The
Palace of Daphne
(
Greek
:
Δ?φνη
) was one of the major wings of the
Great Palace
of
Constantinople
, the capital of the
Byzantine Empire
(modern
Istanbul
,
Turkey
). According to
George Codinus
, it was named after a statue of the
nymph
Daphne
, brought from
Rome
.
[1]
The exact layout and appearance of the palace is unclear, since it lies under the
Sultan Ahmed Mosque
, and the only surviving evidence comes from literary sources.
[2]
Jonathan Bardill, however, has suggested that the peristyle with mosaics adjoining an apsed hall, excavated by the Walker Trust excavations in 1935-7 and 1952-4, could be the Augusteus of the Daphne Palace.
[3]
History and description
[
edit
]
The Daphne belonged to the earliest building phase of the palace complex, that of
Constantine I
, who rebuilt the city of
Byzantium
into Constantinople, his new capital, as well as his immediate successors.
[2]
Justin II
(
r.
565?568
) expanded the original building, which remained the main residential area for the emperors until the 8th century. The palace was formed by an ensemble of ceremonial halls and residential buildings, located in the westernmost part of the imperial palace complex, next to the
Hippodrome
, and was connected to the imperial box (the
kathisma
) there by a stairway.
[4]
This complex included the residential wing of the
koit?n
("bedchamber") of the Daphne proper, the Octagon, and the chapel of
St Stephen
,
[5]
built in ca. 421, the
Augusta
Pulcheria
to house the right arm of the saint.
[6]
The Daphne was connected to the hall (
triklinos
) of the
Augusteus
(
Greek
:
Α?γουστε??
, not to be confused with the
Augustaion
square), also one of the oldest parts of the imperial palace. It was also known under the name
Stepsimon
(Στ?ψιμον, "coronation"), highlighting its function the original coronation hall of the palace, a role it retained (especially for the coronations of empresses and imperial weddings) to a degree into the middle Byzantine period.
[7]
In turn, the Augusteus was connected to the later Trikonchos palace and the hall of the
Consistorium
.
[8]
Two further chapels, dedicated to the
Virgin Mary
and the
Holy Trinity
, were also located in the southern part of the Daphne complex.
[9]
In the 9th-10th centuries, the center of court life and ceremonial was moved to the south, towards the
Boukoleon Palace
and the ceremonial structures around the
Chrysotriklinos
. Although the Daphne continued to feature in imperial ceremonies however, as described in the
De Ceremoniis
by
Constantine Porphyrogennetos
, its decline in prestige and use is well illustrated by the fact that the walls by which Emperor
Nikephoros II Phokas
(
r.
963?969
) surrounded the palace with new walls, the Daphne complex was not included in them.
[2]
After the 11th century, the Daphne seems to have fallen into disrepair and gradual ruin, a process exacerbated by the plundering of the remaining structures for metals and architectural elements under the
Latin Empire
(1204?1261).
[2]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Paspates (2004), p. 227
- ^
a
b
c
d
Westbrook (2007)
- ^
Bardill, Jonathan (1999). "The Great Palace of the Byzantine Emperors and the Walker Trust Excavations".
Journal of Roman Archaeology
.
12
: 216?230.
doi
:
10.1017/S1047759400017992
.
- ^
Kazhdan (1991), p. 869
- ^
Paspates (2004), p. 229?233
- ^
Maguire (2004), p. 57
- ^
Maguire (2004), pp. 59?60
- ^
Paspates (2004), p. 233?235
- ^
Paspates (2004), p. 236?237
Sources
[
edit
]
External links
[
edit
]
|
---|
Roads and squares
| |
---|
Palaces and mansions
| |
---|
Harbours
| |
---|
Public buildings
| |
---|
Column monuments
| |
---|
Water supply
| |
---|
|
41°00′22″N
28°58′34″E
/
41.006°N 28.976°E
/
41.006; 28.976