Church of the Virgin of the Pharos
Encyclopedia
The Church of the Virgin of the Pharos ' onMouseout='HidePop("87232")' href="/topics/Theotokos">Theotokos
tou Pharou) was a Byzantine
chapel built in the southern part of the Great Palace
of Constantinople
, and named after the tower of the lighthouse
(pharos
) that stood next to it. It housed one of the most important collections of Christian relics in the city, and functioned as the chief palatine chapel of the Byzantine emperors.
for 769: it was there that the future emperor
Leo IV
(r. 775–780) married Irene of Athens. The church was located close to the ceremonial heart of the palace, the throne
room of the Chrysotriklinos
and the adjoining imperial apartments. Following the end of iconoclasm, it was extensively rebuilt and redecorated by Emperor Michael III
(r. 842–867). As restored, it was a relatively small building with a ribbed dome, three apse
s, a narthex
and a "splendidly fashioned" atrium
. On the occasion of its rededication, probably in 864, the Patriarch
Photios held one of his most famous homilies lauding the church's spectacular decoration. Indeed, Photios takes the unusual step of criticizing the church, albeit subtly, for being too sumptuous, especially given its small size.
Together with the churches of St Stephen in the Daphne Palace
and the Nea Ekklesia
, the Virgin of the Pharos came to hold one of the major collections of Christian holy relics. Consequently, and because of its proximity to the imperial quarters, it became one of the major ceremonial locations of the imperial palace, eventually rising to be, in the words of Cyril Mango
, the "palatine chapel
par excellence".
Already by 940, its collection of relics included the Holy Lance
and a part of the True Cross
, and during the next two centuries, successive emperors added more relics: the Holy Mandylion
in 944, the right arm of St John the Baptist in 945, the sandals of Christ
and the Holy Tile (keramion) in the 960s, the letter of Christ to King Abgar V of Edessa
in 1032. By the end of the 12th century, according to accounts by Nicholas Mesarites, the church's skeuophylax, and travellers such as Anthony of Novgorod
, the collection had grown to include even more relics, particularly of the Passion: the Crown of Thorns
, the Holy Nail, Christ's clothes, purple mantle and reed cane, and even a piece from his tombstone. As a result, the church was hailed by the Byzantines as "another Sinai, a Bethlehem
, a Jordan, a Jerusalem, a Nazareth
, a Bethany
, a Galilee
, a Tiberias."
The French Crusader Robert of Clari, in his narrative on the sack of the city
by the Crusaders
in 1204, calls the church la Sainte Chapelle ("the Holy Chapel"). The chapel itself avoided plunder during the sack: Boniface of Montferrat
moved swiftly to occupy the area of the Boukoleon Palace, and the relics passed safely on to the new Latin Emperor
, Baldwin I
(r. 1204–1205). Over the next decades however, most of these were dispersed throughout Western Europe, given as gifts to powerful and influential rulers or sold off to procure money and supplies for the embattled and chronically cash-strapped Latin Empire
. Many of them, especially those pertaining to the Passion, were acquired by King Louis IX of France
(r. 1226–1270). In order to house these relics
, he built a dedicated palace church, characteristically named Sainte-Chapelle
in direct imitation of the Virgin of the Pharos. The concept was again imitated in the relic chapel of Karlstejn Castle, built by Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV
(r. 1346–1378) and tied to his pretensions of being a "new Constantine
". The Pharos chapel itself however did not survive the Latin occupation of the city.
Theotokos
Theotokos is the Greek title of Mary, the mother of Jesus used especially in the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Catholic Churches. Its literal English translations include God-bearer and the one who gives birth to God. Less literal translations include Mother of God...
tou Pharou) was a Byzantine
Byzantine
Byzantine usually refers to the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages.Byzantine may also refer to:* A citizen of the Byzantine Empire, or native Greek during the Middle Ages...
chapel built in the southern part of the Great Palace
Great Palace of Constantinople
The Great Palace of Constantinople — also known as the Sacred Palace — was the large Imperial Byzantine palace complex located in the south-eastern end of the peninsula now known as "Old Istanbul", modern Turkey...
of Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
, and named after the tower of the lighthouse
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
(pharos
Pharos
Pharos may refer to:Lighthouses:* The Pharos of Alexandria, a tower built on the island of Pharos that became one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World* The Pharos, either of two Roman lighthouses built at Dubris...
) that stood next to it. It housed one of the most important collections of Christian relics in the city, and functioned as the chief palatine chapel of the Byzantine emperors.
History
The church was probably built sometime in the 8th century, as it is first attested in the chronicle of Theophanes the ConfessorTheophanes the Confessor
Saint Theophanes Confessor was a member of the Byzantine aristocracy, who became a monk and chronicler. He is venerated on March 12 in the Roman Catholic and the Eastern Orthodox Church .-Biography:Theophanes was born in Constantinople of wealthy and noble iconodule parents: Isaac,...
for 769: it was there that the future emperor
Emperor
An emperor is a monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife or a woman who rules in her own right...
Leo IV
Leo IV the Khazar
Leo IV the Khazar was Byzantine Emperor from 775 to 780 CE.Leo was the son of Emperor Constantine V by his first wife, Irene of Khazaria , the daughter of a Khagan of the Khazars...
(r. 775–780) married Irene of Athens. The church was located close to the ceremonial heart of the palace, the throne
Throne
A throne is the official chair or seat upon which a monarch is seated on state or ceremonial occasions. "Throne" in an abstract sense can also refer to the monarchy or the Crown itself, an instance of metonymy, and is also used in many expressions such as "the power behind the...
room of the Chrysotriklinos
Chrysotriklinos
The Chrysotriklinos , latinized as Chrysotriclinus or Chrysotriclinium, was the main reception and ceremonial hall of the Great Palace of Constantinople from its construction, in the late 6th century, until the 10th century...
and the adjoining imperial apartments. Following the end of iconoclasm, it was extensively rebuilt and redecorated by Emperor Michael III
Michael III
Michael III , , Byzantine Emperor from 842 to 867. Michael III was the third and traditionally last member of the Amorian-Phrygian Dynasty...
(r. 842–867). As restored, it was a relatively small building with a ribbed dome, three apse
Apse
In architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...
s, a narthex
Narthex
The narthex of a church is the entrance or lobby area, located at the end of the nave, at the far end from the church's main altar. Traditionally the narthex was a part of the church building, but was not considered part of the church proper...
and a "splendidly fashioned" atrium
Atrium (architecture)
In modern architecture, an atrium is a large open space, often several stories high and having a glazed roof and/or large windows, often situated within a larger multistory building and often located immediately beyond the main entrance doors...
. On the occasion of its rededication, probably in 864, the Patriarch
Patriarch of Constantinople
The Ecumenical Patriarch is the Archbishop of Constantinople – New Rome – ranking as primus inter pares in the Eastern Orthodox communion, which is seen by followers as the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church....
Photios held one of his most famous homilies lauding the church's spectacular decoration. Indeed, Photios takes the unusual step of criticizing the church, albeit subtly, for being too sumptuous, especially given its small size.
Together with the churches of St Stephen in the Daphne Palace
Daphne Palace
The Palace of Daphne was one of the major wings of the Great Palace of Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire . According to George Codinus, it was named after a statue of the nymph Daphne, brought from Rome...
and the Nea Ekklesia
Nea Ekklesia
The Nea Ekklēsia was a church built by Byzantine Emperor Basil I the Macedonian in Constantinople between the years 876–80. It was the first monumental church built in the Byzantine capital after the Hagia Sophia in the 6th century, and marks the beginning of middle period of Byzantine...
, the Virgin of the Pharos came to hold one of the major collections of Christian holy relics. Consequently, and because of its proximity to the imperial quarters, it became one of the major ceremonial locations of the imperial palace, eventually rising to be, in the words of Cyril Mango
Cyril Mango
Cyril Alexander Mango is a British scholar in the history, art, and architecture of the Byzantine Empire. He is a former King's College London and Oxford professor of Byzantine and Modern Greek Language and Literature. He is the brother of Andrew Mango.One of his major works The Mosaics of St...
, the "palatine chapel
Palatine Chapel
Palatine Chapel may refer to:*Palatine Chapel in Aachen of the Aachen Cathedral - the central monument of Carolingian art*Cappella Palatina of the Palazzo dei Normanni in Palermo - the central monument of Arab-Norman-Byzantine art...
par excellence".
Already by 940, its collection of relics included the Holy Lance
Holy Lance
The Holy Lance is the name given to the lance that pierced Jesus' side as he hung on the cross in John's account of the Crucifixion.-Biblical references:The lance is mentioned only in the Gospel of John and not in any of the...
and a part of the True Cross
True Cross
The True Cross is the name for physical remnants which, by a Christian tradition, are believed to be from the cross upon which Jesus was crucified.According to post-Nicene historians, Socrates Scholasticus and others, the Empress Helena The True Cross is the name for physical remnants which, by a...
, and during the next two centuries, successive emperors added more relics: the Holy Mandylion
Image of Edessa
According to Christian legend, the Image of Edessa was a holy relic consisting of a square or rectangle of cloth upon which a miraculous image of the face of Jesus was imprinted — the first icon ....
in 944, the right arm of St John the Baptist in 945, the sandals of Christ
Christ
Christ is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...
and the Holy Tile (keramion) in the 960s, the letter of Christ to King Abgar V of Edessa
Abgar V of Edessa
Abgar V the black or Abgarus V of Edessa BC - AD 7 and AD 13 - 50) was a historical Syriac ruler of the Syriac kingdom of Osroene, holding his capital at Edessa....
in 1032. By the end of the 12th century, according to accounts by Nicholas Mesarites, the church's skeuophylax, and travellers such as Anthony of Novgorod
Anthony of Novgorod
Anthony Of Novgorod was a Russian archbishop.Born Dobryna Jadrejkovich to a wealthy family, around 1190 he joined the monastery of Chutynski. In 1200, he undertook a pilgrimage to Constantinople and wrote an account of his journey in his Pilgrim's Book, which is of interest to historians for its...
, the collection had grown to include even more relics, particularly of the Passion: the Crown of Thorns
Crown of Thorns
In Christianity, the Crown of Thorns, one of the instruments of the Passion, was woven of thorn branches and placed on Jesus Christ before his crucifixion...
, the Holy Nail, Christ's clothes, purple mantle and reed cane, and even a piece from his tombstone. As a result, the church was hailed by the Byzantines as "another Sinai, a Bethlehem
Bethlehem
Bethlehem is a Palestinian city in the central West Bank of the Jordan River, near Israel and approximately south of Jerusalem, with a population of about 30,000 people. It is the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate of the Palestinian National Authority and a hub of Palestinian culture and tourism...
, a Jordan, a Jerusalem, a Nazareth
Nazareth
Nazareth is the largest city in the North District of Israel. Known as "the Arab capital of Israel," the population is made up predominantly of Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel...
, a Bethany
Bethany
Bethany, in the Bible, was the name of a village near Jerusalem - see Bethany - mentioned in the New Testament as the home of the siblings Mary, Martha, and Lazarus and, according to the Gospel of John, the site of a miracle in which Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead...
, a Galilee
Galilee
Galilee , is a large region in northern Israel which overlaps with much of the administrative North District of the country. Traditionally divided into Upper Galilee , Lower Galilee , and Western Galilee , extending from Dan to the north, at the base of Mount Hermon, along Mount Lebanon to the...
, a Tiberias."
The French Crusader Robert of Clari, in his narrative on the sack of the city
Siege of Constantinople (1204)
The Siege of Constantinople occurred in 1204; it destroyed parts of the capital of the Byzantine Empire as it was confiscated by Western European and Venetian Crusaders...
by the Crusaders
Fourth Crusade
The Fourth Crusade was originally intended to conquer Muslim-controlled Jerusalem by means of an invasion through Egypt. Instead, in April 1204, the Crusaders of Western Europe invaded and conquered the Christian city of Constantinople, capital of the Eastern Roman Empire...
in 1204, calls the church la Sainte Chapelle ("the Holy Chapel"). The chapel itself avoided plunder during the sack: Boniface of Montferrat
Boniface of Montferrat
Boniface of Montferrat was Marquess of Montferrat and the leader of the Fourth Crusade. He was the third son of William V of Montferrat and Judith of Babenberg, born after his father's return from the Second Crusade...
moved swiftly to occupy the area of the Boukoleon Palace, and the relics passed safely on to the new Latin Emperor
Latin Empire
The Latin Empire or Latin Empire of Constantinople is the name given by historians to the feudal Crusader state founded by the leaders of the Fourth Crusade on lands captured from the Byzantine Empire. It was established after the capture of Constantinople in 1204 and lasted until 1261...
, Baldwin I
Baldwin I of Constantinople
Baldwin I , the first emperor of the Latin Empire of Constantinople, as Baldwin IX Count of Flanders and as Baldwin VI Count of Hainaut, was one of the most prominent leaders of the Fourth Crusade, which resulted in the capture of Constantinople, the conquest of the greater part of the Byzantine...
(r. 1204–1205). Over the next decades however, most of these were dispersed throughout Western Europe, given as gifts to powerful and influential rulers or sold off to procure money and supplies for the embattled and chronically cash-strapped Latin Empire
Latin Empire
The Latin Empire or Latin Empire of Constantinople is the name given by historians to the feudal Crusader state founded by the leaders of the Fourth Crusade on lands captured from the Byzantine Empire. It was established after the capture of Constantinople in 1204 and lasted until 1261...
. Many of them, especially those pertaining to the Passion, were acquired by King Louis IX of France
Louis IX of France
Louis IX , commonly Saint Louis, was King of France from 1226 until his death. He was also styled Louis II, Count of Artois from 1226 to 1237. Born at Poissy, near Paris, he was an eighth-generation descendant of Hugh Capet, and thus a member of the House of Capet, and the son of Louis VIII and...
(r. 1226–1270). In order to house these relics
Relics of Sainte-Chapelle
The Relics of Sainte-Chapelle are relics of Jesus Christ acquired by the French monarchy in the Middle Ages and now conserved by the Archdiocese of Paris...
, he built a dedicated palace church, characteristically named Sainte-Chapelle
Sainte-Chapelle
La Sainte-Chapelle is the only surviving building of the Capetian royal palace on the Île de la Cité in the heart of Paris, France. It was commissioned by King Louis IX of France to house his collection of Passion Relics, including the Crown of Thorns - one of the most important relics in medieval...
in direct imitation of the Virgin of the Pharos. The concept was again imitated in the relic chapel of Karlstejn Castle, built by Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV
Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles IV , born Wenceslaus , was the second king of Bohemia from the House of Luxembourg, and the first king of Bohemia to also become Holy Roman Emperor....
(r. 1346–1378) and tied to his pretensions of being a "new Constantine
Constantine I
Constantine the Great , also known as Constantine I or Saint Constantine, was Roman Emperor from 306 to 337. Well known for being the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity, Constantine and co-Emperor Licinius issued the Edict of Milan in 313, which proclaimed religious tolerance of all...
". The Pharos chapel itself however did not survive the Latin occupation of the city.