Blachernae (Medieval Greek:Βλαχέρναι) was a suburb in the northwestern section ofConstantinople, the capital city of theByzantine Empire. It is the site of awater source and a number of prominent churches were built there, most notably the greatChurch of St. Mary of Blachernae (Panagia Blacherniotissa), built by EmpressPulcheria in c. 450, expanded by EmperorLeo I (r. 457–474) and renovated by EmperorJustinian I (r. 527–565) in the 6th century.[1]
The name Blachernae is traditionally said to derive from a species of fish called blakernai (also called as lakernai), which was commonly found in the waters near the northwestern edge of Constantinople. According to local accounts preserved among the Greek inhabitants of the city, the quarter took its name from the fishermen who settled in the area and made a living from catching and selling these fish. This folk belief was first recorded by the 19th-century Greek historianSkarlatos Byzantios, who noted that it was based on local Greek tradition.[2] A similar explanation appears in a religious document dated to 1351, which states that the district derived its name from the Latin name of a species of fish commonly sold there by fishermen returning from the Bosphorus.[2]
The earliest known explanation for the name of the district appears in a later copy of the chronicle attributed toGenesios, made sometime between the 10th and 13th centuries. In this manuscript, a later addition inserted in parentheses claims that the name "Blachernae" originated from an ancientScythian king who was killed in that area.[3]
In 1920, Romanian philologistIlie Gherghel proposed that the nameBlachernae may be connected to the Romanians, who were referred to asVlachs (also spelledBlach orBlasi) in the Middle Ages. He argued that the toponym might have originated from the name of a Vlach individual or community in the region.[4] Gherghel compared data from old historians and suggested that a small Vlach community may have existed in the area of today Blachernae. It is possible that this community was so influential that the district itself came to bear their name. A similar view was later supported by another Romanian historian,G. Popa Lisseanu, who also argued in favor of the Vlach origin for the name.[5]
The quarter is recorded asregio XIV in the early 5th-centuryNotitia Urbis Constantinopolitanae, where it is recorded as being enclosed by a wall of its own.[6] The name Blachernae appeared in a work ofTheophanes the Confessor in connection with a revolt ofFlavius Vitalianus against EmperorAnastasius I in 513.[7] The quarter was connected to the city proper at the construction of theTheodosian Walls, but the Church of St. Mary remained outside of the walls until 627, when EmperorHeraclius (r. 610–641) built another wall to enclose it.[1] By that time, the church had become the major Marian shrine of the city,[1] and the second-most important church in Constantinople afterHagia Sophia, if only because the emperors' residence was nearby. In 1347, EmperorJohn VI Kantakouzenos (r. 1347–1354) wascrowned there, instead of at Hagia Sophia.
South of the church and situated on the city's Seventh Hill stood the imperialPalace of Blachernae, which was first erected in c. 500. During theKomnenian period, it became the favourite imperial residence, eclipsing the olderGreat Palace of Constantinople on the eastern end of the city.[1] Although theLatin emperors returned to theBucoleon Palace, thePalaiologos emperors of the restoredByzantine Empire again used the Blachernae Palace as their main residence.[1] ThePalace of the Porphyrogenitus (Turkish:Tekfur Sarayı) and thePrison of Anemas are the main surviving structures of the Palace of Blachernae, which was a complex of multiple buildings.
Following thefall of Constantinople to theOttomans in May 1453, the Sultan's residence was moved toTopkapı Palace on the site of the ancientacropolis of Byzantium, opposite to the original site of the Great Palace, which had by this time fallen into complete ruin, and the Blachernae area (with the exception of the Palace of Porphyrogenitus) fell into disuse.
During theByzantine Papacy, the portion of theAventine overlooking theGreek quarter of Rome became known as thead Balcernas orBlachernas.[8]
The historic Blachernae area is in the present-dayIstanbul quarter known asAyvansaray. The sacred spring, associated with theVirgin Mary, can still be visited today; inTurkish it is namedAyazma, a name derived from the Greek termhagiasma (Greek:ἁγίασμα), meaning "holy water".
41°02′02″N28°56′25″E / 41.03389°N 28.94028°E /41.03389; 28.94028
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