Vlachernae Palace

Department Archive
Collection Byzantine Research Fund
Reference No. BRF/01/02/01/001
Level Item
Place Istanbul
Dates May-10
Donor/Creator George, Mr Walter Sykes
Scope and Content Plan of the Vlachernae quarter with three sections. The drawing is labelled and dated in pencil: 'The Blachernae Quarter', 'May 1910'. Further annotation in pencil survives.
Further information The Vlachernai Palace was built around 500, south of the Vlachernai church complex in the north-west corner of Constantinople. It was lavishly decorated and included many halls, one of which, the Danoubios Hall, communicated directly with the church complex. Both the Komnenoi and the Palaiologoi used the palace as the customary imperial residence. The Komnenoi fortified it with walls of great splendour. The church complex of the Vlachernai consists of an early Christian basilica built in 450 by Empress Pulcheria. Leo I and Herakleios extended the building by adding a circular reliquary chapel and new walls to enclose it. The complex was completely burned down in 1434.