TheChurch of the Virgin of the Pharos (Greek:Θεοτόκος τοῦ Φάρου,Theotokos tou Pharou) was aByzantine chapel built in the southern part of theGreat Palace ofConstantinople, and named after the tower of thelighthouse (pharos) that stood next to it.[1] It housed one of the most important collections ofChristian relics in the city, and functioned as the chief palatine chapel of theByzantine emperors.
The church was probably built sometime in the 8th century, as it is first attested in the chronicle ofTheophanes the Confessor for 769: it was there that the futureemperorLeo IV (r. 775–780) marriedIrene of Athens.[2] EmperorLeo V (r. 813–820) was assassinated there.[3] The church was located close to the ceremonial heart of the palace, thethrone room of theChrysotriklinos and the adjoining imperial apartments.[4] Following the end oficonoclasm, it was extensively rebuilt and redecorated by EmperorMichael III (r. 842–867).[2] As restored, it was a relatively small building with a ribbed dome, threeapses, anarthex and a "splendidly fashioned"atrium.[5] On the occasion of its rededication, probably in 864, thePatriarchPhotios held one of his most famoushomilies lauding the church's spectacular decoration.[2][6] Indeed, Photios takes the unusual step of criticizing the church, albeit subtly, for beingtoo sumptuous, especially given its small size.[7]
Together with the churches of St Stephen in theDaphne Palace and theNea 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,[8] eventually rising to be, in the words ofCyril Mango, the "palatine chapel par excellence".[9]
Already by 940, its collection of relics included theHoly Lance and a part of theTrue Cross, and during the next two centuries, successive emperors added more relics: theHolyMandylion in 944, the right arm ofSt John the Baptist in 945, the sandals ofChrist and the Holy Tile (keramion) in the 960s, theletter of Christ to KingAbgar V of Edessa in 1032. By the end of the 12th century, according to accounts byNicholas Mesarites, the church'sskeuophylax, and travellers such asAnthony of Novgorod, the collection had grown to include even more relics, particularly of thePassion: theCrown of Thorns, aHoly Nail, Christ's clothes, purple mantle and reed cane, and even a piece from his tombstone.[10][11] As a result, the church was hailed by the Byzantines as "anotherSinai, aBethlehem, aJordan, aJerusalem, aNazareth, aBethany, aGalilee, aTiberias."[4]
The French CrusaderRobert of Clari, in his narrative on thesack of the city by theCrusaders in 1204, calls the churchla Sainte Chapelle ("the Holy Chapel").[5] The chapel itself avoided plunder during the sack:Boniface of Montferrat moved swiftly to occupy the area of theBoukoleon Palace, and the relics passed safely on to the newLatin Emperor,Baldwin I (r. 1204–1205).[12] 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-strappedLatin Empire.[13] Many of them, especially those pertaining to the Passion, were acquired by KingLouis IX of France (r. 1226–1270). In order to housethese relics, he built a dedicated palace church, characteristically namedSainte-Chapelle in direct imitation of the Virgin of the Pharos.[4][14][15] The concept was again imitated in the relic chapel ofKarlstejn Castle, built by Holy Roman EmperorCharles IV (r. 1346–1378) and tied to his pretensions of being a "newConstantine".[4] The Pharos chapel itself however did not survive theLatin occupation of the city.[16]
41°00′21″N28°58′38″E / 41.00583°N 28.97722°E /41.00583; 28.97722
