.
Then the Patriarch gives perfumes * to the
Emperor, receives the usual bounty from him, and
after embracing one another the Emperor goes
through the porch of the Holy Well to the square of
the Milion.
Here the Blue faction with their demarch receive
him, and as usual wish him a long and prosperous
reign. Then the Emperor, accompanied by the
officers and courtiers, goes through the middle of
the Augustaion to the iron door of the Bronze
Gate, where the demarch of the Green with the
Red faction greet him. From the Bronze Gate he
* Prosmonarii. On p. 19, C. Porphyrogennetos calls these ostiarii. They
were those who guarded and cleaned the church of S. Sophia.
*’A\eutrā, the name given to the vases of myrrh commonly kept in the
palaces of the Byzantine Emperors. Mention is often made of these in
the public processions. 'ANetTrá unguenta wel pyxides unguentarias odor-
atas. Mos est orientalium in refectionem amicis abeuntibus addere et
venientibus offerre odoramenta et unguenta. Reiske in Cons. P., Vol. II
p. 121.
300 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
goes through the door leading into the Schools, and
there the demarch of the Blues with the White
faction receives him. Another reception takes
place at the entrance of the church of the Holy
Apostles," just at the Schools, where the Green
faction again receives him. The last reception
takes places at the Tribunal before the Lights.
After it the Emperor passes through the Lights
and the great Hall of the Nineteen Couches. As
he passes, the precentors, the dipanitai, and others
of the officials of the Palace stand in their stations,
and salute him. In the doorway between the
Hall of the Candidati and the Exaëron of the Hall
of the Nineteen Couches, two vocalii” stand, sing-
ing music appropriate to the festival.
From the Exaëron the Emperor enters the Con-
sistory, where the protasecretes, and the protono-
tarius of the notaries of the Asecreta, the
chartularies, and the rest, greet him. In the
Onopodium the Emperor's attendants with their
chiefs, stand waiting for him. The magistri, pro-
consuls, patricians, and officers in attendance enter
by the narrow passage of the Golden Hand, and
stand on the right, while the attendants of the
Chrysotriklinos stand on the left. As the Emperor
proceeds with this train, all present, both those
standing by and those who follow, welcome him.
1 This church was near the Schools.
* Certain singers were called vocalii. Those of S. Sophia were called
&ytogoſpitat ; those of the Holy Apostles &too roxſrat. The vocalii sang the
BagiNakö, or hymns in honour of the Emperor. Cons. P., Vol. II., p. 869,
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 301
Here the Emperor enters the Hall of the Augusteus
alone, and the doors are closed.
From the Hall of the Augusteus he goes into
the octagonal chamber before the chapel of S.
Stephen, and putting off his crown, which he has
worn all the way from S. Sophia, and his mantle,
he goes into the bedchamber of the Daphne, clad
in a divetesion.” From this room he goes to the
Sacred palace, the Chrysotriklinos, preceded by the
praepositi, the officers of the Bed-chamber, and the
personal attendants of the Imperial bed-chamber.
All these, before the arrival of the Emperor, stand
on the east side of the Chrysotriklinos, so as to face
him and welcome him, exclaiming, “ May God
direct your reign for many prosperous years.”
When they have all withdrawn, the Emperor
returns thanks to God in the apse of the Tricon-
chon, when the image of our Lord is depicted, and
then goes into his sacred bed-chamber.
In this manner the feasts of Easter, Whitsunday,
the Transfiguration, Christmas, and Epiphany were
celebrated.
In the progress of the Emperor through the
chapels and halls of the Palace nothing is said of
the Augusta. My opinion is that she went to the
church of S. Sophia with her attendants without
any acclamation or commotion, and witnessed the
ceremony from the south catechumen's gallery.
As I have already mentioned, the church of S.
* A sort of cape reaching to the waist, worn by the Emperor in time
of mourning, and on common festivals. Cons. P., Vol. II., p. 244.
302 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
Sophia had a metatorion in that gallery, and in it,
no doubt, the Augusta attended service. The two
metatoria communicated by a staircase, now shut
up, called the k\ſuaš Awitatoptriſ.
In the above account I have followed Constan-
tine Porphyrogennetos, who describes very minutely
the path of the Emperor from the Chrysotriklinos
through so many buildings to the Bronze Gate, and
S. Sophia, and thence back to his own chamber. The
Emperor was attended not only by the servants of
the Palace, but also by all the military and naval
officers who were in Constantinople at the time.
Special mention is made of the leaders of the tur-
bulent Blue and Green factions. I have not
attempted to describe the garments of those who
accompanied the Emperor, with their strange and
puzzling names, which throw but little light on our
subject, nor have I given the many phrases used to
greet the Emperor, which Constantine Porphyro-
gennetos has elaborately recorded for our informa-
tion.
After the dry and often repellent study of so
many buildings, it will be well for the reader to
follow this procession with the map before him.
By this means he can confirm with his own eyes all
that has been written, and can satisfy himself that
the numerous buildings of the connected palaces
have been correctly arranged.
The esteemed writers, whose words concerning
the history of the Palace of Constantinople I
quoted in an earlier chapter, impress upon us the
difficulty of our task. For this reason I judge it
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 303
well to use these accounts of the progress of the
Emperor and his train to confirm still farther all
that I have written.
After the description of this protracted proces-
sion through the buildings in the Palace, and of
the service in S. Sophia, Constantine Porphyrogen-
netos describes other ceremonies which took place
in the churches and chapels of the Palace at the
lesser festivals. Second only to the accounts of the
ceremonies in the Palace, and worthy of careful
study, are the descriptions which this invaluable
work contains of processions to the great churches
of Constantinople where the Emperor attended
service along with the Patriarch on the festivals of
the Saints to whom the churches were dedicated.
No one else has described so clearly the church of
the Holy Apostles, where the Emperors, as well as
some eminent Patriarchs and priests, were buried.
In his account of the procession on the feast of
Orthodoxy “ he has given the best account we
possess of the church of Blachernai, so venerated by
the Byzantines on account of its far-famed sanctity,
and its proximity to the lofty palace.
The lesser festivals in the Palace, the banquets
in the Chrysotriklinos and the Hall of Justinian,
the robes, the bewildering crowd of subordinates,
and the peculiar acclamations for the Emperor and
the Augusta which they uttered on their way, he
has detailed with manifest delight. Students of
* Wol, I., p. 156.
304 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
mediaeval Greek life cannot but set a high value
on such details.
The ceremonies held inside the Palace may be
very well understood after previous study of this
procession from the Palace to S. Sophia.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 305
CHAPTER X.
To obtain a still clearer understanding of the many
different buildings of the Palace of Constantinople,
it will be well to describe “the ceremonies to be
observed at the coronation and marriage of the
Augusta.”" From the account of these ceremonies
given by Constantine Porphyrogennetos we gain
much information which he alone affords; infor-
mation which throws light not merely on the
private life of our Emperors, but also on many
details of the Palace. I recommend the study of
such descriptions to all interested in the Palace,
which, as I said before, has been made the subject
of so many discordant accounts by native and
Western writers.
At an early hour, all the senators present them-
selves, and put on the robes suitable to the occasion
in the Consistory. At the command of the Emperor,
the patricians and members of the Secretum pro-
ceed to the Golden Hand, which leads from the
Onopodium to the Hall of the Augusteus. A seat is
placed in the Hall, on which the Emperor sits wear-
ing his crown. After some time, the Master of
Ceremonies, attended by five silentiaries, enters
behind the invited guests, who are all standing in
* Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 207.
22
306 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
their proper order. The Emperor signs to the
praepositus, and he and his officers go to the church
of S. Stephen in the Daphne, above the Hall of the
Augusteus. The Patriarch comes in here, and pro-
ceeds to the Augusteus, where the Emperor with
his crown on is waiting, and rises, to receive him.
Behind the Emperor's seat is spread an ävtuivatov,”
on which his mantle * is laid.
When the Patriarch takes his stand on the
&vTuivatov the bishops and clergy of the Patriarch's
Secreta enter, at a sign from the Emperor to the
praepositus, and line the Emperor's way to the
Apse.
During all this time, the Augusta has been wait-
ing in the upper bed-chamber of the Daphne. At
the command of the Emperor, the praepositus con-
ducts her, clad in an Imperial sticharion,” through
the gallery of S. Stephen to the Hall of the Augus-
teus, and thence to the Emperor, who is standing
in the Apse with his train. The Patriarch begins
the prayer over the mantle. When it is finished,
the Augusta takes candles, and gives them to the
primicerius and Ostiarius. After this, the Emperor
removes the Augusta's maphorion, which the cubi-
cularii take and spread round her." The Patri-
* [I.e., antemensium, properly a prothesis or credence table, or the
cloth used in the East instead of a portable altar. Cons. P., Vol. II.,
p. 164. Tr.]
* X\apºs or XXavys, a garment reaching to the knees worn over the
others. Chlamys erat pallium Romanum super reliquas vestes gestari
solita. Ibid., p. 467.
* [A long, close-fitting inner garment. Ibid., p. 477. Tr.]
* [Reiske explains that the maphorion probably covered her head and
shoulders, and was spread out by the attendants that the company might
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 307
arch takes her mantle and hands it to the Emperor,
who immediately puts it on her. The Patriarch
recites a prayer over the Augusta's crown and or-
naments. He then hands the crown to the Emperor,
who puts it on her head, and so with the ornaments
of the crown."
Immediately after the ceremony, the Patriarch
and all his clergy enter the church of S. Stephen
in the Daphne. Another seat is placed for the
Augusta, and she sits down beside the Emperor.
All those summoned to attend are introduced by
the Master of Ceremonies, and prostrate themselves
before the Emperor and Augusta. Then the silen-
tiaries enter, and after the usual obeisance to their
Majesties, take their stand behind them. At a sign
from the Emperor, the praepositus gives the order
ToxvXpovigate, and they all go out acclaiming the
Emperor and Augusta.
From the church of S. Stephen the patricians go
to the Onopodium, and the prefects to the Portico
of the Nineteen Couches, the door leading from the
Onopodium to that Hall. The candidati, domestici
and others, go to the Tribune. When the clergy
depart, the senators' wives, and afterwards the
other ladies of the Court, are ushered in from the
Portico of the Augusteus. They are headed by an
Ostiarius carrying a wand; and at a sign from him,
not see her with her head uncovered. Cons. P., Vol. II., p. 259; cf. 26.
Tr.]
* C. Porphyrogennetos calls them Tpetevöotſ\ta. They were strings of
pearls and precious stones, hanging from the crown down to the neck.
They may be seen in the figures of the Emperors on coins.
30S The Great Palace of Constantinople.
they do obeisance to the Emperor and Augusta,"
being supported meanwhile by two silentiaries.
After this obeisance, all the senators' wives pro-
ceed to the Golden Hand, and there wait.
The ladies follow the Augusta as she comes from
the Hall of the Augusteus. She enters the Ono-
podium attended by all the officers of the Bed-
chamber, and the patricians standing here do
obeisance to Her Majesty, greeting her with : “For
many faithful years.”
After these good wishes, the Augusta proceeds
to the Dikionion, where the senators and patricians
salute and acclaim her. Then they move off through
the middle door of the Tribune, and take their stand
on either side of the steps, while the other chief
officers proceed to the Tribune, where the cross and
sceptres stand.
The Augusta, conducted by the praepositus and
primicerius, comes into the centre of the Tribune
and takes her stand in the midst of the senate and
patricians. Then all those invited exclaim, “Holy,
Holy, Holy, Glory to God in the highest, and on
earth peace ; ” and utter the acclamations proper to
a coronation. Subsequently, the Augusta goes
* Kal Tim º' Too Aéképôptov pamvös [A.D. 761], Čarépôm év tá, Tpuk\lvø too
Aöyova réas # 8agiNtaga Elphum, Kal &TeX0000 a €v Tó etkrmpiq, rod Aytov
Xreq6 vov čv Tºm A&qun, êMaffev Tó toº yopov atépava at v Tó roö Kayva Tavrivov
viq Aéourt Tºp 8aat)\eſ. Theophanes, Vol. I., p. 687.
* Ignorance of the arrangements of the Palace has caused many errors
in the MSS. The words elaſépxera, and éépxerat are often confused. In
this case the Augusta entered from S. Stephen's in the Daphne to the
Onopodium through the burnished entrance door called the Golden Hand ;
not éépxeral els rô 'Ovoiróðtov, as the text of C. Porphyrogennetos has it.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 309
from the middle of the Terrace' to the centre of
the chancel rail, and receiving candles from the
hands of the Ostiarius, venerates the cross, the chief
officers doing the same. As soon as they have
completed the acclamations proper to the proclama-
tion, and have said, “Strengthen this kingdom, O
Lord,” the senate enters the Portico of the Nine-
teen Couches, and a consistory is formed extending
to the Dikionion and Onopodium. The wives of
the senators, as soon as the senate moves off, make
their way to the ivory doors of the Kastresiakion
to await the arrival of the Augusta at the Hall of
the Augusteus. The senate waits until both sides
have repeated the customary greetings. Then the
Augusta bows on this side and that to the two par-
ties. After some other greetings she goes into the
Octagon. Hence the Emperor and she proceed to
the neighbouring church of S. Stephen, and when
the marriage ceremony is concluded, they leave the
church.
The Patriarch then celebrates the Holy Liturgy
in this church of S. Stephen, and after it the
Emperor and Empress re-enter, and the nuptial
crowning is performed. At this ceremony, the
Emperor wears his Imperial diadem while he is
being crowned with the nuptial wreath. With
the nuptial crowns on their heads, the Emperor
and Augusta go through the portico of the
Golden Hand, and are received with prostrations
and obeisance by the patricians. Then the prae-
1 Between the Hall of the Nineteen Couches and the Onopodium.
310 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
positus signs, and all exclaim, “For many long and
prosperous years; ” and after some of the usual
salutations, all move off and accompany them to
the nuptial chamber and stand on either side at
the stairs of the Manaura. The singers sing songs,
and the organs of the Green faction sound. When
the Emperor and Augusta pass, the courtiers go to
the nuptial chamber and the Emperor stands there
crowned, while all utter the customary acclama-
tions.
Their Majesties, both crowned, go to the nuptial
chamber, where the Emperor's bed stands, and
place their crowns on it. Then they immediately
proceed through the gallery’ to the Eros and the
Nineteen Couches, where they rest. Thereafter
they go with some friends to the nuptial chamber
according to custom.
In this account mention is made of S. Christina,
a church or chapel which is not spoken of anywhere
else. When the Augusta crossed the Golden Hand,
the patrician and other ladies entered, and escorted
her to the bridge. Certain who were summoned
went with her to the apse of S. Christina's, while
the others retired. Shortly after, in describing the
ceremonies on the third day, when the Empress
went to the bath, the same writer says that the
* The writer, unfortunately, does not explain where it was. From his
language, it is possible that it was in the Manaura and not in the
Emperor's sacred bed-chamber, nor in the Augusta's. Cons. P., Vol. II.,
pp. 256, 590.
* Namely the Gallery of the Lord, through which the Emperor pro-
ceded to the Eros, a building which stood beside the Gallery of the Forty
Saints. º
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 311
prefects escorting her went as far as the descent of
S. Christina's.
The Emperor appointed some patrician ladies to
go through the Octagon to the Augusteus, and wit-
ness the coronation of the Augusta. At the
marriage, he ordered that the groomsman and
certain patricians should enter by the same way.
At the conclusion of the ceremony these retired and
took their place among the other patricians.
In this description, the following words of Con-
stantine Porphyrogennetos are calculated to lead
the reader astray: “The Blue faction stands at the
right-hand porch of the Manaura, which is the door -
of the Augusteus” (p. 214). The Hall of the
Augusteus lies to the east of the church of S.
Stephen in the Daphne, as is evident from the
extant writings of our historians, and this one in
particular. From the flight of stairs leading up to
the Manaura there was a way out to the gallery of
the Lord, which led directly to the door of the
Augusteus, which again gave .entrance to the
palace of the Daphne.
I come now to study the various chapels, lodges,
and other structures in the Palace grounds erected
by various Emperors, without much order, and with
no harmony among them.
Detached Palaces.
THE MANAURA OR MAGN AURA.
The etymology of this name given by G. Kodinos,
and repeated by other writers, is childish in the ex-
312 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
treme.' I have already referred to the site of this
Palace and the remains still existing on the spot.
The Turkish houses between them and the Pharos
prevented me from measuring their distance from
the latter.”
According to Kodinos” the Manaura was built
by Constantine the Great, and after him Leo the
Philosopher adorned it." Next to the Chrysotri-
klinos, the Manaura was the most magnificent
building in the whole Palace, as will be seen from
the following citations from our historians. Con-
stantine Porphyrogennetos writes”: “He passes
through the Sakelle and the Oval, and the narrow
** Q Adva Örö atpas àtróX\vpu, pp. 120, 278. The derivation given by
others from the Latin Magna Aula, seems to me nearer the truth.
* As to the site of the Manaura, Luitprand describes it (Ant., vi., 5,)
as, Domus palatio contigua. Du Cange, Cpolis. Chris., lib. ii., cap. 5,
places the Manaura beside the palace of Blachernai. Ce qui pourroit me
porter a croire que ce palais [Blachernail n'est autre que celui de Mag-
naura—le palais des Blaquernes celui de Magnaura. Hist. de l'Empire,
Part 1. Du Cange was misled by not knowing that both palaces, Blacher-
nai and the Akropolis, had Magnaurai. J. Labarte, p. 193, “Of the
palace of Blachernai nothing now remains except the tower erected by
Theophilos on the land-walls, a pitiable wreck, falling in pieces day by
day.” Bušavruval Mexérat, pp. 83, 192.
* P. 18. In the Anthology, Vol. II., p. 231, the following epigram by
an unknown author is found:—
EIX TON TPIKAIN ON THX MANA'ſ PAX.
‘OTpa)\éa's roMºtrevaav Tóvöe 6ópov Baat)\fies,
alxpºv 6\80ööTelpaw &trô a Tavpoto Aaxóvres,
aúrós diva; ‘Hpak\}s a y Kayva Tavrivº, vii.
He certainly refers to the place of that name in Blachernai.
* Theophanes Con., p. 374.
* Vol. I., pp. 125, 545, 567; G. Kodinos, p. 120. The Manaura men-
tioned in the Chronicon Paschale, Vol. I., p. 623, is not the one in the
Great Palace. Banduri, Vol. II., p. 601.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 313
doorway leading to the terrace of the Manaura, and
enters the great hall.” He uses the same expres-
sion in connection with the great reception which
took place in this hall of the Manaura : “Thence
he passes through the Sakelle, the Oval, and the
narrow entrance leading up to the terrace of the
Manaura.”" From this it is plain that the Manaura
lay further north than the church of our Lord, and
accordingly on a higher level.
From some words of Kedrenos I think that, in
addition to the ground floor mentioned in the
history of the Palace, the Manaura had also
upper rooms, traces of which exist in the remains
of the building still extant. Describing the last
hours of Constantine Porphyrogennetos he writes :
“Some days before his death, for several evenings,
stones discharged from above kept falling into his
apartments with a great din, and caused a prodigi-
ous noise. Believing that they came from the
upper rooms of the Manaura, he set guards there
for several nights in the hope of apprehending
the perpetrators of the deed.”
In the Manaura the Emperor exhorted the
people on the first Monday of Lent to keep the holy
forty days faithfully, and in the fear of the Lord.”
It is recorded that the Emperor Leo, when suffer-
ing from a disease of the bowels, and near his
*"Ektio.eu & 8aat)\eys tow a TpoyyúNov \taków Täs Mayvačpas. G. Kedrenos,
Wol, I., pp. 698, 709.
* Ibid., Vol. II., p. 338.
* Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 155. Ataxa)\ta was the term applied to the
Emperors’ addresses to the people.
314 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
end, “ was scarcely able to address the people in
Lent according to the Imperial custom.” Theo-
philos also addressed them in the Manaura”: “And
going out to the hall of the Lausiakon, he proceeded
to the Manaura, and there spoke to the people, that
they should accomplish the fast in chastity and the
fear of the Lord.” “
“He goes through the Manaura and the galleries
above it.”—“Sitting in the chamber of the
Manaura.”—“Proceeding, they sat on the newly-
built throne, which stands in this hall of the
Manaura.”" From other passages of this writer we
learn that the courtiers and all the chief citizens
often assembled here on great festivals.
In the eastern end of this hall there were three
chambers and four great pillars.” The courtiers
invited stood on either side. In the middle, steps
led up to the chambers. The one on the right was
the wardrobe, or, as the Byzantines called it, the
vestiary, of the Emperor, where he entered on
great festivals and receptions to robe. When he
addressed the people he stood on the steps with a
carpet spread beneath his feet. After the address
the people exclaimed, “May God grant you to
reign many years.”
From the Manaura, all went by the right-hand
* Theophanes Con., pp. 377, 870; G. Kedrenos, Vol. II., p. 273; Leo
Gram., p. 285; Cons. P., Vol. I., pp. 432. 549.
* Genesios, p. 51 ; 6 €eó%t)\os . . . Utrö Tās vôorov a pty yógevos divetart
KXuāpms Tpos Thu Mayvaipav. G. Kedrenos, Vol. II., p. 273.
* Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 155.
4 Ibid., pp. 137, 138.
5 Jbid., pp. 570, 571.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 315
door to the hall of the Candidati, and through the
Excubita, the Schools, and the Chytos of the
Bronze Gate to the holy well in S. Sophia.
The election of the Patriarch was conducted in
this hall. The Metropolitans met in the catechu-
meneia of S. Sophia and voted for whom they de-
sired. Then they and those whom they had chosen
by this preliminary vote went together to the
Palace—that is the Chrysotriklinos—where the
Emperor selected one from the three already chosen.
The Senate and clergy next proceeded to the Man-
aura, where the Emperor, standing on the steps,
said to the Metropolitans and the senate —“The
grace of God and our empire which proceedeth
therefrom, hath promoted this most holy man to
be Patriarch of Constantinople.” Kodinos Kouro-
palates records this address as follows: “The Holy
Trinity, through the empire which it hath granted
us, promoteth thee to be Archbishop of Constantin-
ople the new Rome, and Oecumenical Patriarch.”
After this the Patriarch-elect, accompanied by the
clergy and courtiers, proceeded to the Patriar-
cheion, while the Emperor returned to his own
apartments.”
* Joannes Lydos writes as follows of the Candidati: kavölöätovs 6% toys
Nevzeipovas 'Papaious é60s KaNetv . . . kavölöäTot 3é Kat of puéA\ovres eis
dpxás Tóv étrapxtów Tapiéval éAéYouto, ött Kai at Tot \euxelpovoúvtes Tpoffea av,
p. 142. Cf. the Chron. Pasch., Vol. I., pp. 501, 502.
2 P. 103.
* Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 564, Iepāra, Toivvy oëtos [ä’Apoſévios] kal IIarpi-
dpxms xelpotoveira, Kovvi, Tów Te dxtepéqu yuápm, Kai Tod Baqi)\éos Tá páytoſta
ovvauvodvtos Kai étukupoğvros des éðos Thu dipxtepatuköv påqov čketvav. N.
Gregoras, Vol. I., p. 55; Kodinos Kouropalates, p. 101 ; G. Phrantzes,
p. 305. *
316 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
Constantine Porphyrogennetos describes the
fabulous wealth and splendour of this Hall, which
were displayed when a reception took place." On
the day appointed, the Senate made their way early
to the Manaura, and all the officers of the Palace
soon followed them. The Emperor—or Emperors
—came from the Chrysotriklinos, passed through
the gallery of the Forty Saints and the Sigma ac-
companied by all the courtiers, and entered the
church of Our Lord. Then they went up by the
narrow entrance to the Terrace of the Manaura,
which, I think, was the name given to a narrow
open piece of ground in front of the great entrance
to the Manaura. All went into the great hall
where the throne of Solomon was set. This throne,
the magnificent ornaments of which all our his-
torians have extolled, stood in the great hall or
chief apartment of the Manaura. Other thrones in
the Chrysotriklinos and the Hall of Justinian are
mentioned. This throne was occasionally brought
into the Consistory under a strong and unceasing
guard of silentiaries and chosbaitai.
At another reception the Emperor entered the
Hall of the Manaura with his courtiers, “ and hav-
ing put on his octagonal mantle and great white
diadem, ascended the throne of Solomon and sat
there.””
The Emperor entered the right-hand eastern por-
tion of the Hall of the Manaura, where the Imperial
* Theophanes Con., p. 378; Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 566.
* Ibid., pp. 583, 593.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 317
robes were kept, and robed there, while the cour-
tiers summoned to attend arranged themselves in
the places set apart for them. The people, standing
outside at the public western entrance to the
Manaura, wished the Emperor a long reign. Then
his Majesty took his seat on the throne of Solomon,
and received and greeted the invited courtiers, who
were presented by the Master of Ceremonies, made
obeisance to the ground, and then retired to their
places. Such is the ceremony as described by Con-
stantine Porphyrogennetos.
After the entrance of the logothetes, the organs
sound. Then “the lions begin to roar, and the
birds on the throne, and likewise those on the tree,
sing harmoniously, and the animals at the throne
rise up from the steps.” A little later, “the organs
play, the lions roar, the birds cease singing, and
the animals sink back to their places.” This is re-
peated two or three times while the Emperor sits
on the throne of Solomon, and his train utter feli-
citations.” "
There were great pillars in the Manaura support-
ing the ceiling or the upper chambers. Our writers
give us no precise information about them.”
At the reception of the ambassadors from the
Amerimne” or Emir, very valuable Persian hangings
* As to the organs, see Cons, P., Vol. II., p. 137.
* Ibid., Vol. I., p. 571.
* Written also 'Agepoupºvi, or 'Apeppoupſ), properly Emir-ul-mu’imin, or
Commander of the Faithful. The same correction applies to 'Auepauvouvīs
in the Continuation of Theophanes (pp. 82, 96, 97). See Cons, P., Vol. I.,
p. 624. A. Maliakas' Turkish-Greek Lewicon, s.v. Epip,
3.18 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
were spread in this hall. The ambassadors entered
from the west end, and ascended to the Manaura
by stairs." Mention is also made of a metatorion
in the Manaura, next to the vestiary, where the
Emperor rested during the festivals. This hall
had its own papias or janitor.”
It was in the Manaura that Theophilos convened
the assembly of those “who enjoyed the Imperial
wealth and shared in the Imperial honours.”
Theophilos also established the learned mathemati-
cian Leo in the Manaura, and gave him the most
gifted youths as pupils. ‘ Probably this school
was held in the private apartments of the
Manaura, and not in the great Hall of the recep-
tions. Constantine Porphyrogennetos makes no
mention of this.” In all likelihood the school was
dissolved after the death of Theophilos.
Shortly before this, Theophilos, who was dying
of a disease of the bowels, gathered his officers and
friends together in this Hall, and speaking with a
great effort, commended to them his wife and his
* Cons. P., Vol. I., pp. 201, 576.
* Ibid., pp. 583, 725.
* Theophanes Con, p. 85. Xvva6poićet oroqois karū Thu Mayvačpav, dis
Toys pièv pt)\ogoſpías yeopleTpias, Toys 6é étépous do Tpovopºtas. Genesios,
p. 98. Le Beau ascribes this to Bardas Caesar. Hist. du Bas. -Emp.,
Vol. XV., p. 64.
* Theophanes Con., pp. 192, 694, 806; trpoo Aa36pevos atröv (6 €eóptAos)
eixev čv Tó Taxatiq, Tàs Mavatpas, trapadows airá, 6tóóakeuv kal gaffmrás. Leo
Gram., p. 225.
* ‘O Bápóas 6& 6téºre rà troXtruká Kai Tàs £8aat)\etas . . . Tepexiffm 6é
kai Tàs ééa, oroghias . . . Öuarpuſ?&s ékáo Tºm Tújv ériotnuºu &qoploas, Tów
pºv čA\ov čTºm Trep & Tuxe, Tàs 6' étri tragóv étróxov pu)\ooroq ta's kat' attà Tâ
8aat)\eta év Tú Mayvačpg. G. Kedrenos, Vol. II., p. 165. On the Man-
aura, Bronze Gate, and Hippodrome, see ibid., p. 204.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 319
Son Michael—“having made an assembly of them
in the Manaura, and being with much difficulty
raised and lowered on his couch by his attendants.”
Basil, the Macedonian, after his proclamation,
being in lack of money for making the wonted
largesse to the people, found much money in the
private treasury to the east of the Triconchos. This
had been derived from melting down the golden
plane-tree, the two golden griffins, the two lions of
hammered gold, the golden organs, various gold
ornaments belonging to the table, and the Imperial
robes of cloth of gold. His predecessor, Michael
the Drunkard, son of Theophilos, had intended to
spend it on his pleasures, but his death saved a
part of the treasure, which Basil devoted to the
maintenance of the army.”
The golden organs which we saw were mentioned
by a later ruler, the Emperor Constantine VII., a
descendant of Basil the Macedonian, were probably
renewed by the art-loving Porphyrogennetos him-
self.
The magnificent receptions of the dignitaries took
place in this Hall. “When a reception is held in
this Hall, as is the wont of the Emperors of the
Romans when they are about to receive any one of
those who are great and famous in the government
of any nation *-* when a reception took place in
the Manaura as usual.”
The nuptials of the Emperor were sometimes
* Theophames Con., p. 138.
* Ibid., pp. 173, 257, 659.
* Ibid., p. 317 ; G. Kedrenos, Vol. II., p. 237.
320 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
celebrated in the Manaura. “In the reign of the
Emperor Leo, the Emperor took to wife the daughter
of Martinakos and wedded her, celebrating the
nuptials in the Manaura and the Nineteen Couches.”
We have a concise account of the Manaura in the
Antapodosis of Luitprand, ambassador to Nikephoros
Phokas. He says: “In Constantinople, near to
the Palace, there is a very large and beautiful house
called the Manaura. Constantine arrayed it as fol-
lows in honour of myself and the Spanish ambassa-
dors who had lately arrived. Before the Emperor's
throne stood a tree of gilded bronze, the branches
of which were filled with birds of every sort made
of the same material, and each singing according to
its kind. The Emperor's throne was so constructed
that it now rose, and now subsided without any
visible means of motion. Whether this immense
throne was wooden or bronze I do not know. It was
guarded by gilded lions, which beat the ground with
their tails, and roared with gaping mouths and lol-
ling tongues. I entered the chamber leaning on the
shoulders of two eunuchs. As soon as I entered,
the lions began to roar, and the birds to sing accord-
ing to their kind. But as I had been forewarned
of it, I was in no wise alarmed, nor surprised.”
These words of Luitprand confirm what I said
* Theophanes Con., pp. 694, 846. #
* Ant., vi. 1. Luitprand has written many valuable observations on
Constantinople and the Palace. We must, however, dissent from the
vulgar abuse of Nikephoros Phokas, in which this fault-finding and
acrimonious ambassador indulges. Bušavruval Mexérat, by S. Zampelios,
Athens, 1857, p. 517.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 321
above about the re-erection of the golden organs by
Porphyrogennetos or some other successor of Theo-
philos.
Of the numerous accounts of the splendour of
the Manaura the best is given by Constantine
Porphyrogennetos when describing the reception
of the Saracen ambassadors' by himself and
Romanus Porphyrogennetos. He describes with
great minuteness not merely the general dis-
position, but the whole arrangement of the
Palace. For this reason, and for the sake of the
description of the Palace and the various cere-
monies performed there, I transcribe the passage
that the reader may test the accuracy of the
foregoing. I omit some details of the numer-
ous decorations employed on these occasions which
the show-loving author describes at great length.
The heading runs —“Concerning the reception
held in the splendid and spacious hall of the
Manaura under Constantine and Romanus Porphy-
rogennetoi, Emperors in Christ of the Romans, at
the reception of the ambassadors from the Emir,
from Tarsus, concerning the armistice and the peace
of 31st May, in the fourth indiction.”
* The Byzantines called the ambassadors of the Mussulman rulers
Saracens. The word is from the Arabic sharq, the East, sharqir, Oriental.
Compare garb, West, magrib, Western, the term given by the dwellers
in Syria and Egypt to their co-religionists who come from Barbary, Algeria,
and Morocco for worship or trade. The Crusaders borrowed the word
Saracens without representing the rough Arab sh. The tenth century
Arab traveller Ibn Batſºtah records that the Constantinopolitans called
the Mussulman inhabitants Sharkiyyim, i.e., “East-men.” See the
Saturday Review, Nov. 8, 1884, p. 605.
* Vol. I., p. 570 (A.D. 915-948.)
23
322 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
Chains of copper, silvered over, from the monas-
tery of SS. Sergius and Bacchus, were hung on
either side of the great Hall of the Manaura, where
the throne of Solomon stood. From them the
great golden candelabra of the new church, founded
by Basil the Macedonian, were suspended. On the
right side of the hall, between the great pillars,
the golden organ was placed, with that of the Blue
faction higher up, more to the east, while the organ
of the Green faction was on the left side. All the
anadendrarion' was transformed into a covered
passage” by means of silk awnings. On either side
of the pillars, the hangings of the Palace hung
from these awnings to the ground.
At the reception of the Spanish ambassadors the
same preparations were made, only the anadendra-
rion was not decorated with silken awnings, but
with hangings, and enamels" from the treasury
were hung up.
For the adornment of the Manaura and other
halls, the officials in charge requisitioned not only
the decorations of the churches, but also many
* A line of trees planted for a walk or shadow in the middle of the
Manaura and the Schools, the Lights, and the Hall of the Candidati.
Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 584; II., p. 256.
* Tpotrukh, the name given by the Byzantines to a vaulted passage or an
awning constructed in the open air by means of cloths or boughs. A
Tpotrukh in the Lausiakon has been mentioned.
* 1.e., the Chrysotriklinos.
* Xeuevrukč, ćpya elva. Tä kaxoſpeva èykavaruká. Tax\. email. 204)60s,
êykavatov, Čk toº 'Ira)\ , smalto. Koraës' Posthumous Works, Vol. I.,
p. 127; Cons. P., Vol. II., p. 204. This latter writer often mentions
enamels or encaustics. Xelpewrijs, a worker in enamel. Tête kal
&våp Tws Xelpevrºs ék Töv Tàs xelpºms Texuāºv et puhs (by Taºs &T&Tats Öq,0a)\go-
TXavāgal. G. Kedrenos, Vol. I., p. 629.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 323
pieces of silver-work belonging to the guest houses,
hospitals, monasteries, and churches outside the
city. In addition to these, they also took many
valuable articles from the silversmiths. Special
mention is made of the numerous chains and can-
delabra belonging to Basil the Macedonian's New
Church, which shows us the surpassing beauty and
wealth of this church, so lauded by the Patriarch
Photios.
Outside the Bronze Gate the prefect decorated
either side of the passage from the Bar with cur-
tains, hangings, and silken stuffs. A chain was
hung in the centre of the Bar with the great silver
candelabrum of the church at Blachernai. The
Sakellarios decorated the hall where the baldaquin
stood and the magistri were appointed," with the
curtains of the Chrysotriklinos. The portico of the
Augusteus, or Golden Hand, was also decorated
with bright hangings from the same hall. The
passage from the Augusteus to the Apse was hung
with embroidered curtains. In the same way the
prefect adorned the Palace hippodrome with blattia
and various imperial hangings.
All the floors were strewn with ivy and laurel;
the more private apartments with myrtle and rose-
mary. After the curtains were hung in the great
Hall of the Manaura, it was all strewn with roses,
and costly Persian carpets were spread at the en-
trance.
* Cons, P., Vol. II., pp. 302, 652. I do not know which hall the
writer indicates. Cf. Vol. I., p. 578. -
324 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
After describing the ornaments of the Manaura
and the surrounding palaces, Constantine Porphy-
rogennetos gives an account of the dresses of the
subordinates and magnates. Candidati, holding
the Roman sceptres, stood right and left of the
Emperor's throne in the Manaura. Above the
steps, men of the great company were stationed
with the Emperor's silken, gold-embroidered banner.
Others near these held the Emperor's golden
banners. Above these, on the same steps, stood
the choristers of the churches of the Holy Apostles
and S. Sophia, acclaiming, and singing imperial
odes.
The rowers of the Imperial galleys stood in the
Hall of the Candidati on the side next to the
church of Our Lord, in the baldaquin and the
Onopodion. Next to these, were the cadets, the
fullers" of the wardrobe, and the sewers, the former
in their proper skaramangia with swords, the others
in dark mantles.
Inside the Bronze Gate—that is, at the Bar—
Toulmatzoi or Dalmatians “were stationed holding
flags, and armed with leathern bucklers, swords,
and quivers filled with arrows. Outside the Bar,
or in the Gallery of Achilles, partly in the neigh-
bourhood of the Numera, partly at the Chamber of
the Milion, stood a crowd composed of the re-
mainder of the sailors, some Dalmatians, and the
* Xatrovua Tat, sunt qui vestes sapone mundant et lavant. Cons. P.,
Vol. II., p. 680. A large number were employed about the Palace owing
to the great use of white robes by the Emperor and courtiers.
* See Cons. P., Vol. II., p. 682.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 325
baptised Russians bearing flags, and armed with
targets and swords.
The Halls of Justinian and Lausos were illu-
minated with candelabra. At the Tripeton, or
porch of the Chrysotriklinos, the Emperor's two
silver and two golden organs were placed.
Inside, the Chrysotriklinos was decorated as at
Eastertide, with the Pentapyrgion, the Emperors'
thrones, the couches, and golden table." Crowns
and ornaments from Our Lady of the Pharos and
other churches in the Palace were hung in its eight
bays. In addition to these, various enamels pre-
served in the Treasury, the Imperial mantles, and
S. Peter's golden scapular,” set with pearls, were
employed. From the silver doors were hung the
golden sagum, and the crowns and enamels “one
by one,” that is, “a crown in the middle with an
enamel on either side.” The eastern bay, in which
was the great picture of God, was all adorned with
crowns. The other seven were hung with candela-
bra from the church of Our Lady of the Pharos.
In the eastern bay the three lights were replaced
by three crowns—in the centre the green one from
the church of the Holy Apostles, on the right the
blue crown from Our Most Holy Lady of the
Pharos, on the left the blue one of the arch-martyr
Demetrios.” These three were prepared by order
* At the reception of the Spanish Ambassadors, the Chrysotriklinos was
not decorated because the ambassadors did not banquet there.
Greek TNatávtov or TNatévtov. An embroidered garment ; derivation
unknown. See Cons. P., Vol. II., p. 682.
*Not the chapel of S. Demetrios beside Our Lady of the Pharos, but the
church in the Akropolis beside the gate of S. Barbara, commonly known
as S, Demetrios, the arch-martyr,
326 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
of the pious Emperor Constantine. A variety of
other pieces of embroidered work from the church
of the arch-martyr Demetrios and the Treasury
were carried here, and also to the Pentapyrgion.
These were the arrangements in the Palace. It is
impossible for us now-a-days to understand many
of Constantine Porphyrogennetos' descriptions of
ecclesiastical vestments and embroideries which no
other writer mentions. From his detailed descrip-
tion, which the reader cannot pursue without some
degree of weariness, we obtain an excellent idea
of the wealth of the Palace, and the inexhaustible
magnificence of gold and silver which belonged to
its many churches.
Other ambassadors were not received with so
great a display and such busy commotion through-
out the Palace. I have contented myself with set-
ting forth only a part of the wealth of information
derivable from the above account, that the reader
may not be burdened with an enumeration of
dresses and ornaments, of which we in the present
can form but little idea.
I come now to the portion which is of most con-
cern to us, for the actual reception of the Saracen
ambassadors throws light on many parts of the
Palace.
When the Emperor came out of the Chrysotri-
klinos, and entered the metatorion of the Great Hall
of the Manaura, the ambassadors were directed to
enter into his presence. They set out from their
lodgings beside the Saracen mosque,” and proceeded
* [See ch, i. p. 33, Tr.]
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 327
to S. Sophia by the same road as that which Manu-
el Komnenos afterwards followed at his triumph.
They went into the church, passed through the
chamber called Anethas, and by the Holy Well
into the Milion, and arrived in front of the Impe-
rial Bronze Gate, which was gay with decorations.
No doubt the ambassadors were brought through S.
Sophia that they might admire the splendour of
the church." At the Gate they dismounted, and
proceeded on foot through the Gatehouse, the Hall
of the Schools, and the Tribune; then turning to
the right, they took their seats to await the arrival
of the Emperor.
When the Emperor entered the Manaura, the
singers and the members of the factions began to
sing the Imperial odes. He entered robed in his
octagonal chlamys and great white diadem, and
took his seat on the throne of Solomon. Then
all around him wished that he might reign for
many long and prosperous years. The choristers of
S. Sophia and of the Church of the Holy Apostles
began the customary Imperial odes, and the 37Aa, or
sceptres,” were carried in with the usual ceremonies.
Last came the Saracen envoys supported by the
captain of the Palace and the master of horse. They
wore a Tékta,” and other robes which the Emperor
had ordered to be used on this occasion. After the
usual ceremonies, the Saracens went out through the
anadendrarion, the hall of the Candidati, and the
* Non-Christians were never allowed to enter the Byzantine churches.
* [See Cons. P., Vol. II., p. 667. Tr.]
* A robe with embroidery and tassels, Ibid., p. 619,
328 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
one which contained the Kamelaukion. Thence
they passed through the portico of the Augusteus
or the Golden Hand, to the Hall of the Augusteus,
where they sat waiting the Emperor's return to
the Palace, i.e., the Chrysotriklinos.
After some time, they were summoned thence,
and accompanied his majesty on his way to the
Chrysotriklinos. After this second reception, they
crossed through the gallery of the Augusteus to the
hippodrome, and thence to the Skyla at the end of
the Hall of Justinian. They took their seats in
the western or upper part of this Hall, on the
benches near the Skyla. Embroidered robes and
other apparel were sent to them by the Emperor at
the hands of a chamberlain.
Candidati holding the golden Roman sceptres
stood on either side of the Hall while the banquet
lasted. The magistri wore the garments appropri-
ate to Eastertide. The accubitor, the logothetes,
and the other patricians wore a Tékta.
All the time that the Saracens were in the Chry-
sotriklinos banquetting with the Emperor, the
choristers of the Holy Apostles stood in the bay
leading to the Emperor's bed-chambers, and those
of S. Sophia in the opposite bay of the Pantheon,
and sang the usual hymns. While the courses were
being brought to table, the singers were silent, and
the organs sounded. When the Emperor rose from
the table each of the Saracens received pieces of
money on a golden tray according to his rank, be-
fore retiring. After the banquet, all the Saracens
withdrew, and sat on the benches in the eastern or
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 329
lower part of the Hall of Justinian, next to the
Mesokepion. The Emperor sent a chamberlain to
them with sweet scented flowers and rose water.
Embossed handbasins" were then brought to them
to wash in, with costly towels, and various per-
fumes.
They took their departure through the gallery of
the Lausiakon, the Tripeton, and the Chrysotrikli-
nos. From the last they went across the Terrace of
the Pharos by the side of the New Church, to the
Tzykanisterion, where thy mounted and rode to
their lodgings, which were called Xpwatóva.”
Some days later, the Saracens requested another
interview with the Emperor. This time they were
received in the Chrysotriklinos, which was deco-
rated with the crowns from the churches of Our
Lady of the Pharos and S. Demetrios, and strewn
with laurel, rosemary, and roses. The Saracens went
in by the gate of the Skyla, through the Hall of
Justinian and the gallery of the Lausiakon, and
being conducted by the logothetes through the Tri-
peton to the presence of the Emperor, who was
seated on his throne, they talked over their business
with him. Those who accompanied the ambassa-
dors stood without in the Tripeton awaiting their
return. This was not through the Tzykanisterion,
as on the former Occasion, but through the same
* Xéputéóšegra—ötö Kai aſketm Tpós roºtous 680 €k Xpwood Te Kai Xi8wy Toxv-
teNöv Tiju Jūaraguv čxovta, & # Kouvil y\óTTa Kai pºh Kaffapá, KaNet Xepvuòóšegra,
aúró trečéówkev. Theophanes Con., p 96.
* [Either like our Goldsmith's Lane, or else a sort of custom-house.
See Cons. P., Vol. II., p. 692. Tr.]
330 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
galleries as those by which they entered, and the
Augustaion.
All these full and particular accounts of Constan-
time Porphyrogennetos, which enter into such
minute details about dress and decorations, throw
light on our history, and give some idea of the
wealth of the churches and Palace, and of the court-
life of the Emperor. Without this writer we should
know nothing about these Imperial ceremonies.
Contemporary and later writers are all silent about
them, and simply make passing mention of some
buildings connected with the Palace, but give
practically no information about their site.
Many ornaments, wall-paintings, and enamels
were due to the artistic taste of Constantine Por-
phyrogennetos. This, no doubt, accounts for the
minute detail with which he describes these cere-
monies. Perusal of his writings is no doubt often
troublesome and vexatious, nevertheless they are
the most valuable of all Byzantine works relating
to Constantinople, and to the Palace in particular.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 331
CHAPTER XI.
THE TVYE ANISTERION.
THE Tzykanisterion,' which is often mentioned by
Constantine Porphyrogennetos and the other
Byzantine writers, was in the early days of the
Empire situated to the south of the Pharos and the
other Palace buildings. In it the members of the
Imperial family exercised on horseback. The Con-
tinuation of Theophanes speaks of the Emperor
Romanus playing at ball in the Tzykanisterion with
the nobles and many skilled players, and beating
them all.” According to Kodinos, Theodosios the
Younger built the Tzykanisterion, and Basil the
Macedonian extended and levelled it.” After a time,
but how long we cannot determine precisely, the
Tzykanisterion is described as being in the most
northerly part of the Palace precinct, where there
was a gate of open work leading to the city. Con-
stantine Porphyrogennetos twice speaks of the
Saracen ambassadors going from the terrace of the
Pharos, down through the terrace of the New
Church and the Great Hall, into the Tzykanis-
* That is, tennis court. Têvkavišstv, Pila ludere, Meursius. Von Ham-
mer derives the word from the Persian Tschewkan. Cpolis., Vol. I.,
p. 240. By the Greeks it is spelt tſukavia Tiptov, Tūkavua Tiptov, Tſovkavia-
Tiptov, and Tūkavua Tiptov.
*Theophanes Con., pp. 472, 717, & P. Sl,
332 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
terion." The exit from it to the city was termed
the “Eastern Gates.” “Having received perfumes
they went back through the Chrysotriklinos and
the Eastern Gates, as we have already described.””
A study of the Palace explains the entrance and
exit of the ambassadors by opposite doors. Those of
the Pope and Catholic European sovereigns had their
lodging near the church of SS. Sergius and Bacchus,
which was situated south of the Hippodrome. It
appears that the priests of Western embassies often
made processions to this church singing Latin pro-
cessional hymns. The nearest Palace gate to this
church was the Karean, and by it accordingly
Luitprand entered. In proximity to the other end
of the Palace was the uttſtov or Mohammedan
mosque, which the Crusaders in Galata burnt in
1203. The Mussulman merchants of Constan-
tinople lived in the neighbourhood of this mosque,
and here, too, the Saracen ambassadors, who came
to the city from time to time, had their lodgings.”
From them they passed along the outside of the
Palace walls, through the narthex of S. Sophia, and
entered the Palace by the Bronze Gate. On their
return they went down to the Tzykanisterion, and
out through the Eastern Gates, which were near the
mosque, in the neighbourhood of which they lodged
during the whole of their stay in Constantinople.
* Cons. P., Vol. I., pp. 557, 586. els rô Karaśāortov Toº Tºvkavua Triptov.
Theophanes Con., p. 859; Leo Gram., p. 273. The Palace buildings,
therefore, stood higher than the Tzykanisterion.
Cons. P., Vol. I., pp. 557, 592; Theophanes Con., p. 438.
* Porphyrogennetos calls the residence of the Saracen ambassadors
Xpwortóva, pp. 583, 588. I am of opinion that it was beside the mosque.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 333
These facts seem to me to explain why Luitprand
and the Saracen ambassadors entered at opposite
ends of the Palace precinct.
“The one entered from the Tzykanisterion, the
Mangana of the Akropolis, and the tower of
Eugenius.”—“The people were divided into three
parts, one attacking the hippodrome, the other the
excubita, and the remainder the Tzykanisterion.”
At the present day the railway runs through
its site, which is covered with gardens, fruit trees,
and cypresses, while bake-houses are built beside
the sea-wall.
THE EAGLE.
Two buildings, the Eagle and the Pyramidal
Houses, are said to have stood near the Palace wall,
where the Sultans built their treasuries after the
capture. The Eagle was the name given to a lofty
structure of Basil the Macedonian.” The historian
writes: “The other imperial places of resort which
have a more easterly and loftier situation than the
Chrysotriklinos, and also stand further west than
the New Church, and from their great elevation
in the air, have received the designation of the
Eagle, etc.”
I think that the text here is corrupt. East of
the Chrysotriklinos the ground slopes very steeply
down to the sea ; the words, kai wax\ov ÚTepkeuéunv
exei Tàv ièpvalv cannot be applied to such a descent.
* G. Kodinos, p. 81. * G. Kedrenos, Vol. II., p. 538.
* Theophanes Com., p. 335 ; Byzantios KToMs., Vol. I... p. 200.
334 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
Moreover, no one makes mention of any building
west of the New Church and Chrysotriklinos. It
is probable, therefore, that these oversights of our
writers may stand in need of correction. In this
building there was a chapel of Our Lady. It is
probably the place mentioned by Kantakouzenos :
“The Emperor dwelt in another of the splendid
houses called the Eagle."
THE PYRAMIDAL HOUSES.
In these, which were beside the Eagle, there was
a chapel of Our Lady. They are very seldom men-
tioned in the history of the Palace, and no remains
either of them or of the Eagle are to be seen in the
neighbourhood. Constantine Porphyrogennetos
never refers to them. I cannot determine their
sites with any accuracy from the notices in the
Continuation of Theophanes.” In all likelihood
they were summer-houses built beside the walls by
some of the Emperors.
TEIE MESOKEPION.
The Mesokepion was a garden which lay east of
the Hall of Justinian and the Lausiakon, and south
of the Chrysotriklinos, from which it extended to
the Karean Gate. The buildings already enumerated
within the Palace precincts were not built close to
the walls, because the lofty sea walls hindered the
view to the sea, and the buildings would also
1 Vol. III., p. 304. 2 P. 336.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 335
have been exposed to foreign vessels sailing past
the Akropolis. The Boukoleon alone was close
to the sea wall. “The same friends (the Saracens)
were accommodated in the Hall of Justinian in the
eastern part next to the Mesokepion.”’ According
to Porphyrogennetos, it extended from this Hall to
the sea-wall.
In the Continuation of Theophanes, which gives
a full account of the Palace buildings erected by
the Emperor Theophilos, it is said that he erected
a terrace facing the north, “from which one could
see the old Tzykanisterion while it existed, in the
place where the New Church is built, and the two
fountains, and the Mesokepion made by order of
the illustrious Emperor Basil.” “ This terrace was
near the Hall of the Pearl, and from its height one
could see the lower or eastern parts of the Palace
where the old Tzykanisterion and the Palace gar-
den lay. The ground east of the New Church,
which Basil planted with trees, is termed the Meso-
kepion * by the writers of the Continuation.
TEIE PALACE OF THE BOUR OLEON.
In my former description of the Lemains which
are still preserved in the Palace grounds, I men-
tioned those of the Palace of the Boukoleon, and
1 Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 585; II., p. 695.
* Theophanes Con., p. 144.
* Ibid., p. 329. Öv diró Tús 0éoews Meolokitlov čvopºd Śew sić0auev. It
was visible not only from this terrace, but also from all the palace of the
Triconchon,
336 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
the neighbouring harbour of the same name." Little
is said about this Palace before the time of Nike-
phoros Phokas.” This Emperor surrounded the
Palace with the walls, the strong remains of which
were discovered beside the other walls during the
operations at the railway. Kedrenos writes of
them : “the building of the Palace wall vexed the
men more than aught else.” In this Palace
Tzimiskes murdered Nikephoros Phokas with the
help of Theophano, widow of Romanus.”
Mention of the Palace of the Boukoleon is made
by Willelmus Tyrius, Archbishop of Tyre, who
came to Constantinople in 1172, to ask Manuel
Komnenos' assistance against Saladin."
At the capture of the city by the Latins in 1204,
Mourtzouphlos fled for his life to this Palace, and
he and the women with him got out of the city
from it through the harbour of the Boukoleon. Ac-
cording to the French historian, Ville-Hardouin, the
most beautiful ladies in the world were found here,
where they had taken refuge, Agnes of France, and
Isaac Angelos' young widow, Margaret of Hungary.”
After the complete capture of the city the Latin
rulers sometimes stayed here, sometimes in the
* There was a vaulted house beside this harbour where the Imperia.
barges were laid up. The modern &kárta of the Turks like their orovX-
Tavukä, are in imitation of those of the Byzantines.
* Bušavruval Mexérat, p. 114.
* G. Kedrenos, Vol. II., pp. 369, 375.
* Cpolis. Chri.tiana. lib; iv., p. 59.
* Ville-Hardouin, Conqueste de Cple, Paris, 1870, pp. 92, 98. I have
written most fully on the palace and harbour of the Boukoleon in my
Bušavruval Mexérat, p. 106. For particulars of the wealth found in the
palace, see the Fontes Rerum Austriacarum, Vienna, Vol. I., p. 356.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 337
Palace of Blachernai, which was situated beside the
land wall of the seventh quarter."
Mention is made of a chapel in this Palace dedi-
cated to Our Lady.”
THE HARBOUR OF TELE BOUR OLEON.
Here I shall transcribe some of the particulars
which I have given elsewhere” about the harbour of
the Boukoleon. Many other writers have spoken
of its site, its size, and its connection with the palace
of the same name. The discovery of the remains of
the palace has helped to decide the first of these. A
small depression to the south of the ruins now
marks its position. After the capture, the Turks
blocked up the entrance, and now every vestige of
the stone wharves and Imperial jetties has perished.
All the interior of this still harbour, which many
vessels once entered, is now covered with gardens,
trees and a small pond. Previous to the excavation at
the Palace, topographers identified the harbour of
the Boukoleon either with that of the Sophies,” or
* Debet vero Imperator habere universam quartam partem acquisiti
Imperii et palacium Blacherne et Buccam leonis. Urkunden zur Alteren
Handels- und Staatgeschichte der Republik Venedig, von Tafel und Thomas.
Wien, 1856, Vol. I., p. 447.
* Eacwide Sacrae, Comte Riant, cap. 157. Pope Innocent III., in his
32nd epistle, lib. 15, speaks of the churches of the Boukoleon and
Blachernai. Another writer, Rigord, mentions the Imperial chapel in
the Boukoleon. Hist. de l'Empire, sous les Empereurs François, pt. i.,
p. 155. It is strange that none of our native historians should have
mentioned this chapel whose magnificence is so extolled by the Crusaders.
It was in it that the relics of the Passion were kept, which were removed
to Paris in 1234.
* Bušavtival Mexétat, pp. 112, 117.
* Now Kötergha limané,
24
338 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
with the harbour of Julian beside the Iron Gate."
They never placed it inside the Palace precincts.
Labarte alone, with his wonted acuteness, en-
deavoured to follow the guidance of the Byzantine
writers, and to point out its true site. He places
the Harbour of the Boukoleon beside the Palace of
the same name, but outside the sea-walls, being led
astray by Buondelmonti's map, as given in Du
Cange's Constantinopolis Christiana and Banduri,
which pictures two jetties on the outer face of the
sea-wall, stretching into the sea, and gradually con-
tracting towards the mouth of the harbour so
formed. This preposterous picture Labarte accepted
as correct, without bearing in mind the strength of
the current and the depth of the sea, which would
render it impossible to build a jetty against the ir-
resistible flow past this point. At the same time,
our thanks are due to Buondelmonti for shewing us
that the site of this harbour was beside the Palace
of the same name.
Kedrenos writes, “Theophano conducts him
(Tzimiskes) by night to the artificial harbour below
the Palace.” The words of Anna Komnené º are
also worthy of attention. “Beside these walls, a
harbour hewn out of the rock and built of marble
had been constructed, where the stone lion captures
the ox. He has hold of the ox's horn, and clutch-
ing him by the neck, is fastened on to his throat.
For which cause, in sooth, the whole place is called
* Now Djetladhé kapá.
* Vol. II., p. 375. ° Lib. iii., p. 137.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 339
Boukoleon, both the buildings on the land, and the
harbour as well.” -
This harbour had a marble landing-place adorned
with lions and columns, from which the Emperor and
his courtiers embarked when they went by water to
Blachernai or the Life-receiving Fountain. It was
a large harbour, as I would infer from the following
words: “As the Patriarch Nicholas did not consent
to this, Romanus was warned by Theodore, his
tutor, to come with all his fleet to the Bouko-
leon.”—“He came armed, with all his fleet, to the
Boukoleon.” If the harbour of the Boukoleon be
identical with that termed the harbour of the
Sophies or the Kontoskalion, as most topographers
maintain, what are we to say of the words which
Phrantzes uses in describing the capture : “To the
Consul of the Catalans, Peter Giuliano, it was ap-
pointed to keep guard in the neighbourhood of the
Boukoleon and as far as the Kontoskalion.” “
TELE NEW CEIURCEI.
“The cross is placed for veneration in the same
New Church " On the first of May, the dedi-
cation of the New Church was celebrated by the
Emperor, Patriarch and courtiers, going in solemn
procession from the chapel of Our Lady of the
Pharos.” The procession was made to the New
* Theophanes Con., p. 886. ŠK toº karū Töv Bovko)\éovta Apºvos eis Tów
év tº pápº Tod peyāNov traMattov veðv Todrov čvinyaye. N. Choniates,
p. 289.
3 P. 252.
* Cons. P., Vol. I., pp. 549, 775.
340 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
Church, and after the Liturgy, a reception was held
in the Chrysotriklinos.
This church was built by Basil the Macedonian
in the ninth year of his reign (876 A.D.), and was
on that account sometimes termed the Basiliké or
Imperial Church. It was dedicated to Jesus Christ."
“In the building of the church which was then
being constructed at the Imperial Court, to the
name of our Saviour Jesus Christ, the Leader of the
heavenly hosts, and Elijah the Tishbite.” It had
two chapels, dedicated to the Archangel Michael
and Elijah the Tishbite, [and another to S. Clement].
The floor was laid with various precious marbles,
fitted together like mosaics, and rivalling—we are
told—the variegated and charming lustre of pea-
cocks.” In the description of this famous church
by the Patriarch Photios,” it is said that the ceiling
bore a figure of Christ, surrounded by companies
of attendant angels. A figure of the Virgin
occupied the apse of the sanctuary. On the
walls were depicted choirs of apostles, prophets,
martyrs, and patriarchs. According to Photios,
*–
* Fabricavit [Basilius] ecclesiam quam nean . . . in honore summi
et celestis militiae principis archangeli Michaelis. Luitprand, Antap.,
lib. i., cap. 20; lib. iii., cap. 34; G. Kodinos, p. 82: Theophanes Con.,
p. 691. º
* Ibid., pp. 308, 319.
* Ibid., p. 326. The wealthy Peloponnesian lady Danelis covered the
floor with pile-carpets (vakoratºrrøy). Ibid., p. 319; G. Kedremos,
Vol. II., pp. 191, 814.
* G. Kodinos, p. 194. The dedication took place on the 1st of May, in
the 14th year of Basil's reign. Theophanes Con., pp. 692, 845. Trox\axoſ,
Tijs TóNews Tó &pxuatpating MixañA vaoys éðelparo èk kalvås, Övels kal # &v
tº traXariq, Āeyouéum véa. M. Glykas, p. 549.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 341
the church was dedicated to Our Lady. The
five domes of the gilded ceiling were full of pic-
tures. Gold, silver, precious stones and abundance
of rich marbles were to be seen on every side. The
floor was covered with silken stuffs.
The site of this magnificent church is made clear
by the following words of Porphyrogennetos:
“They descend the stair of the Boukoleon, and
turning to the right, descend to the narthex of the
great New Church.” "
At the western end of the church, either in the
narthex or the fore-court, were two fountains,”
one at the north, the other at the south side, in
which the water flowed up from a spring in the
marble, and issued from the mouths of bronze
cocks, goats and rams. On the south and east there
was an open space, extending as far as the Imperial
buildings about the Pharos, where the Emperors
with their families and specially invited friends
played at ball.
From the narthex the Emperors went up again
to the Palace of the Chrysotriklinos through the
private ascentand the highest terrace of thenarthex.”
This ascent was in all probability covered over, and
reserved for the Emperor's exclusive use."
Basil bought up the private houses which orig-
inally stood here, levelled them to the ground,
cleared the site, and devoted it to a sacristy and
* Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 117. The ground falls rapidly from the Chryso-
triklinos to the Boukoleon.
* Theophames Cony N. 328. t
* Cons. P., Vol. I., pp. 116, 121. * Ibid., p. 549.
342 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
storehouse for the church." Similar houses belong-
ing to private persons are mentioned in the pre-
cincts of Blachernai.” This is the place called by
the later writers the Mesokepion. Basil planted all
the space extending as far as the sea-walls with
various plants, and introduced a copious supply of
Water.
For the building of this church he collected
marbles, mosaics, and pillars from many ruined
churches and houses. To these he added the
bronze pillar, with a figure of a bishop, which stood
in the Senate-House.” The bronze doors of the
church he brought thither from the portico of the
Forum.” This church, the most magnificent in the
whole Palace, is, I conjecture, the one referred to
by Choniates " as the New Monastery, “the
famous church in the Palace,” which Isaac Angelos
stripped “ of all its wondrous furniture and sacred
vessels.”
At the celebration of the inauguration of this
New Church, the Emperor and courtiers went “to
the narthex next the sea.” Constantine Porphy-
rogennetos seems to call the space behind the bema
* Kal &XXovs 6é Trox\oys 6etovs vao)s évrös roo traXatſov ć6opºfforato, els övopa
'HXtov roſ, Tpopfftov, kal rod paprºpos KXàuevros kal rod Xarâpos Xpua toû, Kal
Toº &pxta Tpathyov. G. Kedrenos, Vol. II., p. 240.
* Bušavruval Mexérat, p. 96.
* Theophanes Con., p. 691.
* G. Kodinos, p. 125. This Forum is the place where the burnt pillar
still stands.
5 P. 582.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 343
a narthex.' The text is probably faulty, for it does
not seem possible that this church could have a
narthex at the east end behind the bema.
We saw above that, contemporaneously with the
erection of this church, Basil built three chapels to
Elijah the Tishbite, the Archangel Michael, and S.
Clement. A procession was made to this church
on November 8, the festival of the Captain of the
Heavenly Hosts.”
TEIE CHAPEL OF ELIJAEI THE TISEIBITE.
From the chapel of the Pharos they went up to
the chapel of S. Elias. “When their majesties
enter the sanctuary of the oratory of S. Elias.”
“Immediately to the east of the Palace is built the
church of the Tishbite, which is full of all kinds of
wealth and splendour, not inside merely but also
outside.” “ The ceiling of this church was covered
with gold mosaic, wonderfully fitted together. “On
the 20th of July a solemn procession is performed
in the Palace in commemoration of Elias the pro-
phet.”" From the language which Constantine
Porphyrogennetos employs in describing the
festival, I am inclined to think that this chapel
was outside the New Church.
* Vol. I., p. 121. Reiske rightly remarks (Vol. II., p. 216): Qualis
hic 06Nagora significetur, aut quis horum verborum sensus sit, fateor me
nescire.
* Ibid., Vol. I., p. 121.
* Ibid., pp. 116, 117; G. Kedrenos, Vol. II., p. 240.
* Theophanes Com., p. 329. * Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 776.
344 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
THE CEIAPEL OF THE AIRCEIANGEL MICHAEL.
This chapel also was in the New Church.
Whether it, and the chapel of S. Elias, com-
municated with the church I do not know. I have
already said that Basil planted the ground east of
these chapels; this seems to show that they were
not close to the sea-wall."
TEIE CEIAPEL OF S. CLEMENT,
Basil erected another chapel in the New Church
dedicated to the holy martyr Clement. It con-
tained various sacred relics of the martyr.”
From an expression of Porphyrogennetos, to
which I have already referred—“They go down
from the Palace of the Boukoleon, and, turning to
the right, descend to the narthex of the great New
Church "-I conjecture that the site of this church
and its group of chapels is correctly represented by
the place which I have assigned them on my plan.
East of the Pharos, at a short distance from the
Thracian railway, there is still preserved a long
building, many years deserted, built entirely of
hewn white stone. Some small vaulted chambers
stand behind it, which have been partially demo-
lished by former occupants. The floor of the
underground vaults is laid with stone, about 7%
inches thick.” This building is quite different from
the surrounding Ottoman houses. On its south
* Theophanes Con., p. 328; G. Kedrenos, Vol. II., p. 239.
* Theophanes Con., p. 330; G. Kedrenos, Vol. II., p. 240.
* Ten 64krv\ot.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 345
side there is an open space. A short time before
I saw it, three large marble pillars and their
capitals, which were plainly of Byzantine work-
manship, had been unearthed in a shattered con-
dition. The Greek proprietor of this house was
anxious to make further excavations, but was pre-
vented by his Turkish neighbours.
According to a common tradition amongst them,
Sultan Achmet, who in 1610 erected the adjoining
mosque which bears his name, gave this house to his
chief eunuch for a residence. The Byzantine writers
speak of no other buildings here, except the New
Church and the adjacent buildings already referred
to. I think that this is the spot where Basil the
Macedonian erected the splendid church which he
adorned with all manner of marbles and columns.
Besides, this house is built, as I said, entirely of
white stone, contrary to the practice of the Turks,
who do not favour stone buildings. Probably
Sultan Achmet's chief eunuch built this house out
of the ruins of the New Church and its chapels.
The three pillars, moreover, have formed part of a
very great building. -
These facts support the view which I have often
expressed, that in the Palace precincts many
remains of the Palace, and undoubted examples of
our palatial architecture, are shut up in the houses
and close-fenced gardens of the Turks. To add to
our difficulties, the crowded dwellings and the net-
work of narrow and tortuous streets make any
attempt to fix the site of an ancient building diffi-
cult and often untrustworthy.
346 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
TEIE PORPEIYIRY CELAMBER.
Anna Komnené describes the site of this cham-
ber clearly.” “The Porphyry Chamber is a certain
building whose form is comprehended in a square
from the foundation to the spring of the roof, and
thence it rises to a pyramid. It looks on one side
to the Sea and the harbour, where the stone oxen
and lions are. The floor and walls are covered
with marble, not such as might be at hand, nor such
varieties as are more easily procurable, but such as
the former Emperors used to bring from Rome.
The stone is this sort : the body of it is purple,
and white sand-like specks are scattered over it.
Because of this stone, I think, they called the
building the Porphyry Chamber.” It was reserved
for the accouchement of the Empresses. “They
anciently named it the Porphyry Chamber, whence
the name of the Porphyrogennetoi spread to the
world.” “The IIoppūpa is so called because
the Empress used to distribute purple to her
ladies at the Brumalia.” Kantakouzenos, in
his account of the entrance of Andronikos, the
younger, writes: “He returned again to the Palace
and lodged near it in the Emperor's houses of the
Porphyrogennetos; ” and again : “The Emperor,
1 Vol. I. p. 334.
* Ibid., p. 295. Tſis 6é Öeatrotums Tpès rê Tekeſv ćA00%ams ºkovopºff0m pièv #
Troppūpa kal et Tperta 6 m trpès Thu ÜTroööxäu Tàs yeuvâgews. Cf. N. Choniates,
p. 219; G. Kedrenos, Vol. II. p. 27.
* Theophanes Con., p. 147. Porphyrogenitum autem non in purpura
sed in domo quae Porphyra dicitur natum appello. Luitprand, Ant.,
lib. ii., cap. 6.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 347
going to the house of the Porphyrogennetos, first
Ordered that no one should approach the Emperor's
apartments.””
In 1354, the enemy entered the Palace, and plun-
dered the arsenal at the dockyard of the Boukoleon,
while Andronikos the younger “was emboldened
to advance on the Emperor's apartments, and to go
to the house of Porphyrogennetos and lodge
there.” We do not know why he took up his
quarters in this palace instead of elsewhere. Pro-
bably the other palace-buildings mentioned in
earlier days were by this time in ruins or quite
unfit for habitation. Byzantios gives a vivid des-
cription of the villanies enacted in this palace.”
Along the right hand side of the railway, where
it passes through the Palace precincts, vaults and
strong Byzantine foundations, which probably
belong to this palace, were laid bare. No other
such building in this neighbourhood is mentioned
in history." The navvies engaged on the railway
demolished most of these relics, and what remained
the Turks used for building purposes. Some vaults
are still preserved beside the line.
TEIE FIVE CHAMBERS.
This building, which was a hall of very great size
situated beside the Gallery of Marcian, was the
1 Vol. I., p. 305; II., p. 290; J. Kantakouzenos, Vol. II., p. 607;
IIoppūpav čvouáčova w śketvov Tów olktakov. Manasses, v. 4470.
* J. Kantakouzenos, Vol. III., p. 290.
* KiroNis, Vol. I., p. 206.
* According to Luitprand (Ant., i., 7) Constantine the Great built this
chamber.
348 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
work of Basil the Macedonian, who, we are told,
conveyed to it the choicest examples of lovely and
beautiful work.” “The work of the same hand and
mind (Basil the Macedonian's) was the great hall
beside the Gallery of Marcian, called the Five
Chambers.” The chapel of S. Paul was in this
hall.
In the account of the reception of Elga, Porphy-
rogennetos says: “Another banquet was held in
the Five Chambers of S. Paul.” ” In the Continua-
tion of Theophanes, where the writer is describing
the buildings of Basil, he says : * “Among them is
the venerable chapel of the Holy Herald, S. Paul.
Its pavement has silver bands encircling the
marbles, and in richness and beauty it is evidently
nothing behind the others.” The chapel of S.
Barbara, which communicated with it, was the
work of Leo the Philosopher.
Alexios Komnenos, when overtaken by his last
illness, was conveyed to the Five Chambers, where
he died.* I do not know whether the following
refers to this chapel of S. Paul: “The fourfold apse
of S. Paul he adorned with various pictures, and
ordered the old ornamentation to be cast away and
new set up, and also placed many designs and
pictures in gold in it.”
* Theophanes Con., p. 335.
* Vol. I., p. 598. * Pp. 147, 331, 335.
* Byzantios, Kiro)\ts., Vol. I., p. 205.
* Theophanes Con,, p. 450.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 349
THE CHAPEL OF S: BARBARA.
This chapel was in the Five Chambers beside
that of S. Paul, and was built by Leo the Philo-
sopher, Son of Basil the Macedonian —“The very
beautiful chapel of the heaven-soaring Paul, with
which is connected that of the martyr Barbara,
built by the most sapient Leo, etc.”.”
The passages from Constantine Porphyrogen-
netos, above referred to, do not tell us whether
these chapels were inside the Five Chambers or
not. The Byzantine historians have recorded very
little about the building.
THE GALLERY OR PASSAGE OF MARCIAN.
I have already mentioned “that some portions of
the Palace fortifications, anciently known as the
Gallery (diaſ3attrö) or Passage (Teptópouot) of
Marcian are still in existence. This name was
given to the wall which extended from the Skyla
to the Karean Gate and the shore, where it was
connected with the sea-walls. From the Skyla and
the Gallery of Marcian the Emperors went to the
church of S. Peter. “Their majesties . . . .
proceed through the Tripeton, the Lausiakon, the
Justinian, the Skyla, and the Gallery of Marcian
outside, (Tóv čo diaſ3attrów) to the chapel of the
Holy Apostle Peter which is there.” I think that
instead of Töv čo diaſ3attków we should read Töv čvo.
* Ibid., p. 335. * Ibid.
* [In chapter i., p. 22. Tr.]
* Coms, P., Vol. I., p. 122; Labarte, p. 215.
350 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
The fragments which happily are still preserved, on
the right-hand side of where the railway issues
from the Palace precincts, shew us the nature of
the gallery. In Porphyrogennetos, however, it is
seldom alluded to. Mention is made of certain
churches built beside these walls, probably
opposite the Five Chambers. The tower called
Böktvov or Boćkivov lay at one extremity of the inner
Palace wall. It had been destroyed long before
the time of our writers, and it is impossible for us
now to determine its site. The same is the case
with the Kentenarion, from which Andronikos the
tyrant shot at his enemies in 1185.
TEIE CEIAPEL OF S. PETER.
I have not succeeded in discovering any remains
of this chapel. It lay in the Palace precinct,
beside the walls, as appears from the quotations
above. Basil the Macedonian built a chapel
to S. Peter the chief of the Apostles at the
extremity of the Gallery of Marcian as an
&kpotſpyrov.” The sea-end of the Gallery of Mar-
cian at the present day is an old Turkish tower,
which has long been used as a beacon. No trace
of these chapels now survives. On the right hand
side of the Turkish tower there are some arches
which formed part of the residence occupied by
Justinian before he became Emperor. South of
this house, beside the sea-wall, there may be seen
* Theophanes Con., p. 331. Gyllius, lib. ii., cap. 16, says that the
churches of these saints did not exist in his day. Cons. P., loc. cit,
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 351
great columns and Byzantine capitals, the remains
of ancient buildings, which have been cast into the
Sea. These unfortunately are now being destroyed.
THE CHAPEL OF TEIE ARCHANGEL MICHAEL.
This chapel was connected with that of S. Peter
at the end of the Gallery of Marcian."
From the passages already quoted, it is impossi-
ble to determine where these buildings lay. Any
traces or remains of them I have never been able
to discover, although I have frequently made care-
ful search. The chapel of the Theometór lay
above these two.” I suppose that they were all
inside the Palace.
THE MONASTERY OF KALYPAS.
This monastery, which was situated in the
Palace, is only once mentioned. “Alexander con-
fined him in the monastery of the Palace called
Kalypas.” -
Equally unknown is another mentioned in the
same collection. “In the monastery of the Palace
which is called Kampas.” “ Many statements in
our historians are inaccurate. These monasteries
are never mentioned by Constantine Porphyrogen-
netos. No doubt they were not in existence in his
time.
1 Theophanes Con., p. 331 ; G. Kedrenos, Vol. II., p. 240.
* Theophanes Con., loc. cit.
* Theophanes Con., p. 717; on p. 873 it is called Ka}\virtãs.
* Ibid., p. 379. [Probably the apparent difference is due to a copyist's
error. Tr.]
352 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
In the study of the Palace we have difficulty in
fixing the position of buildings, which are
mentioned only once, without any indication of
better known adjacent buildings. Take, for
example, “the spiral stair of S. Christina.”
Mention is also made of a bridge which was, as I
suppose, beside the descent to the Boukoleon in
front of S. Christina. “And they form a consis-
tory at the foot of the bridge.”—“The patricians
stand at the table of the bridge.” It was pro-
bably thrown over some chasm here for the
convenience of those who crossed. No one else
mentions the chapel of S. Christina. Perhaps it
was a holy well.
Meletius, in his valuable work,” enumerates all
the churches and monasteries founded in Constan-
tinople and the suburbs from the earliest times to
the final capture. These particulars were taken by
him from Du Cange's Comstantinopolis Christiana.
Their number in both works is about 370. All of
them, however, did not endure until the time of the
capture by the Turks. Some of the churches and
chapels which the historians, and Constantine Por-
phyrogennetos in particular, mention as being in the
adjoining buildings, or in the Palace precinct, havenot
been described in the works of Du Cange and Meletius,
since they, more especially Du Cange, could not
avail themselves of the guidance of Constantine
* Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 214.
* Ibid., p. 215.
* Mexertov Tearypapta IIa)\ata kal Néa, Venice, 1807, Vol. III., p. 71.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 353
Porphyrogennetos." In addition to this, the vari-
ous writings of the Crusaders, and the account of
the Sacred relics brought to Europe from the
churches, enlighten us greatly on the churches
which then existed.” The Crusaders deprived the
churches of the city and Palace, sometimes openly,
Sometimes secretly, of ivory, of the silver and gold
bindings of church books, of sacred vestments of all
sorts, and of richly adorned reliquaries. Most of
these they conveyed to Venice, where many fell a
prey to the flames in the burning of S. Mark's in
1231. Others which were preserved in the royal
collections of France, were destroyed amid the
political upheavals of last century.
I have recalled these facts because, in my
opinion, the pillage of the Palace churches, and the
denudation of the Imperial residence, probably
moved the Emperors to leave the Palace on the
Akropolis, and take up their abode in the lofty
castle of Blachernai. Moreover, it is well known
from the many writers of the times of the Crusades
that during all their stay in Constantinople the
Frankish Emperors did not live in the famous
Chrysotriklinos and Manaura, but in the Bouko-
leon and Blachernai. While the palace of the
Boukoleon, which was for the most part the work
of Nikephoros Phokas, and his principal stronghold,
* In subsequent editions of Meletius, the editors might have made
many additions from the Byzantine writers which were unknown to
Du Cange, but afterwards available.
* Les Dépouilles Religieuses enlevées à Constantinople au XIII., par les
Latims. Par le Comte Riant. Paris, 1875.
25
354 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
is but seldom mentioned by our historians, the
foreign Crusader writers in their turn have left
nothing of importance about the Great Palace,
which Constantine Porphyrogennetos and our other
writers have described so fully.
I have now to enumerate the churches and
chapels which I have already mentioned, and
endeavoured to place in their true positions in the
Palace precincts or the neighbourhood. Of these,
unfortunately, only one, the church of S. Sophia now
remains.
CHURCHES AND CHAPELS IN BUILDINGS
ADJOINING THE PALACE.
1. S. Stephen, beside the Stand of the Great
Hippodrome.
. The chapel of Our Lady, in the first porch of
the Mangana of the Hippodrome."
. S. Sophia. -
. S. John the Baptist, or the Baptistery, beside
the Horologion of S. Sophia.”
2
5. The church of Alexios.
6. The chapel of S. Constantine.
7. The chapel of S. Helena. Both these were on
either side of the base of the statue of
Justinian.
* Cons. P., Vol. I., p. 334. See also the chapter on the Hippodrome,
p. 46.
*'Iwóvvov toº €eoNóyov čkk\mata, els rô &poxöytov, TXmatov tís MeyáAms
ékk\matas. Meletius, Vol. III., p. 83. S. Ioannis Baptistae aedem ad
Horologium, haud procul ab aede Sophiana. Du Cange, p. 102.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 355
8. The church of S. John, or the Diippion."
9. The chapel of S. Theophylaktos in the Patri-
archeion.
10. Our Lady in the Copper-market, with its
two chapels on either side of the bema.”
CEIUPCEIES AND CHAPELS IN THE PALACE
PRECINCTS.
1. The chapel of S. Theodore in the north-east
chamber of the Chryostriklinos.
Our Lady of the Pharos.”
The church of S. Demetrios.
The church of S. Basil, east of the Lausiakon.
The chapel of S. Ann, beside the Westiary of
the Augusta."
The church of S. Stephen in the Daphne.
7. Church of Our Most Holy Lady, south of the
covered hippodrome.
8. Chapel of the Holy Trinity.
9. The Baptistery or the Crosses.
:
6.
*'Iwdvvov rod 0eoNôyov čkk\mata eis rô MtAtov i) Attºrtretov . . . Tod
6eo)\óyov etkräptov, KTwo 6&v Štrô Baat)\etov Toij Makeó, eis at Thy Thy eigoóov
tàs Neyop,évms Movo0%pov. Meletius, ibid. I think Du Cange is mistaken
when he writes : S. Phocae aedem in Milio, loco nuncupato Dihippio.
'Apxtuavöpitms toū āv Šatous pajká, p. 133. The Diippion is never said to be
the church of S. Phokas, Meletius has followed this error. Þokā papt.
év tá Alítirety. Vol. III., p. 89. Under the 9th of March, the Synax-
aristes mentions the monastery of S. Phokas, but its whereabouts is
unknown.
*"Otrov to ovvaya, yì, Tây E8patov. Meletius, ibid., p. 75.
3 Tâs 6eotókov čv tº pāpg, TXmatov Tod pleyáNov traXatiov. Ibid., p. 78.
Deiparae Phari, aedes sacra extitit in majori Palatio Constantinopolitano.
Du Cange, p. 95.
*Avvms karū Tov Ağyovortaköv kottàva. Meletius, ibid., p. 91. S. Annae
oratorium in Magno Palatio. Du Cange, p. 144.
356
The Great Palace of Constantinople.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
A chapel unnamed in the stand of the open
hippodrome, mentioned only by Constantine
Porphyrogennetos.
Church of Christ the Saviour at the Bronze
Gate.
Church of the Holy Apostles near the
Bronze Gate and the Schools."
The church of S. John, beside the gallery of
the Forty Saints, and north of the Secret
Fountain.
Church of Our Lord, beside the Consistory
and the Oval.
Chapel of Our Lady in the Eagle.
Chapel of Our Lady in the Pyramidal
Houses.
Chapel of Our Lady in the Palace of the
Boukoleon, mentioned by the Crusader
writers.”
The New Church, built by Basil the Mace-
donian.
Chapel of S. Elijah the Tishbite.
Chapel of the Archangel Michael.”
Chapel of S. Clement in the New Church.
Chapel of S. Paul, built by Basil.
Chapel of S. Barbara, built by Leo the
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
1 Töv ‘Aytay 'AtroaróXav ću tº Tpuköyxºp. Meletius, p. 82 ; Du Cange,
p. 111.
2 “O TXmatov ráðv Bovko)\tov. Meletios, p. 78. It was dedicated to Our
Most Holy Lady. Riant, Eºuviae Sacrae, cap. 157.
* Tot 3pxayyé\ov čv Tó Tpuköyxºp roſ, traMarlov. Meletius, p. 80.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 357
Philosopher; both these were in the Five
Chambers.
24. Chapel of S. Peter, beside the Gallery of
Marcian."
25. Chapel of Michael the Heavenly Captain.
26. Kalypas, the monastery of the Palace.”
27. The Monastery of Kampas in the Palace [?].
28. The spiral stair or descent of S. Christina.
Our historians have told us but little about the
clergy who served these many churches. The
Emperor, with his family and court, used to go to
the adjoining church of Our Lady of the Pharos.
On great occasions (which the Byzantines called
deaTottkös éoptás) he went to S. Sophia. We often
read of the protopappas of the Palace, the superior
of the clergy who officiated in the Palace churches.
THE BATEIS.
“And the Augusta enters the Baths.” These,
“the most beautiful and great and splendid
Imperial Baths,” lay above the New Church,
between it and the Pharos.” According to the
writers in the Continuation of Theophanes, they
were erected by Basil the Macedonian, but I think
that he only enlarged or restored them, because
there were similar baths in the Palace before his
time. Beside them there were the two fountains
* Toj čToo TóNov IIérpov čv Tó tra)\attº), 3) év toſs divaktópots. Ibid., p. 84.
S. Petri Apostoli templum intra Palatii septa. Du Cange, p. 115.
* Meletius, p. 92. Calypa, Monasterium in M. Palatio. Du Cange.
p. 154.
* Theophanes Con., p. 336.
358 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
of the Green and Blue factions which Basil
demolished, putting an end at the same time to the
festivities which they were wont to celebrate
there. “And purposing to wash in the great bath
in the Palace, and having entered it, he was
miserably drowned in the swimming-bath.” The
situation of this bath in which Romanus Argyros
was drowned, at the instigation of Zoe, is not
clear."
Another bath is mentioned in the life of Leo the
Armenian.—“Suspecting that he is plotting a re-
bellion, he puts him in chains in the bath Pith-
ekeion.”* I do not know the reference of the
words: “at the furnace of the Imperial Baths.” "
TELE BATEI RATOPTRON.
Kodinos mentions this bath in passing, without
any further explanation. It is doubtful whether it
was in or outside of the Palace.
THE BATEI OF TEIE HOUSEHOLD.
Kodinos notices this great bath of the household,
which was beside the Tzykanisterion, and had
seven chambers (évôňkas), twelve porches, and a
great swimming-bath adorned with figures. This
bath was in existence until the reign of Nikephoros
* G. Kedrenos, Vol. II., p. 507; M. Glykas, p. 585; Byzantios, Kiro)\ts.,
Vol. I., p. 210.
* Theophanes Con., p. 610 ; Genesios, p. 21.
* Theophanes Con., p. 35. €pſ3\mbévros év Tū kap.tvq too Čv Tó traXatiq,
Xovrpoſ). G. Kedrenos, Vol. II., p. 62.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 359
Phokas (963). Tzimiskes demolished it, and used
the material to build the Bronze Gate, where he
was buried."
TELE BALNEARIA.
“The archbishop enters, as is his custom,
through the balnearia,”—“The candidati stand
before the hippodrome, behind the door of the
latrines (xpetov),” of the balnearia.”—“The Emperor
goes out through the balnearia.” C. Porphyro-
gennetos' words are not easy to understand now ;
but I cannot conceive that the Emperor and the
Patriarch went through the latrines of the baths as
Reiske would explain it.
THE STABLES.
It is difficult, not to say impossible, to determine
the site of the stables, which are so often referred
to. “He departs thus to the stables,”—“outside
the stables of the mules”—“to the Augusta's
stables"—“the overseers of the stables "-" five
chains were hung outside the stables of the mules”
—“the prefect decorated the outside of the stables
of the mules, and the first school.” "
Michael, the son of Theophilos, built a stable for
* G. Kodinos, p. 19.
* Cons, P., Vol. I., pp. 422, 699. Reiske translates, Thu 0%pav Tów
Xpotów [sic] rijs BaAvtaplas: portam necessariarum seu latrinarum balnei.
On p. 822 (Vol. II.) he says : Xpetów, necessariae Latinis et Xpeta, Graecis
novis sunt latrinae.
3 Cons, P., Vol. I., pp. 271, 311, 572, 583, 715.
360 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
his horses, which he adorned with marbles, and fur-
nished with abundance of water.' I think that
this stable was inside the Palace ; but where pre-
cisely, no writer tells us. “Michael, the son of
Theophilos, built the vaulted stable, and adorned
it with valuable marbles.” ”
The Entrance to the Stables mentioned by C.
Porphyrogennetos” was on the left side of the
Manaura. Probably it was here, at a distance from
the Palace, and apart from other buildings, that the
Emperors erected their stables.
TEIE CISTERNS.
The Palace no doubt had an abundant supply of
water from cisterns and underground conduits. It
came chiefly from the great cistern of Philoxenos,
which was situated west of the Great Hippo-
drome.* Mention is also made of cisterns in front
of the Manaura, and of another between the Hall
of Justinian and the hall of ceremonies, which con-
tained abundance of drinking water, and fish for
the sport of the Emperors. Heraclius filled these
up, and turned them into gardens, because Stephen
the mathematician had warned him that he would
1 Theophanes Con., pp. 666, 825; Leo. Gram., p. 239. The stables of
the Patriarch Theophylaktos, mentioned on p. 449 of the Continuation,
were within the Palace walls.
* G. Kodinos, p. 82. * Vol. I., p. 215,
* Now Bin bir dirék. The Continuation of Theophanes says about
Theophilos : rö Tpès Thu 64\aggau Toº Taxartov Teixn Tów &pxalov 0epeXtov
oùros trapek?a)\dºv, kal Tpós Tà h\takö, äuffa Tpórepov Kuwa répums offa ms avvé6m
8agiXuköv &roTuvyāvat viðv, trapačeto ovs épyao &pévos. P. 88.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 361
die by water." The water from the cistern called
the Emperor's cistern did not flow into the Palace,
for it lay at a higher level.
All the Palace cisterns have now disappeared.
The cistern of Philoxenos is dry. Most of the
water used within the Palace at the present day
comes from the hydraulic pyramid in front of the
Hippodrome, which is connected with the great
aqueduct of Valens. Kedrenos writes of the
cisterns of the Palace : Basil “built also the Palace
in Pegai . . . having cleared out the cistern
which the Emperor Heraclius had filled up with
earth and turned into a garden for plants and
vegetables. He had done the same with those
which were in the Palace, before the Manaura,
and between the Hall of Justinian and the Lau-
siakon.”’’ These few words do not aid us in
further settling the site of the cisterns which are
not now in existence.
I have described the Palace of the Byzantine
Emperors chiefly on the authority of Constantine
Porphyrogennetos. Other writers, earlier or later,
supplement what he has written. The remains
which have been discovered, contribute greatly to
i Ibid., p. 338; M. Glykas, p. 550. There was then, as now, an over-
seer of the waters. Bao (Neuds 6 Ma)\éo ms . . . Tö tot} \oyo0érov Tów
jöätov Óqqºlºwou Tepte; wouévos. M. Attaliates, p. 167. Andreossy, in his
valuable work, Cple, et le Bosphore de Thrace, Paris, 1828, p. 385, says:
“Le système des eaux qui abreuvent la capitale de l'Empire Ottoman
est recommandable . . . on aura lieu de se convaincre que c’est un
des plus grands travaux que les Empereurs grees nous aient laissé.”
* Vol. II., p. 241 ; Malalas, p. 477. All that is said about the cisterns
is very vague.
362 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
the more exact arrangement of the whole Palace,
with the many halls and galleries, which connected
its manifold buildings.
Fortunately for the description of the Palace, I
was able to attain exact measurements of the
Palaces of the Boukoleon, and Blachernai. The
Boukoleon, which was a long, narrow building,
measured 98.28 m. long and 17 m. broad [319 ft.
by 55 ft.]; while that of Blachernai, which was
founded on the prison of Anemas, was 65 m. long
[211 ft.] and somewhat more in breadth. These
measurements indicate that the palaces which the
Byzantine Emperors erected in the Palace pre-
cincts were not of great size. The same conclusion
is suggested by the number of the halls and
chambers which were scattered over the whole
extent of the Palace ground.
The palaces, especially the Manaura and the
Chrysotriklinos, had domes, and like the churches
lead-covered roofs. We very seldom read of fires
breaking out in the Palace. The majority of the
buildings were of one storey, and had vaults in the
basement, supported on stone or marble pillars such
as are still to be seen in the remains of the Numera,
the Pharos, and the Manaura. .
The sloping nature of the Palace site is rendered
plain by the number of staircases and descents
mentioned in the description of the buildings. We
do not know which of the passages were covered or
not ; neither do we know the size, height, breadth
and length of the many buildings, and the passages
by which they were connected. Nevertheless I
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 363
must admit that we learn a great deal about the
Palace of our Emperors from the study of the
ceremonies celebrated there.
After Constantine Porphyrogennetos wrote his
description of the ceremonies in the middle of the
tenth century, the Emperors erected no more build-
ings of any importance, at least nothing of the sort
is alluded to in the subsequent history of the
Empire.
After that time, the Byzantines as they gazed on
the dome of S. Sophia, or the immense structures in
the Augustaion, conjured up the names of the great
builders, Justinian, and his successors Theophilos
and Basil the Macedonian, who erected so many
buildings in the Palace and the city. Then the
Italians began the ruin of the state by unjust
monopolies, by hindering Byzantine navigation in
the Euxine, and by claiming the sole right to con-
vey the rich merchandise of Pontus, India, and
China to Constantinople and their own country.
The customs of the city were far exceeded by those
of her independent rival Galata on the other side
of the Golden Horn. From the eleventh century
onwards, the Italians and Crusaders pillaged the
Empire and took all sorts of valuable Greek and
Byzantine work to Italy, where it is still pre-
served. In consequence of this the palaces remained
as Constantine Porphyrogennetos described them."
* Les princes croisés affoiblirent extrêmement l'Empire d’Orient par la
façon dont ils le conquirent ; et le Grecs, en le reprenant, ne recouvrerent,
pour aimsi dire, que le cadavre de l’ancien. M. Guys, Voyage Littéraire
de la Grèce, Vol. I., p. 336.
364 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
From the historians we learn that our Emperors
after the time of the Crusaders, and especially after
they regained the government in 1261, resided in
the palace of Blachernai. In it and the Boukoleon,
the foreign emperors had already resided during
the Latin domination. After Michael Palaiologos
erected the new walls, this Palace—the Holy
Palace—was neglected. Probably the gold and
silver ornaments were removed, and the numerous
chambers were used only for the public festivals
and processions, and the banquets of the courtiers
with the Emperor." --
In consequence of its neglect, and the poverty of the
Emperors to which I have already adverted, no ex-
pensive repairs were made upon the Palace. I do not
however agree with Labarte's statement that the
ancient walls were demolished and the materials
taken to build the new ones. The emperors could
not betray so many splendid buildings and adorn-
ments of marble and precious mosaics to the
wretched and impoverished inhabitants of Con-
stantinople. My own opinion is that these walls
—those beside the Augustaion and the Gallery of
Marcian—were demolished by the Turks, who when
they gained the mastery of Constantinople, col-
lected materials from every quarter towards the
1 Benjamin of Tudela, though he never alludes to the Palace in the
Akropolis, extols the Palace of Blachernai, or Bilbernae, as he calls it. He
says, “The throne in this palace is of gold, and ornamented with precious
stones; a golden crown hangs over it, suspended on a chain of the same
material, etc. Bergeron, p. 12; Early Travels in Palestine; Wright, p. 75,
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 365
building of their numerous mosques, a work begun
even during the lifetime of the conqueror Mahomet."
From the historians after the Latin domination,
we learn a few particulars about the Palace. These
gleanings throw some light on the very obscure
history of the Palace after the restoration in 1261.
“Wekkos had the dignity of chartophylax, attached
to which office is the privilege that his consent
must be obtained before any priest can bestow the
blessing. But a priest who officiated in the church
situated beside the Pharos of the Great Palace,
was in the habit of giving the nuptial blessing with-
out having obtained his consent. When this be-
came known he was suspended from the exercise of
his functions as a punishment.”
When Michael Palaiologos lived in the palace of
Blachernai, it appears as if the patriarch resided in
a monastery in the vicinity, to be nearer to the
Emperor, though not in the Church of Our Lady at
Blachermai, where the Emperor and those in the
Palace worshipped. “The monastery of the district
was assigned as a resting-place to the train of the
Patriarch.” Shortly before this the same writer
says: “It was the height of summer, and the
Emperor was taking the air in the middle of the
Oval, and the Patriarch was residing beside him in
the neighbourhood.”
1 Bučavruval Mexétat, p. 297.
* G. Pachymeres, Vol. I., p. 225.
* G. Pachymeres, Vol. I., pp. 405, 409. Our historians mention no
chapel within the palace of Blachernai.
366 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
Contemporary records, however, show us that
there were still some ceremonies performed in the
Great Palace. Pachymeres says: “It was the day
of an assembly in the Sacred Palace, and the as-
sembly was sacred, and entirely composed of holy
monks and other men in holy Orders, and monks,
and the Patriarch and all his synod were present.” "
Nikephoros Gregoras, in his account of the reign
of the younger Andronikos, says, “He could not
endure to be taken up with courtly occupations and
employments, nor did he perform the duty of an
Emperor in the greater festivals.” ” .
At the coronation of Michael, son of Andronikos
Palaiologos, in 1290, in the church of S. Sophia, all
the distinguished citizens, courtiers, and military
men were invited, together with the Italian traders
and those whom “the requirements of embassies
brought to Constantinople.” All the extent of the
Augustaion was filled, and innumerable foreign
tongues—says the chronicler—were heard in this
crowded space. After the ceremony, those who
were invited went to the Great Palace, where the
festivities were celebrated in the great hall of
Manuel.” From this the Emperor went to Blacher-
nai where he usually resided.
The Chryostriklinos is mentioned in some cere-
mony, to which the Emperor invited the notable
* Ibid., p. 392. * Vol. I., p. 565.
* Karā Tov Mavovn)\{rmy 3agi)\tköv Tptk\ºvov. I do not know what hall
is meant by this. I
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 367
citizens and the monks, and since the building could
not contain all the guests, they went out to the
lower ground, where the Emperor Andronikos
Palaiologos addressed them."
When Michael Palaiologos entered the city in
1261, he at first lodged “in the palace which is
next to the Great Hippodrome.” The palace of
Blachernai, where the Crusaders lived, had for long
been neglected, and “filled for the most part with
dust and smoke.” The Latins had before this
been convinced that it was impossible for them to
continue in Constantinople, since the Europeans
were indifferent, and their Greek subjects hostile.
On this account, they removed the precious trea-
sures of our churches, and the gold and silver
vessels of the Palace to Europe.
Owing to the residence of our Emperors at
Blachernai after the restoration, little is thereafter
said of the Great Palace. But some of the many
ceremonies detailed by Constantine Porphyrogen-
netos, continued to be performed. Sentinels still
guarded the Palace, and the usual sentries kept
nightly watch on its towers and battlements.
Nikephoros Gregoras says of the younger Andro-
nikos when he went round the wall of Constanti-
nople : “The Emperor observed that the sentries,
* G. Pachymeres, Vol. II., p. 336; Kantakouzenos, Vol. II., p. 542,
calls the fortress where Apokauchos was put to death, “The Palace of
Constantine the Great.” It is what is now known as Tekfur serai, north
of the quarter called Kalligarea.
° N. Gregoras, Vol. I. p. 87.
368 The Great Palace of Constantinople.
who watch by turns all the night long, do not
cease to keep one another on the alert by continual
shouts.” "
As to the condition of the Palace and the splendid
houses beside S. Sophia, the same writer says that
the greatest confusion prevailed both in the lan-
guage and the dress. Some of the citizens wore
Latin, others Mysian, Triballian, or Phoenician
head-gear, or else they entered the Palace in the
garb of country-folk.”
Gyllius says of the Chrysotriklinos, that while
writers very often spoke of it, and everyone in
Constantinople knew its name and its whereabouts
before the capture, yet in his time, no one knew of
it, or cared to know.”
Gregoras says, “And now it was suggested to
me to collect for the future information of those who
may encounter this, something about the Imperial
Palaces, and those splendid houses which are being
destroyed almost entirely, or turned into a dung-
hill; and so likewise with the use and wont of the
patriarchs, and the very great and splendid houses
which once formed the chief ornament and support
of the Great Church of the Wisdom of God
for destruction and dissolution are triumphant over
all alike.”
Pachymeres records the fall of the great Hall of
Justinian in the reign of Andronikos Palaiologos
1 Vol. I., p, 408. * Ibid., p. 567.
° Lib ii., cap. 24. * Vol. II., p. 145.
The Great Palace of Constantinople. 369
(1283-1320). It was never re-erected. “As for
the Hall of Justinian, which the younger Justinian
built . . . through age it leant to one side, and
latterly fell when a strong wind was blowing, so
that those who saw its place could not tell whether
a house had once stood there or not.” Our his-
torians relate many other things about the palace,
but these all refer to the then favourite palace of
Blachernai.
FINIS.
IND E X.
wºm-m-m-sº
PAGE
Accubita, .............................. 241
Achilles, baths of, ...125 sq. ; 272 n.
galleries, or passages of,
126 sq., 136, 270, 273, 296, 324
statue of...................... 125
Achmet, Sultan, ..................... 345
Acta Patriarchatus, ........ S6, S7, 89
Adoration of the Cross, ............ 275
Aeschines, statue of, ................. 70
Aher Kapusº, .......... 22, 23, 25, 140
Aitherios, ........... , s s e e s e º e º a s e < e s tº º 65
Ak hughiºk mahalese........... 21, 150
Akropolis, ...... 11, 35, 166, 217, 353
— boundaries of, ............. 24
- - east gate of, ............... 3 l
Alexios Komnenos, 123, 124, 154,
255, 348.
Alt christliche Bawdenkmale von
Constantinopel, .............. 147 m.
Amerimne, ............ 153, 189, 317 m.
Amalfitan merchants, ........... 27, 2S
Anadendrarion, .......... 262, 322, 327
Anastasia, ............................. 2S3
Anastasios, ............................ 265
Anatole, ................................ 166
Andronikos Komnenos, 23, 139, 187,
221, 350. .
Andronikos Palaiologos, 278, 282,
346, 366.
Anemas, prison of, ........... 155, 362
Amethas, ......................... 122, 327
Anna Komnenê, 21, 15S, 280, 33S,
346.
Amnunciation, 95, llā, 134, 242, 246
Anthemios, ............................. 70
Anti-Hellenic prejudices, ............ 7
Antony, monk, ........................ S7
Aphameia, Palace of, ................ ll
Aphrodite, .................... ......... 70
Apocauchos, ........... .............. 156
Apollo, ................................... 70
Apse of Skyla, see Skyla.
Arabia, .................................. 109
Arabs, ... .................................. S
PAGE
Arcadius, ............................... 10]
Archaeological Museum, ........... 104.
Area, see Exaéron.
Arès, ................................. 217 n.
Ariadne, ......................... 267, 276
Arista sokaghi, 150, 158, 162, 163, 193
Aristeterion, 158 sq., 185, 202, 203,
28). -
Emperor's private, in Chry-
sotriklinos,.................. 193 sq.
Aristotle, ................................ 70
Arius, ..................................... SO
Arslan Hamé, ...................... | 24 m.
L’Art Byzantin, .......... 67 m., 147 m.
Artemis, temple of, ................. 267
Asecreta, or Asekreteia, 58, 205, 221
Athyra, ................................ 134
Augusta, wedding of, ...305 sq., 260
Augustaion, 66 sq., 74, 75, 76, 79,
81, S2, 94, 99, 102, 103, 105,
106, 107, l 12, 115, 116, 117,
121, 123, 126, 127, 128, 130,
131, 133, 135-13S, 146, 149, 150,
227, 236, 274, 285, 330, 364.
dimensions of, .............. 100
pavement of, ................ } 02
Augustalis, ............................ 27]
Augusteon, ............................ ll-4
Augusteus, bedchambers of, see
Daphne.
or Augustaion, gallery of,
212, 227, 234, 235, 328.
hall of, 234 sq., 212, 214, 218,
231, 234, 242, 244, 247, 249,
301, 305, 306, 308, 311.
portico of, ....... 235, 240, 241
Bab-i-humaghitan, .......... 25, 77, 146
Bachtse Kapustſ, ....................... 27
Baktageios, ........................... 110
Balata, ................................... 37
Baldwin, ................................. 29
Balnearia, .............................. 359
Banduri, ............ 9, 17, 49, 122, 33S
37.2 Indea.
PAGE PAGE
Banquets in Aristeterion, ......... 160 Bronze Column in Hippodrome, 40,
Baptistery in the Daphne, ...237 sq. 41, 55, 72.
St. John’s, ............ 120, 292 of Justinian, ............ 114
in the Palace, 120. See also | Brumalia, .................... 159 m., 213
Churches. Bucca Leonis, .................. 176, 241
Bar of the Bronze Gate, 266, 267, Bughiuk djekmedje, ............... 134 m.
324. Buondelmonti, 44, 47, 53, 56, 76,
Rardas Caesar, ................... 36, 192 110, 144, 338.
Basil the Macedonian, S9, 123, 14S, Burnished door of Lausiakon,... .281
149, 165, 184, 194, 195, 210, Burial-place of Emperors, ......... 253
216, 230, 236, 269, 319, 331, Busbequius, ............................. 16
333, 335, 340, 341, 342, 345, Buzes, ................................... 166
348, 357, 363. Byzantios, Skarlatos D., 17, 44, 45,
Basileides, .............................. (3] 55, 76, 102, 103, 108, 119, 145,
Basiliskos, ....................... 122, 207 2S4, 347.
Baths, .................................. 357
of the Household, ............ 35S
— Katoptron, ..................... 35S | Caballarius, or Caballas, ....., 288 sq.
Pithekeion, ....................358 Candidati, .......................... 315 m.
Bathmidia,............................. 209 hall of, 261 sq. , 241, 249,
Bed of Sorrow, ....................... 251 260, 262, 294, 300, 315, 324, 327.
Bedchamber of the Augusta, 198,
199, 202, 226, 306,
- of Emperor, .............. 23]
officers of, ................. 242
Belisarius, ...... . . . . . . 62, 63, 137, 265
Benjamin of Tudela..... 39 n., 149 m.
Bit Bazar,.......................... 204 m.
Blachernai, Palace of, 14, 24, 25,
56, S5, 118. 149, 167, 264, 337,
339, 341, 353, 362.
Blue Faction, 53, 57, 95, 132, 133,
252, 259, 358.
Gate of ........................... 64
Boraides, .............. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Boukoleon, arsenal, ................. .347
harbour, ....... .337 sq., 177
—— palace, 335 sq., 4, 19, 148,
166, 167, 176, 213, 241, 341,
353, 362.
prison, ..................... | 55
remains of palace, ... 173 sq.
Bouleuterion, ........................... 81
Bronze Gate, Great, of the Palace,
263 sq. : ] 14, 117, 127, 132,
133, 135, 136, 151, 152, 153,
154, 231, 242, 253, 254, 257,
270, 271, 272, 274, 295, 323,
324, 327, 359.
--- converted into a gaol, .269
-------- dome of, .................. 26S
— — Imperial door of, ...... 267
------- little door of, ........... 267
— of Curtains, .............. 261, 262
— of Onopous, ...... .235, 240, 242
— of Triconchon, ................. 243
Carian Hall, ........................... 216
Vestiary, ............. 219 sq., 223
Carthage, Council of, ................ 82
Catechumens' Gallery in Our Lady
of the Coppermarket,.......... 91
- in S. Sophia,........... 9 |
Carceres, ................................ 46
Chalke, ................................. 264
Chalkedon....................... 166, 168
Chartularies of the Barbarians, .221
Chalkoprateia, ...... ............. 9, 90
Chelandia, .............................. 19
Cherbatai, ......................... 219 m.
Choniates, see Niketas.
Chosbaitai, ......................... 219 m.
Chronicon Paschale, 47, 78, 122,
125, 261.
Chrysodoros, ............................ 70
Chrysoplousia,........................ 221
Chrysostom, ....78, 83, 101, 105, 106
Chrysotriklinitai, .......... 183, 189 m.
Chrysotriklinos, Palace of, 181 sq. ,
167, 171, 178, 179, 189, 191-193,
196-202, 205, 206, 208, 214-216,
223, 230, 246, 279, 280, 284,
285, 286, 290, 301, 312, 315,
316, 325, 326, 328, 329, 333,
334, 340, 341, 353.
— golden table in, .......... | 85
terrace of, ... 184, 185, 201,
218.
in Senate-house, .......... 77
Churches and Chapels : —
of Alexios, .................... 105, 125
in Boukoleon, ................... 199 m.
Indea. 373
PAGE PAGE
Churches and Chapels:— Churches and Chapels:—
Christ the Saviour, ............... 265 | S. Michael in Gallery of Marcian,
of Daphne, .......................... 238 351.
of the Deaconess, ................. 104 || S. Michael in Kamelas, ......... 223
Holy Apostles, 176, 247, 250, 254, — in New Church, 340, 344
263, 295, 300. S. Mokios, ......................... 133
Holy Trinity in Daphne, 236, 237, S. Paul, in the Five Chambers, 348
238, 280, 291. S. Peter, ................. 23, 349, 350
Imperial, ............................ 340 | S. Phokas, ......................... 123
of the Most Blessed, ............. 230| SS. Sergius and Bacchus, 58, 133,
New Church, ....339 sq.; 148, 329 137, 205, 279, 286, 332.
remains of, ........ 345 S. Sophia, 24, 40, 60, 68, 69, 76,
Our Lady, at Blachernai, ....... 177 81, 82, 83, 86, 88, 89, 92, 97,
- in the Coppermarket,88 sq. 100, 101, 104, 105, 108, 109,
90, 103, 113, 125, 127, 268, 114, 115, 118, 121, 127, 131,
273, 282, 288. 132, 134, 138, 142, 146, 147,
- in the Daphne, ...... 236 sq. 148, 149, 153, 184, 192, 197,
— — in the Eagle, ............ 324 214, 236, 242, 243, 257, 266,
— — of the Forum, ....... 168 m. 273, 296, 327, 363.
*= in the Kamelas, ........223 — catechumenia, .......... 315
-* in the Mangana, 46, 275, - clergy of, ................. 253
291, S. Stephen in the Daphne, 231 sq.;
* in the Pharos, 199 sq. , 228, 229, 230, 231, 249, 250,
167, 184, 196, 202, 211, 218, 291, 301, 306, 309, 311.
275, 280, 339. * in Great Hippodrome, 46,
of Our Lord, ..... 246 sq. ; 313, 316 50, 132.
beside the Palace hippodrome, 277 S. Theodore in the Chrysotri-
of the Panachrantos, ............ 202 klinos, ............ 182, 203, 290
in Patriarcheion, ................... 84 || S. Theophylaktos, ................. 86
S. Amn, .............................. 226 in the Studium,................ 249 m.
S. Antony, ........................... 27 | Theometor, ......................... 351
S. Anastasia,....................... 272 | Churches, list of, ..................... 354
- Pharmakolytria, ...40 m. | Chytos, ...................... 269 sq., 315
S. Barbara, ................... 348, 349 Cisterns, ............. .* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 360
S. Basil, ............................. 207 | Consistory, 244 sq. ; 172, 232, 235,
S. Christina, ........................ 310 238, 241, 242, 247, 261, 294,
S. Clement, .................. 340, 344 300, 305.
S. Constantine, 79, 113, 115, 131, officers of, .................... 243
132, 135. Constantine the Great, 38, 45, 60,
S. Demetrios, the Archmartyr, in 77, 78, S1, 88, 107, 109, 123,
the Akropolis, 4, 19, 36. 148, 152, 210, 221, 233, 245,
- at Balata, ............... 37 247, 248, 250, 259, 269, 271,
- in Chrysotriklinos, 201, 288, 312.
240. Constantine VII., Porphyrogen-
S. Elijah, ..... ............... 340, 343 netos, 14, 141, 177, 178, 187,
S. Helena, ............ " * * * * * * * * * * * * 115 197, 200, 223, 254, 258, 283,
S. Irene, 55, 68, 69, 101, 103, 104, 313, 319.
108. — quoted, passim.
- on the Shore, ............. 33|Constantinople, ...................... 168
S. John, the Baptistery, ... l 19 sq. Constantinopolis Christiana, 16, 338,
- the Diippion, 123 sq. , 352.
127, 134, 273, Constantius, the Patriarch, 17, 102,
— — the Divine, .............. 165 110, 124.
— — the Forerunner, in the Continuation of Theophanes, 83,
Dome, ......................... 229 154, 165, 175, 176, 195, 216,
S. John in the Triconchon, 218 sq. 225, 226, 253, 273, 334, 335,
348, 357.
374
Indea.
PAGE
Count of the Numera, .............. 153
— — Walls, ibid.
Covered Staircase, ................90 sq.
Cross, exaltation of, ................ 242
Crosses, the, ........................... 237
Crusaders, ................. 14, 353, 363.
— Emperors, ....... 24, 26, 27
Cubiculum, ............................ 24l
Curia, ..................................... S}
Curtains, ........................ 260, 262
Curve, 38, 40, 42, 51, 63, 72, 137,
138.
Cyclopean wall, .................... 4, 20
Cyzicus, ................................ 114
Damianos, ............................. 192
Daout Pasha, ........................... ll
Daphne, bedchambers of, 233 sq. ,
228, 229, 231, 234, 235, 301.
gallery of, 212, 234, 235,
247, 277.
Octagon of, .................. 29]
Palace of, 227 sq.; 218, 222,
231, 234, 237.
Dar-el-Funzºn, 40, 67, 74, 89, 103 m.
De Ceremoniis, ................... 14, 289
Dead, gate of, .......................... 64
Decimus, gate of, in the Hippo-
drome, .............................. 57
Dedication of Constantinople, 57,
212.
Dekaëmeron, ......................... 254
Dekapolites, .......................... 233
Della Colonia dei Genovesi in Galata,
30 77.
PAGE
Eidikon or Treasury in the Tricon-
chon, 220 sq.
Elga of Russia, 193, 198, 279, 286,
See Olga.
Eleutherios, ........ .................... 77
Palace of, ................ 11
Emperor's Porch, .................... 224
Epicurus, .............................. 144
Epiphania,............................. 233
Erós, ...... 217 sq., 184, 223, 235, 310
Eské serai, ..... ................... 146 m.
Eudokia, ......................... 195, 233
Eudoxia, statue of, ..... 101, 103, 105
Eugenios, Harbour of, ............... 25
Tower of, .................. 333
Euphemia, ............................ 116
Euripos,................................ .57
Exaeron, of XIX. Couches, 249,
243, 251, 300.
—— terraces in, ............... 25]
of Triconchon, ............ 213
Bºcerpta, ............................... 71
Excubita, ........................ 242, 315
Factions,........... 39, 40, 53, 60, 102
Fevre, Michel, ....................... 7 m.
Fener6 Jesa Medjedi, ................ 202
Ferrygate, ............................... 27
Five Chambers, ...... 347 sq.; 26, 230
Flacilla, Palace of, .................... 62
Forty Martyrs, ....................... 215
Forty Saints, gallery of, 215 sq.,
167, 184, 205, 216, 217, 218,
227, 246, 247, 277, 291, 316.
Four Chambers, see Tetrakoubouk-
Delphax, 171, 172, 214, 215, 241, 289 lon.
Delphi,........................ 54, 55, 172 | Forum, 67, 79, 115, 118, 132, 135, 342
Delphix, ............................... 172 of Constantine, ............... 80
Demades,............................... 176] Fusati,.................................... 40
Demostbenes,........................... 70
Destruction of Byzantine Buildings, Gates of the Palace, ............ 139 sq.
*_º e Galata, ...................... 29, 126, 36
Dhomoſºz dhami, ..................... 171 Galleries, see Achilles, Daphne,
Didaskaleion, ........................... 97 Forty Saints, Lord, Marcian.
Dikionion, ................ 257, 308, 309 || Gardens of the Patriarcheion,..... 87
Divan Yiulú, ..................... 45, 115|Genesios, ............................... 284
Doors between Onopodium and Con- Genikon, ................................ 220
sistory, ............................ 244 Genoese, ............ 27, 28, 29, 36, 126
—— between Schools and Bronze George the Monk, .......... * * * * * * * * * * 175
Gate, .............................. 259| Germans, ................................. 28
Dome, .................................. 229| Germanus, .............................. I 15
Drungarii, gate of, .................... 26 Geschichte des Byzantiner und des
Du Cange, ......... 9, 16, 120, 122, 352 Osmanischen Reiches....... 147 m.
Geschächte des Levantehandels im,
Eagle, .............................. 333 sq. Mittelalter, ..................... 30 m.
Egyptian Obelisk, ...... 41, 45, 51, 54 Ghiul Hamé Kapust?, ............ 23, 140
Indea.
375
PAGE
Gibbon, ................................... 17
Giuliano, Peter,................... .. 339
Giùn Giormez, ......................... 239
Glykas, Michael,..................... 154
Golden Gate,.................... 132, 136
Golden Hand, 240 sq., 132, 136, 235,
241, 242, 243, 244, 257, 249,
294, 300, 305, 308, 309, 328.
Golden Throne,................ 167, 317
Gothikon, ............................... 254
Gousteion, ........................ 75, 107
Great Church, see S. Sophia.
Great Hall, see Nineteen Couches.
Great and Holy Sabbath, .......... 134
Great Palace, .... 11, 26, 56, 204, 366
Green Faction, 53, 57, 132, 133, 252,
358.
Gregoras, Nikephoros, 144, 156, 366,
368.
Grosvenor,........................... 55 m.
Gyrolimnē,
Gyllius, Peter, 6, 15, 20, 43, 49, 50,
70, 110, 111, 144, 368.
Helena, niece of Justin, .
Heptapyrgion, .........................
Heraclius, .................. 25, 260, 360
Heraion, Palace of, ................... 11
Herakleia, ........... .................. 28
Hertzberg, ......................... 147 m.
Hesiod, ................................... 70
Heyd, .................................. 30 m
Hippodrome, Great, 38 sq., 50, 71,
72, 73, 74, 100, 107, 115, 116,
127, 133, 137, 150, 171, 205,
212, 274, 279, 285, 2S6, 328,
332, 360.
r confused with
Palace hippodromes, .......... 277
of Palace, 274, sq., 58,
127, 232, 234, 238, 284.
covered, of Palace,
276, sq. 239.
Holy Cross, ............................ 179
-- Feast of, ............... 266
Holy Well in S. Sophia, 94 sq., 110,
118, 119, 136, 299, 315, 327.
in Palace, ..... ... a 6 tº - e - - - - - - e. 95
Homer, ................................... 70
Honorius, statue of, .................. 79
Horologion of the Chrysotriklinos,
192, 193, 198, 202, 206, 220 ;
see Tripeton.
— of S. Sophia, 118 sq.; 114,
120, 131, 138, 184.
door of .................... 110
wº-mºst
PAGE
House beside the Baths of Zeuxip-
POS, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Hypatios, ................. 61, 62, 63, 64
Ignatius, Patriarch, ................. 154
Image Controversies, ................. 86
Worshippers, ................... S3
Imperial Clergy, ..................... 240
Imperial Medical School, ........... 32
Museum, ........................ 7
Stand in Great Hippodrome,
45, 50, 54, 63, 102, 115, 132,
138, 212.
in Palace, do., 277.
Imperium Orientale, ............. 17, 49
Indoi, ............................ 246, 261
Innocent III.,.......................... 69
Intzele Kiosk, ................... 173, 217
Irene of Athens, ....................... 56
Isaac Angelos, ........................ 342
Isokrates, ................................ 70
Italians, ................................ 363
Ivory Gate, ............................ 239
John, Caesar, ................... 123, 124
John of Cappadocia, ............. 60, 61
John I., Tzimiskes, ........... 253, 336
Julian, .................................. 224
Harbour of, .................. 33S
Julius Caesar, .......................... 70
Justin the Thracian,................ 109
| Justin II., ............................. IS2
Justinian the Great, 22, 60, 62, 68,
71, 77, 78, 79, 91, 107, 126, 137,
349, 363.
Hall of, 278 sq.; 160,
206, 207, 227, 237, 239, 256,
264, 274, 283, 325, 329, 334, 360.
Remains of, ..... l62
-*
205,
Statue of, lll sq. , 114,
125, 131, 135.
Justinian II., Rhinotnetos, 229,
2S2, -
Hall of, 283 ; see Justinian
the Great.
Justinus, ............................ 2S3 m.
Justus, ................................... 64
Kamateras, ........................... 2S3
Kamelas, ......................... 223, 225
Kałº-dagh, .......................... 168 m.
Kalypas, Monastery of, ............ 35]
Kampd Saktil Sokaghi,............. 150
Kantakouzenos, Joannes, 36, 69,
144, 180, 334, 346.
Rardi Kapit or Åapust?, 23, 26, 140
376
Indea.
PAGE
Karean Gate, 23, 139, 146, 332, 334,
349.
Kastrésiakon, ............... 238 m., 309
Ratergha limane, .................. 337 m.
Kathisma, .............................. 136
Hall of, 252 m. ; see Imperial
- PAGE
Lights, or Lychnoi, 259 sq.; 295, 300
— Feast of, ......... 231, 242, 250
Lord, Gallery of the, 172, 246, 247
Long Chamber, ..... 196 sq., 198, 202
Low Sunday,.......................... 242
intºni.i.5, isi, 256,326,333
Stand.
Kedrenos, George, 79, 80, S3, S5, SS,
114, 229, 265, 313, 336, 3
Kentenarion, ..................... ... 349
Kinnamos, John, ..................... 239
Aïoutzouk tzekmetze, ................. 27]
Aitab hanó, ............................ 230
Kitchens of the Palace, 205, 206, 221
— — Sultans, ............... 20
Kodinos, George, 46, 71, 77, S8, 97,
109, 113, 116, 117, 119, 120,
152, 206, 210, 221, 228, 247,
248, 250, 259, 311, 312, 358.
Kodinos Kouropalates, 35, 75, 178,
180 m.
Kontoskalion, ................ ........ 339
Kontostephanos,.......... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3]
Makron, see Long Chamber.
statue, ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Manuel Komnenos,...... 31, 327, 336
Mangana, .......................... 50, 123
— of Akropolis, ............. 333
— Palace of, ................... 1]
Manganarios, ........................... 46
Manichaios, ............................ 101
Manaura or Magnaura, 311 Sq., 26,
90, 172, 190, 200, 214, 218, 233,
247, 262, 287, 311, 327, 353, 360.
remains of, ........... 169 sq.
stairs of, ................... 310
— terrace of, .......... 247, 316
Manuel, hall of, ...................... 366
Marcian, gallery of, 349 sq. ; 5, 22,
Koraës, ............................... 27 m. 23, 140, 347, 364.
Korhizos,............................... 169|Maria, .................................... 61
Kosmas, ................................ 192|Market Place, .......................... 77
Kosmidion, .............................. 43 Makrochorion, ......................... 11
Kouropalates, bench of, ........... 205 || Martianakos, .......................... 320
— promotion of, ...... 272 | Maximus, .............................. 126
Kynegion, .............................. 110 || Medres# Sokaghi, ..................... 124
Megademetrios, ........................ 35
Labarte, 15, 18, 26, 73, 84, 86, 112 m,
137, 145, 161.
Lausiakon, 203 sq., 191, 193, 198,
206, 208, 213, 218, 220, 227,
235, 238, 279, 282, 285, 329,
334, 338.
Vault of, ............... 205
Lausos,.................................. 325
Lazarus, monk, ....................... 269
286, 358.
— Diaconus, ................. 265, 269
Isaurian, ......................... .34
Lalakon, ......................... 154
Makeles, .................. 116, 117
— (mathematician), .............. 318
— Syrogenes, ...................... 23]
— the Philosopher, 159, 226, 260,
272, 312, 313, 348.
Leontios, ................................. 73
Library of Constantinople, ........ 224
of Palace, .............. 224, 231
Patriarchial,
building preserved, ........ 230
Meletios, gate of, 272 sq.; 125, 141,
288.
Geography,................ 352
Menagerie in Constantinople, ...... 77
Menades,................................. 70
Mèse, see Middle.
Mesokepion, 334 sq. ; 207, 279, 329,
342.
- the old, ................. 217
Mesopatos,........................ 223 sq.
Metatorion, in Blachernai, ......... 94
in Catechumens’ Gallery
of S. Sophia, ...................... 93
— in Manaura, 95, 318, 326
—— in Patriarcheion, ...... 94
— in S.S. Sergius and Bac-
chus, ............................... 94
— in S. Sophia, 84, 92, 94,
97, 119, 298.
Methodios, ascetic, .................. 214
Michael (Ebrius), 206, 210, 213, 222,
225, 233, 239, 319.
Michael Palaiologos, ...5, 24, 26, 28,
36, 69, 86, 118, 154, 155.
Indea.
377
PAGE
Middle or Mèse, of Augustaion, 115,
128, 131, 132, 138, 254, 296,
299.
from Golden Gate, 115 m, 132
Milion, 108, sq.; 74, 96, 105, 113,
115, 116, 119, 121, 123, 131,
133, 134, 135, 136, 138, 153,
299, 324, 327.
Monastery of Christ Almighty, 23
Ephoros, ................ 71 m,
the Ever-blessed, ....... 229
New, ....................... 342
9 Our Lady the Varangian,
( 0.
Monothyros, 273, sq.; 123, 141, 156
in Chrysotriklinos,
185, 201, 203, 273.
Lausiakon, .......... 27.4
Triconchon, ......... 2] 2
Moses’ rod, ............... 183, 245, 290
Mosques : —
Achmet Pasha, ..................... 229
A ſte Minarelá, .................. 21, 67
Kiwtchuk Agia Sophia, ............ 41
Saracen, ................... 33, 50, 326
Sultan Achmet, 5, 21, 42, 43, 67,
72, 128, 134.
Zeineb Sultan, ...................... 120
Žežrék djamii, ...................... 230
Moukilos, .............................. 16S
Mourtzouphlos, ...................... 336
Mousikos, ........................ 225, sq.
Mundus, ............................ 62, 64
Museum of the Janissaries, ....40, 42
Mysterion, ............................. 210
Narlé kapé, ........ ................ 249 m.
Narses,.................................. 176
Narthex of S. Sophia, .............. 139
Neorion, .................................. 27
New Chamber, 194, sq. , 197, 198,
199, 202,
New Church, ............. 323, 342, 345
New Hall, ......................... 2S3, m.
Nicholas, Patriarch, ................339
Nika, Insurrection of, 59, 70, 77,
78, S1, S8, 107, 137, 153, 229,
264, 276.
Nikephoros Gregoras................ l 14
Patriarch, ............... S5
Phokas, 118, 123, 139,
166, 269, 336, 353, 359.
Niketas Chomiates, 23, 31, 33, 50,
S2, 124, 125, 139, 220, 269, 342
the false Patriarch, ...... S5
PAGE
Nineteen Couches, Hall of, 249, sq.;
233, 244, 257, 259, 260, 294,
300, 307, 310.
officers of, .... 255
Portico of, 250,
253, 309.
Nulnera, 150, sq. ; 162, 241, 273,
274, 277, 285, 324.
Numerus, ........................... 153 m.
Nymphaion, ............................ S()
Octagon, 228 sq.; 231, 234, 235, 249,
309.
in the city, ............ 228 72.
Olga, Sée Elga.
Olympus, ........................ 166, 168
Omphalion, .......................... 96 m.
of the Bronze Gate, 269
of Hall of Justinian, 279
Onopodium, or Onopous, 241, sq.;
171, 172, 215, 242, 243, 244,
245, 249, 250, 253, 257, 289,
291, 294, 300, 305, 307, 30S,
309, 324.
see Bronze Gate.
Onuphrius Panvinius, ................ 49
Organs in the Tripeton, ............ 192
Orthodoxy Sunday, 83, 85, 93,
303.
Ottoman School of Arts, ....... 40, 42
— University, 102, 103, 105,
124.
Own cabón, ......................... 22S m.
Oval, the, ............. . . . . . . . . . . . . 247 sq.
Pachymeres, George, 29, 114, 177,
27S, 2S2, 366.
Palace, Great, 3, 100, 107, 126, 127,
146, 361, 365.
clergy of, .............. 240
dimensions, .......... .362
used of Chrysotriklinos, 178
Le Palais Impérial de Constanti-
nople, ................................ IS
Pantheon, ..., 183, 204, 208, 290, 32S
Paparregopoulos, ...................... 17
Papias, Great, of Palace, 177 sq. ;
141, 217.
of Daphne, ................... 180
of Manaura, ................. ISO
Paschal Cycles, ........................ 97
Pasha Kapust,.......................... 25
Patrict, ............. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Patriarch, election of, .............. 315
Patriarcheion, 82, sq.; S5, S6, 101,
105, 110, 115, 127, 138, 267,
270,
378
Inder.
PA (; E
Pavement, the, . . . . . . . . . . . . 75, 132, 133
Paulus Silentiarius, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ()3
Pearl, Hall of, ...... 216, sq.; 223, 335
Pegaia, Palace of, .............. ll, 361
Pelagios, Cemetery of, ............... 43
Pentapyrgion, .................. lS9, 194
Petrona, .......... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . l 76
Persian ambassador, ................ 272
Pharos of the Euxine, ........... 169 m
Pharos, in Palace, 163, 165, 167, 177,
1S1, 184, 199, 216, 329, 331, 344
Philippikos, ............................. 7]
Philoxenos, Cistern of, ............. 360
Phokas, ...................... . . . . . . . . . . . . Gl
Photios, .......................... l:22, 340
Phrantzes, ............................. 229
Phylax, .................... 1S3, 204, 291
Pisans, ............. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2S
Pittakia, ............. 116, sq.; 101, 103
Plataia, ............. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.5
Plato, ..................................... 7
Platform, door of, .............. 243 sq.
Podium, .................................. 45
Pompeius, ............. * * * * * * * * * * * * * 61, 64
Porphyry Chamber, .......... 26, 346
— Stone, ............... 245, 346
Porphyrogennetoi, .................. .346
Porta mortua, .......................... 57
Porta Regia, ....... 271, sq. , 141, 273
Praetorium, .......... 33, 135, 154, 271
Prisons.................................. l 5.5
Private bouses in Palace precincts,
342.
Procession to S. Sophia, ...... 289 sq.
Prokopios, 59, 62, 67, 68, 74, 77,
79, 99, 107, 112, 113, 122, 126,
128, 153, 166, 172, 264, 269.
Proté,
Protopappas of the Daphne, ... . . .232
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - s - - - - * * * - * * * * - - - s = - - -
Ptochoprodromos, ..................... 27
Psammathia, ........................ 62 m.
Pulcheria, ........................ 232, 276
Pulpita, ................................. 276
Pyrrhos, ............ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Pyramidal Houses, ................. .334
Pyxites, Hall, ........................ 222
Quinisextan Council, ...229, 230, 248
Rayet, . ; 147 m.
Reiske. 141 m. ; 144, 145, 160, 184,
271.
* - - a s - - - - e º - - e s s - - - e º 'º
Remains of the Palace, ........ 150 sq.
Rhegion, ................................ 27]
Romanus Argyros, .................. 358
II., ...258, 269, 283, 321, 339
PA (; [.
Romanus Lakapenos,..., 140, 154, 192
Rome....................................... (;
Sabbath of Lazarus, ................. 178
Sacred Bedchamber of the Em-
{}e l'Ol' . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197 sq., 203
S. Auxentios, the Watchtower,... 16S
S. Barbara, Gate of..................31
S. Basil................................... 97
S. Constantine, Cross of, ............ 92
S. Elias, .......................... 253, 256
S. Eugenius, gate of.................. 35
S. George Thaumaturgos, ...........97
S. Helena, ............................. 109
S. Mokios, ............................. 246
S. Stephen, Gallery of, 228, 233,
276, 306.
Sakella, ................................. 247
Salzenberg,...................... 122, 147
Samaria,.................................. 95.
Sampson, Hospital of, 67, 68, 69,
104.
Sanctuary, right of, in S. Sophia,
122.
Sappho, .................................. 70
Saracen, ...................... 168, 321 m. .
Ambassadors,...279, 2S5, 326
see Mosque.
Sauli, …......................... 30 m.
School of Fine Arts, ................ 104
— the Magister, ............ 272
Schools, Hall of, 242, 253,262, 26S,
270, 272, 294, 295, 300, 315, 327
Secret Fountain of the Sigma or
Trichoncon, 211 sq.; 214, 215,
218, 222, 238.
Secretum, 84, S5, 261
Senate-House, 76, 82, 87, 99, 105,
106, 107, 115, 127, 135, 138,
• * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * s is a
229, 267, 270, 342.
Senaton, ............................ 77, 7%
Seraglio, ........................... 76, 146
Seraskier Kapust?..... ...., ...... 146 m.
Severus, ..... 12, 20, 38, 71, 107, 148
Sigma, 209 sq. ; 177, 211, 213, 247,
291, 316.
Simeon Metaphrastes, ...68, 105,
Skoutari,
Skyla, 283 sq.; 58, 141, J.59, 205,
275, 278, 279, 329.
— Apse of, 285 sq. ; 222, 236,
287, 306.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
-- Gate of........................... 153
Skylitses, .............................. | 75
Skylomangana, ...................... 284.
Smith, Thomas, ....................... 44
Judea.
PACE
Soouk Djesmó Kapuść.............. | 20
Sozomenos, .................. 77, 79, 103
Sophia, . . ............................. , 109
Sophies, Harbour of, ......... 337, 339
Spatharikion, door of, ....... 214, 247
Spina, ..…................... 53
Spiral Stair, ..................... .. 96 sq.
Stables, ............ ................... 359
Sublime Porte, .................. 25, 146
Suleiman the Great, ...... • . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Sultans, .................. ... .3, 147, 149
Sultan Achmet, see Mosque.
Staircase between S. Sophia and
Chalkoprateia, .................. 2S7
Stephen, Mathematician, ......... .360
Synodical Courts, ..................... S6
Tatian.................................. I7]
Tekf(ºr Serai, ............ 283 m., 367 m.
Terrace of the Chrysotriklinos,...201
— — Nineteen Couches, 309
— — — Pharos, ......... 200, 203
– beside the Skyla, ........... 2S7
Tetrakoubouklon, ................... 226
Tetraseron, ............................ 210
Théâtre de la Turquie, ............, 7 m.
Theodora, wife of Justinian, 60, 62,
122, 166, 265.
mother of Michael III., 154,
222, 2S4.
Theodore, tutor, ............... . . . . . .339
Theodoros, ............................. 207
Theodosius the Great, ....54, S0, 126
billar of, ................... l 13
statue, ...................... 7
Theodosius, the Younger, 25, SS, 33
Theoktistos, ........................... 2S4
. - Baths of, .................. 221
Theophanes, (image - worshipper),
207.
- (historian), 91 m, , 101,
103, 276.
Theophano, .................... 336, 339
Theophilitses, ......................... 153
Theophilos, S3, 127, 136, 175, 186,
190, 206, 210, 213, 216, 217,
219, 220, 225, 226, 227, 269,
314, 318, 335, 363.
— throne of, .................. 279
Theophobeia, .......................... 176
Theophobos, .................. 175, 176
Thermastra, the, ................ 23S sq.
Thettalos, ............................... S2
Thonmaîtes, ......... S2, S3, S4, S6, 124
Thomas, ................................ 239
Thracian Railway, 3, 19, 35, 149,
173, 344.
PAGE
Three-headed Serpent, .......... 41, 54
Throne in Consistory, .............. 244
of Solomon, ............ 316, 317
Treasury, charter room of, called
the Oval, ......................... 24S
of Chrysotriklinos,...210, 211
— Triconchon, 210, 319. See
Eidikon, Phylax.
Tribunal or Tribune, 260 sq.; 251,
259, 295, 300, 308, 327.
great door of,
Tribonian,
Triconchon, the, 208 sq.;
209, 210, 213, 214, 215, 221,
223, 227.
apse of, 211, 212, 219, 246,
301.
fountain of, .............. 177
gallery of, ................. 212
Palace of, 204 sq. , 227,
234.
Tripeton, 191 sq. , 185, 186, 193,
194, 198, 202, 206, 220, 279,
325, 329.
Top Kapustſ, ........................... 13
Toprak Sokaghi, ..................... 169
Tournefort, ................... ......... 44
Turks, ............................. 71, 364
Tympaneon, ........................... 2S]
Tzykanisterion, 331 sq. , 140, 14S,
329, 35S.
gate of................ 147
-º- the old, ........ 217, 335
Vacant space round fortifications,
amº Mº -
Valens, Aquaduct of, ............... 36]
Validé l').jamii, ........ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Varangi, ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155, 255
Vault of the Lausiakon, ........... 205
- - - Triconchon, ......... 20S
Teſt meidami, ..................... 22S ).
Venetians, ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27, 2S
Venice, ........ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 353
Vestiarius, ............. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
Vestiary of the Augusta, 224, sq. ,
226. See Carian.
Villehardouin, ........................ 336
Virgil, ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Von Hamumer, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9, 17
Poyage du Levant, ... . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 m.
Walls of the Palace, ..... 19, 270, 2SS
– Cyclopean, ................. 4, 20
Modern, ........................ 25
of Sultan's Palace, .......... 24
3S() Indee.
PAGE PA(; ;
Wheler, ............... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 m. Zeno, ....................... 122, 267, 276
Willelmus Tyrius, .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 336 Zeuxippos, Baths of, 60, 69, S2, l 16,
Wooden Staircase of the Palace, 127, 133, 136, 137, 138, 153,
287 sq. 156, 229.
— prison of, .................. 156
Xenophon, ............... • . . . . . . . ." 12, 70 Zindan Kapitsu, ........................ 26
Zoe, ........................ tº sº tº q e º 4 º ºs e º ſº º º 35S
Yeni Djamii, ........... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 | Zonaras, ..................... . . . . . . . . . . . . S3
Yale kiosk, .............................. 25 Zosimos, ...................... 66, 80, 224
Zosta Patricia, ..... . 94, 184, 205, 218
GREEK WORDS EN PLAIN.E.D.
PAGE PAGE
Aylogoſperat, .......... . . . . . . . . . . . . 300 m. eiðuków, .................. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2] ()
Aytoo optóTugaw, ............. . . . . . . . . . . SS "Ekbeats Tfis 8aat)\etov rášews, 14, 145
dóg to avováAlos, ............ • * * * * * * s is e < * * 245 |&#3oxos, .................. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ) 09.
dépa, .......... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29S éčáepov, .................... 213 m. , 249 m.
dkkoú81Ta, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250 m. éčkoúðtta,........................... 250 7?.
dkpotºpytov, ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 350 evTúxua, .............................. 297 m.
dNetTTá, ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299 m. étruköp;3ta, ................................ 75.
'Auépovºwſ, ............ . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317 m.
dutºpivoſtov, ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . *|Z0066xos tryi, ......................... ll.
ăvo, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2S2
3766eggot, s s , s a s gº as a s a º e = * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 7. * HXiakós...................... 1S4, 200 m
dTokó93ta, ........... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299 y 3
'A Toa Toxital, ...................... 300 m, f
dTPakTot, .............. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 m. 6epaireia, ............................ 29S m
dipta TnTiptov or dipta Tiptov, ... ........ 21 . f O
dakóTag Tos, .................... . . . . . . . . . 277 | Tepos Koutdºv, .......................... 1S3
dakmråpta, ............ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104 n
KáYKéMov, ...................... . . . . . 266
Bagºtká, ...... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300 m. Katwoºpytov, ............................. 194
Béarua, Beatláptos, etc............ 219 n. Ká9tapa, .................................. 45
87NG, ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295 || Kaptſtäpes, ................ ? = e º a ç is a s & 39, 53.
6792, ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42, 100 Kapºtrot, .................................. 53
Boºkuvov, ............ tº s º º sº º sº tº a tº w w is 4, s as # 9 s & 350 kavówóðTot, ........................... 3.15 m.
BovXevtåptov, ........... . tº e º a tº s is º & 4. & s , 76 n. kavik\etov, .... ...................... 292 77.
Kaprčudów”, ... ..................... 224 m.
Tova Tetov, .......... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107 n. kaoTphotos, ......... ................ 238 m
KáTw, ............... * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * is 8 ° 282
AéatroTukai, ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 ke^eča are, .............................. 179.
ôeóTepa Katmxoſpeva, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 m. Kuovoo racia, ............ * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * | 13
ôňplot, ...... tº s º a g º e g g º a tº $ tº e e s 4 & 5 # s 39, 40, 41 || k}\eta'oùpapx.at, ................... .. 29:27,
ôtaffaruká, ..................... 22 n., 349 || KXmTúptov, ..................... S5, 280 m.
ötatráptos, ........... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169 m. KXºpač p.mtaropukh..................... 302
ôta)\a)\ta, ............ tº e s tº a tº a s tº t e º 'º s & a 313 m. k\006tov, .................................. 48.
ôtôaoſka)\etov, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . tº & e s w s is ſº a tº t e º º 98 || Kottawºrat, .............................. 196.
ôoºktov, .............. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . lă8 köpins Tów Teixſov, .................. ] 53 m.
ôp690", ......... * & & e g g g g s e º s # 9 s s e a tº a tº s 177 m. Kovo to Túptov, ...................... 245 m
Kouſovſk)\etov, ...... tº s & e g º & 185 m. ; 289 m.
'E660p.a6áplot, €360p.áptot, 116 m. ; kox\tas, .............................. 46, 97
197.
Kovo to Tøptavós, .......... * * * * * * * * * * * 245 m,
Indea.
PAGE
A4%upa, .............................. 283 m.
MáYYava, ................................ 46
Pappaporów, ............................ 109
Péon, uéam 666s, ................... 45, 115
Aegytótov, ................................. 27
MeTag Táquov, .......................... 235
Pºrrarapºkós, ............................. 94
Pºnſartºplow, ........................... 94 n.
AuXuāptov, Patxtapio tov, ............. 108 m.
Pºto", ................................ 108 m.
Pivorov, Puigov, ....................... I58 m.
Pºrárov, ............................ 27, 332
Népa,..................................... 57
*ka, “..................................... 59
vti/tortéptos, ..... ................... 189 m.
**qwa, ............................ ........ 53
Fé"to",................................ 198 m.
"Ouoxoyias, ............................ .269
ôpyaváplot, .............................. 295
ôWukeſetv, ................... 98 m.; 298 m.
II, .......................................... 53
Tayavés, ............................. 235 m.
Teptôpoſtol, .............................. 349
Terráka, ................................ 116
TNakorév, .......................... 75, 109
TNatávlov, ........................... 325 m.
Tpetrevöow\ta, ....................... 307 m.
Tp(6tovs &Kkov6trovs, ................. 250
Truxº, “............................. 297 m.
ToMUXpowtorate,..................... 294 m.
ToºtrºTov, ........................... 213 m.
2akéNNa, ............................ 248 m.
gatrovºo Tai, ............................. 324
gévarov, ............................... 76 m.
gévršov, .................................127
okeragrós, .............................. 277
- PAGE
orkplvua Tów 8apºpov, ................ 22]
a kūq, ................................ 283 m.
akºot, ................... 3 • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284
qTépa,............................... 152 m.
qTécta,................................... 327
qTópTVNot, ............................. 75 m.
qTevöktov, .................. 237, 240, 268
grewów, ................................... 240
qTpoy'YVAov, ............................. 258
a Túpaš, orvpdºtov, .................. 209 m.
ovykºmts, .............. 76 n. ; 77, 103 m.
*06a, ................................ 76 m.
a bevöövm, ................................. 38
0xoMáplot, ............................ 25877.
Té8Atov, .............................. 290 m.
TeTpadiatov, ............................. 231
T$vkavišety, ............................. 331
TPtºos, ............................ 278 m.
Tptkū;3a)\os, ............................ 208
Tpotruki, .......... 205, 208, 219, 322 n.
"Trapxos, ........................... 103 m.
‘Pºm, ........................... 56, 214 m.
$600s, ..................................... 79
$opos Toij agwāTov, .................. 76 m.
$oup”uków, ........................... l 08 m.
©poupapxeſa, ............................ 153
$ortgriptov, ............................ I22
X^kſ, ................................... 263
XaXkotpateta, ........................... 88
X\dºs, .............................. 306 m.
Xpwatóva, ............................... 329
Xpugog Tóptow, ........................... IS7
Xpvootpuk\ºvirat, ...................... 196
Xépévrtká, .......................... 322 77.
XéP8état, ............................ 219 m.
Xéputéóšegra,....................... 329 m.
Xpeta” ................................ 359 m.

To renew the ſharge, book mud be brought to the desk.
TWO W E E K B O O K
DO NOT RETURN B00KS ON SUNDAY
DATE DUE
Form 7079 5-53 3OM S

|iliili
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
3 9015 O4984 4346
-
-".º
".L|
---|-º|-
|
º:
-
-&º.:
.-
:
->*|
- wº º:.--
-sB.
i

º
as . .
. .
* : * : *s
º: &
&
« », º, ， , ** **
（） ſº
º.
， ！
ſºſ，
}^*. \ f（x）\，
kºſºſ
Bºº &
tº a .
-}„
8ſ &
*******-
ſae,
º:
&' }，
§§
;&#:
ºf
º
ſ ºs e 4 .
ſae ſ.
º
tº a rº
ºf Hº- 4 - “
* * * * * * * *
as “.. g. re. * * * *.
*}”
** *
► ► ► ►
º z-º-º
ſae·
'',{{}}§ ¶ ¡
44 %， ºſ ºſ*;
*** * * , ， ,
§ ø ··· -