TheNea Ekklēsia (Medieval Greek:Νέα Ἐκκλησία, "New Church"; known in English as "The Nea") was achurch byByzantine EmperorBasil I the Macedonian inConstantinople between 876 and 880. It was the first monumental church built in theByzantine capital after theHagia Sophia in the 6th century, and marks the beginning of the middle period ofByzantine architecture. It continued in use until thePalaiologan period. Used as a gunpowder magazine by theOttomans, the building was destroyed in 1490 after being struck by lightning. No traces of it survive, and information about it derives from historical accounts and depictions.
Emperor Basil I was the founder of theMacedonian dynasty, the most successful in Byzantine history. Basil regarded himself as a restorer of the empire, a newJustinian, and initiated a great building program in Constantinople in emulation his great predecessor. TheNea was to be Basil'sHagia Sophia, with its very name, "New Church", implying the beginning of a new era.[1]
The church was built under the personal supervision of Basil,[2][3] in the southeastern corner of theGreat Palace complex,[4] near the location of the earliertzykanistērion (polo field). Basil built another church nearby, the "Theotokos of the Pharos". TheNea was consecrated on 1 May 880 byPatriarchPhotius,[citation needed] and dedicated toJesus Christ, the archangelMichael (in later sources,Gabriel), the ProphetElijah (one of Basil's favorite saints), theVirgin Mary andSaint Nicholas.[2][5]
It is indicative of Basil's intentions for this church that he endowed it with its own administration and estates, on the model of the Hagia Sophia. During his and his immediate successors' reign, theNea played an important role in palace ceremonies,[6] and at least until the reign ofConstantine VII, the anniversary of its consecration was a major dynastic feast.[7] At some point in the late 11th century it was turned into a monastery, and was known as the "New Monastery" (Νέα Μονή).[4] EmperorIsaac II Angelos stripped it of much of its decoration, its furniture and liturgical vessels,[8] and used them to restore the church of St Michael at Anaplous.[9] The building continued to be used by theLatins and survived thePalaiologan period until after theOttoman conquest of the city. The Ottomans however used it for gunpowder storage. Thus in 1490, when the building was struck by a lightning, it was destroyed and subsequently torn down.[4] As a result, the only information we have about the church comes from literary evidence, especially the mid-10th centuryVita Basilii, as well a few crude depictions in maps.[1]
As noted, not much is known about the details of the structure. The church was built with five domes: the central dome was dedicated to Christ while the four smaller ones housed chapels of the four other saints to whom the church was dedicated. The exact arrangement of the domes and the type of the church are disputed.[10] Most scholars consider it to have been across-in-square structure,[11] similar to the laterMyrelaion andLips Monastery churches. Indeed, the widespread use of this type throughout the Orthodox world, from theBalkans toRussia, is commonly ascribed to the prestige of this imperial building.[12]
The church was the crowning achievement of Basil's building program, and he spared no expense to decorate it as lavishly as possible: other churches and structures in the capital, including themausoleum of Justinian, were stripped,[12] and theImperial fleet employed with transportingmarble for its construction, with the result thatSyracuse, the main Byzantine stronghold inSicily, was left unsupported andfell to the Arabs.[13]
Basil's grandson, the EmperorConstantine VII Porphyrogenitus, gives the following description of the church's decoration in a laudatoryekphrasis:[14]
This church, like a bride adorned with pearls and gold, with gleaming silver, with a variety of many-hued marble, with compositions of mosaictesserae, and clothing of silken stuffs, he [Basil] offered to Christ, the immortal Bridegroom. Its roof, consisting of five domes, gleams with gold and is resplendent with beautiful images as with stars, while on the outside it is adorned withbrass that resembles gold. The walls on either side are beautified with costly marbles of many hues, while thesanctuary is enriched with gold and silver, precious stones, and pearls. Thebarrier that separates the sanctuary from thenave, including the columns that pertain to it and thelintel that is above them; the seats that are within, and the steps that are in front of them, and theholy tables themselves – all of these are of silver suffused with gold, of precious stones and costly pearls. As for the pavement, it appears to be covered in silken stuffs ofSidonian workmanship; to such an extent has it been adorned all over withmarble slabs of different colors enclosed by tessellated bands of varied aspect, all accurately joined together and abounding in elegance.
Theatrium of the church lay before its western entrance, and was decorated with two fountains of marble andporphyry. Twoporticoes ran along the northern and southern sides of the church up to thetzykanistērion, and on the seaward (southern) side, a treasury and asacristy were built. To the east of the church complex lay a garden, known asmesokēpion ("middle garden").[15]
Along with the oratory of St Stephen in theDaphne Palace and theChurch of the Virgin of the Pharos, theNea was the chief repository of holy relics in the imperial palace.[16] These included the sheepskin cloak of the prophet Elijah, the table of Abraham, at which he hosted three angels, the horn which the prophetSamuel had used to anointDavid, and relics ofConstantine the Great. After the 10th century, further relics were apparently moved there from other locations in the palace, including the "rod of Moses" from theChrysotriklinos.[17]
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