NOTRE-DAME-DES-BLACHERNES CHURCH
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In good condition and well maintained, it is one of the most prestigious sites in the historic city, but paradoxically it remains little known on the classic routes. The source considered sacred since time immemorial is at the origin of the construction of the church. Indeed, the latter was built much later, in the 5th century, at the initiative of Emperor Marciano (450-457) and his wife Pulcheria, sister of the previous emperor, the famous Theodosius II (413-450). Leon V (457-474) completed the work and made some modifications. A statue of the Virgin Mary is placed on the spring running water from her hands and a paracleion (Haghia Soros) has been built to house her so-called tunic, brought back from the Holy Land (5th century) at the same time as other pieces considered also sacred. Because of its proximity to the walls, it is not hard to imagine that spirits have appealed many times to the supernatural powers of the relics and to the statue of the Virgin Mary. It was rebuilt after a fire in the 11th century at the same time as the Blachernes Palace, on which it became an outbuilding. It is true that no monument of the Byzantine period had the chance to enjoy a peaceful existence: it succumbed to the flames again in the 15th century, some twenty years before the fall of the city, and it was not until the 19th century that a chapel was built there. Unfortunately, there is no longer any vestige of the past, but the site continues to attract its devotees, of all faiths (Muslims recognize the Virgin Mary as the mother of the prophet Jesus). Christianity has always attributed supernatural powers to relics. Near the Grand Palais (Sultanahmet), the Lighthouse Chapel, in one of the two ports on the Marmara Sea, contained, for example, two fragments of the True Cross. Another highly symbolic piece from the holy city of Urfa (Edessa) was the shroud (Sydoine) in which Jesus would have been wrapped. The Byzantines called it the Mandylion and the relic was displayed in this church every Friday since the 10th century. Already weakened and far from its legendary magnificence, Byzantium will receive a very hard blow during the fourth crusade: a very large part of its remaining wealth will fly as booty to the various cities of the West. It was probably at that time that Sydoine disappeared to an unknown destination.
