Chalcedon Χαλκηδών | |
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Town | |
 The smallChurch of St Euphemia that serves as the Greek Orthodox cathedral of theMetropolitan Diocese | |
| Etymology: Carthage | |
.svg) Bithynia as part of Bithynia and Pontus, a province of theRoman Empire, 120 AD | |
| Coordinates:40°59′04″N29°01′38″E / 40.98444°N 29.02722°E /40.98444; 29.02722 | |
| Country | Bithynia |
| Established | Prehistoric times |
Chalcedon (/ˈkælsɪˌdɒn,kælˈsiːdən/;[1]Ancient Greek:Χαλκηδών,romanized: Khalkēdṓn) was an ancientmaritime town ofBithynia, inAsia Minor,Turkey. It was located almost directly oppositeByzantium, south ofScutari (modernÜsküdar) and it is now a district of the city ofIstanbul namedKadıköy. The nameChalcedon is a variant of Calchedon, found on all the coins of the town as well as in manuscripts ofHerodotus'sHistories,Xenophon'sHellenica,Arrian'sAnabasis, and other works. Except for theMaiden's Tower, almost no above-ground vestiges of the ancient city survive in Kadıköy today; artifacts uncovered at Altıyol and other excavation sites are on display at theIstanbul Archaeological Museum.
The site of Chalcedon is located on a small peninsula on the north coast of theSea of Marmara, near the mouth of theBosphorus. A stream, called the Chalcis or Chalcedon in antiquity[2] and now known as the Kurbağalıdere (Turkish:stream with frogs), flows into Fenerbahçe Bay. There, Greek colonists fromMegara inAttica founded the settlement of Chalcedon in 685 BC, some seventeen years before Byzantium.
The Greek name of the ancient town is from itsPhoenician nameqart-ħadaʃt, meaning "New Town", whence Karkhēd(ōn),[3] as similarly are the names ofCarthage andCartagena. The mineralchalcedony is named after the city.[4]
The mound ofFikirtepe has yielded remains dating to theChalcolithic period (5500–3500 BC) and attest to a continuous settlement since prehistoric times.Phoenicians were active traders in this area.
Pliny states that Chalcedon was first named Procerastis, a name which may be derived from a point of land near it: then it was named Colpusa, from the harbour probably; and finally Caecorum Oppidum, or the town of the blind.[5]
Chalcedon originated as aMegarian colony in 685 BC. The colonists from Megara settled on a site that was viewed in antiquity as so obviously inferior to that visible on the opposite shore of the Bosphorus (with its small settlements of Lygos and Semistra onSeraglio Point), that the 6th-century BC Persian generalMegabazus allegedly remarked that Chalcedon's founders must have been blind.[6] Indeed, Strabo and Pliny relate that theoracle of Apollo told the Athenians and Megarians who founded Byzantium in 657 BC to build their city "opposite to the blind", and that they interpreted "the blind" to mean Chalcedon, the "City of the Blind".[7][8]
Nevertheless, trade thrived in Chalcedon; the town flourished and built many temples, including one toApollo, which had an oracle. Chalcedonia, the territory dependent upon Chalcedon,[9] stretched up the Anatolian shore of the Bosphorus at least as far as the temple ofZeus Urius, now the site ofYoros Castle, and may have included the north shore of the Bay ofAstacus which extends towardsNicomedia. Important villages in Chalcedonia included Chrysopolis[10] (the modernÜsküdar) and Panteicheion (Pendik). Strabo notes that "a little above the sea" in Chalcedonia lies "the fountain Azaritia, which contains small crocodiles".[11]
In its early history Chalcedon shared the fortunes of Byzantium. Later, the 6th-century BC PersiansatrapOtanes captured it. The city vacillated for a long while between theLacedaemonian and theAthenian interests.Darius the Great's bridge of boats, built in 512 BC for hisScythian campaign, extended from Chalcedonia toThrace. Chalcedon formed a part of thekingdom of Bithynia, whose kingNicomedes willed Bithynia to the Romans upon his death in 74 BC.
The city was partly destroyed byMithridates. The governor of Bithynia,Cotta, had fled to Chalcedon for safety along with thousands of other Romans. Three thousand of them were killed, sixty ships captured, and four ships destroyed in Mithridates' assault on the city.[12]
During the Empire, Chalcedon recovered, and was given the status of a free city. It fell under the repeated attacks of thebarbarian hordes who crossed over after having ravaged Byzantium, including some referred to as Scythians who attacked during the reign of Valerian and Gallienus in themid 3rd century.[13]
Chalcedon suffered somewhat from its proximity to the new imperial capital atConstantinople. First the Byzantines and later theOttoman Turks used it as a quarry for building materials forConstantinople's monumental structures.[14] Chalcedon also fell repeatedly to armies attacking Constantinople from the east.
In 361 AD it was the location of theChalcedon tribunal, whereJulian the Apostate brought his enemies to trial.
In 451 AD anecumenical council of Christian leaders convened here. See below for thisCouncil of Chalcedon.
The generalBelisarius probably spent his years of retirement on his estate of Rufinianae in Chalcedonia.
Beginning in 616 and for at least a decade thereafter, Chalcedon furnished an encampment to thePersians underChosroes II[15] (cf.Siege of Constantinople (626)). It later fell for a time to the Arabs underYazid (cf.Siege of Constantinople (674)).
Chalcedon was badly damaged during theFourth Crusade (1204). It came definitively underOttoman rule underOrhan Gazi a century before theOttoman conquest of Constantinople.
Chalcedon was anepiscopal see at an early date and several Christianmartyrs are associated with Chalcedon:
It was the site of various ecclesiastical councils. The FourthEcumenical Council, known as 'the'Council of Chalcedon, was convened in 451 and defined the human and divine natures ofJesus, which provoked the schism with the churches composingOriental Orthodoxy.
After the council, Chalcedon became ametropolitan see, but withoutsuffragans. There is a list of its bishops inLe Quien,[16] completed byAnthimus Alexoudes,[17] revised for the early period byPargoire.[18] Among others are:[19]
TheGreek OrthodoxMetropolitan of Chalcedon holds senior rank (currently third position) within theGreek Orthodox patriarchal synod of Constantinople. The incumbent is Metropolitan Athanasios Papas. The cathedral is that ofSt. Euphemia.
After theGreat Schism, theLatin Church retained Chalcedon as atitular see with archiepiscopal rank,[20] with known incumbents since 1356. Among thetitular bishops named to this see wereWilliam Bishop (1623–1624) andRichard Smith (1624–1632), who were appointedvicars apostolic for the pastoral care of Catholics in England at a time when that country had no Catholic diocesan bishops. Such appointments ceased after theSecond Vatican Council and the titular see has not been assigned since 1967.[21]
Chalcedon has also been atitular archbishopric for two Eastern Catholic church dioceses:
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Smith, William, ed. (1854–1857). "Chalcedon".Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography. London: John Murray.| International | |
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