CONSTANTINOPLE

In the east edge of Constantinople, the “City of the Cities”, the administrative and religious center of the Byzantine Empire, Hagia Sophia rises.

This magnificent monument of “God’s Wisdom” was firstly inaugurated by Constantius II and it was rebuilt in 415 by Theodosius II. Its later destruction, during the Nika Riots, gave the opportunity to Justinian to build the impressive edifice, still preserved, following the ambitious and innovative architectural proposals of Isidorus of Miletus and Anthemius of Tralles, based on the domed basilica.

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The church of Hagia Irene is in the east side of Constantinople, at the outer precinct of the Topkapi Palace and in a distance of only 110m. northeast of Hagia Sophia.

According to tradition, its foundation is attributed to Constantine the Great (324-337), who built a grand church in the place of a smaller one. Hagia Irene operated as a cathedral till the construction of Hagia Sophia in 360 and again in 404-415, due to the restoration of Hagia Sophia after the fire of 404, caused by the riots for the exile of John Chrysostom. From the 5^th century, the two churches comprised the complex of the Patriarchate of Constantinople and they were served by the same clergy.

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In the northwest part of the historical center of Constantinople and in a small distance from the Byzantine gate of Edirne, Chora Monastery is located. Its name comes from the use of the word “chora” (the lands/dwelling place) in the mosaic of Christ as “Chora of the Living” and in the mosaic of Panagia as “Chora of the Uncontainable” in the interior of the church.

From the old monastic complex, only the katholikon remains till today. Furthermore, we are not sure about its dedication to Christ or Panagia, or even to both of them.

Equally doubtful remains the foundation time of the monastery, since not only the years of Justinian I (527-565) have been suggested, but also the years of Heraclius (610-641). However, there is certainty that during the 12th century a grand church is being built, while in the beginning of the 14th century it is widely renovated. This was the extended renovation program, funded by the logothetes tou genikou, Theodore Metochites, who associated his name to the monument, thus sealing the greatest period in all of its history. The construction of the double narthex and the south chapel, which were decorated with mosaics and frescoes respectively, is attributed to Metochites. These works comprise the greatest expression of the Palaiologan art during the artistically rich reign of Andronicus II (1282-1328) and they are still admired by all.

On the day of the Fall of Constantinople in 1453, the monastery was one of the first religious monuments to undergo the plunder. Later, at the end of the 15th century and the beginning of the 16th century, Chora was transformed into a mosque named Kariye.

The restoration of the monument, the reveal but also the cleaning of the mosaics was made in two periods, the first one in the beginning and the second in the mid-20th century.

Chora Monastery operates from 1948 as a museum named Kariye Müzesi.

 

In the northwest part of Constantinople, the monastic church of Panagia Pammakaristos is built. From its complex, only the katholikon and the chapel, which is attached on its south side, survive till today.

The erection of the church took place in the 12^th century. Its founders were John Komnenos, domesticus and kouropalates, and his wife Anna, according to the inscription that used to be in the bema.

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The church of Saints Sergios and Bakchos is in the southeast side of Constantinople, not far away from the Sea of Marmara. The church belonged in the complex of the Palace of Hormisdas, the private residence of Justinian I, before he ascended to the throne. The new church was built by the emperor himself during the years 527-536 or 520-527 according to recent researches, next to the church of Saint Peter and Paul, which was previously constructed by Justinian. This way, the two churches had common narthex, atrium and propylon. Part of the masonry of the south wall of the church of Saints Sergios and Bakchos is considered to belong in the now-destroyed church of Saints Peter and Paul.

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The Basilica Cistern is located in the eastern part of Constantinople, opposite the church of Hagia Sophia.

It is a roofed cistern with a capacity of 78.000 m³. It was constructed by Justinian (527-565) below the Basileios Stoa, which was destroyed during the Nika riots (532). It has 336 columns (28 columns arranged in 12 rows), many of which support Corinthian capitals, spolia from older buildings. The bases of two columns on the southwest side of the monument bear the carved face of Medusa, work originating from past years.

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The strategic strait of Bosporus (in Turkish: Istanbul Boğazi) in northwest Turkey divides Europe from Asia, while it links the Sea of Marmara (Propontis) to the Black Sea. With a length of almost 32 kilometers and a maximum width of 3.4 kilometers, it is the narrowest strait in international navigation.

Its name derives from the words βοῦς (ox) and πόρος (passage) and is related to the following myth: when Hera discovered the romantic affair of Zeus and Io, daughter of the king of Argos and priestess of the goddess’ temple, he transformed her in a white cow so as to protect Io from the goddess’ rage.

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On the slope of the fourth hill at the northern end of Constantinople, east of the now lost Church of the Holy Apostles, rises the large monastic complex of Christ Pantokrator. Its construction is attributed to the emperor John II Komnenos (1118-1143) and his wife Irene of Hungary (1118-1143), according to the typikon of the monastery, written in 1136 by the emperor himself, which survives till today.

From this monumental complex, which functioned as a charitable institution with a nursing home and a hospital, three temples and some annexes on the southern side, which are connected to the residency of the emperor, are what remains in place today. The south church, the katholikon (principal church) of the monks’ monastery dedicated to Christ Pantokrator, is the biggest cross-in-square preserved in the capital and one of the largest in the whole Byzantine world. Its magnificence was completed with excellent mosaics, known to us only through historical sources, and with the opus sectile pavement, which decorated the central floor of the church. The north church was dedicated to Virgin Eleousa (Merciful, since it was related to the adjacent charitable institution), and everyone was allowed to enter, in contradiction to the south church, where an abaton, a ban for women pilgrims, was implemented.

The two churches are connected on the west by a continuous narthex, which has a second floor. In a later phase, on the south part, which corresponded to the katholikon of the monastery, an outer narthex was built. The space between the two cross-in-square churches was filled with a domed chapel of Archangel Michael, which served as the mausoleum of the Komnenoi and also of a few members of the Palaiologoi dynasty, among them the emperor Manuel II (1391-1425) and his family.

After the Fall of Constantinople to the Crusaders in 1204, the complex passed to the hands of the Venetians till 1261, when it was restored to the authority of the Orthodox Church. After the Fall of Constantinople to the Ottomans in 1453, it functioned as a Muslim religious-educational institution (medrese) and then as a mosque called Molla Zeyrek Camii, in honor of the first hoca (religious teacher) Zeyrek Molla Efendi. The name is preserved till today, frequently expanded to Zeyrek Kilise (ekklesia/church) Camii, a reference made to the initial function of the complex.

Many restoration works have repeatedly taken place in the complex. The first ones, from 1953 till 1967, included the cleaning of the western and southern side, while in the decade of 1990 the monument was part of a restoration program in cooperation with the University of Illinois. The last restoration works lasted from 2010 till very recently.