The Paschal Chronicle, in its account of the siege of Constantinople in 626, mentions various places around Constantinople dedicated to or named after saints: the church of the *Maccabean martyrs (pre-Christian Jewish martyrs of Antioch, S00303), the gate of *Romanos (deacon of Caesarea, martyred at Antioch, S001220), the bridge of *Kallinikos (martyr of Gangra, S00923), the church of *Nicholas (bishop of Myra, S00520), and the district around the shrine of *Konon (potentially any of three martyrs of this name: S00177, S00429, or S00430). Written in Greek at Constantinople, c. 630
E07975
Literary - Other narrative texts (including Histories)
Paschal Chronicle, s.a. 626
Summary:
In the summer of 626 Constantinople was besieged by the Avars, in alliance with the Persians, who occupied the Asian side of the Bosporus but were successfully prevented by the Byzantines from crossing and joining forces with their allies. In the course of his narrative of the siege, the chronicler makes various references to places around the city dedicated to saints or simply known by their names, in order to indicate the location of events.
a) When the first Avar forces arrived, they sent fire signals to the Persians from the vicinity of 'the venerated church [or shrine'] of the Holy Maccabees' (πλησίον τοῦ σεβασμίου οἴκου τῶν ἁγίων Μακκαβαίων) in the suburb of Sykai: Dindorf 1832, 718, lines 1-2; Whitby and Whitby 1989, 171.
b) The Avars attack the walls with siege engines 'from the Polyandrion gate as far as the gate of St Romanus' (ἀπὸ τῆς Πολυανδρίου πόρτας ἕως τῆς πόρτας τοῦ ἁγίου Ῥωμανοῦ): Dindorf 1832, 720, lines 1-2; Whitby and Whitby 1989, 174.
c) The Avars launched canoes 'at the bridge of St. Callinicus' (κατὰ τὴν γέφυραν τοῦ ἁγίου Καλλινίκου), but were prevented from leaving the Golden Horn by Roman ships stationed 'from St. Nicholas as far as St. Conon on the far side at Pegae' (ἀπὸ τοῦ ἁγίου Νικολάου ἕως τοῦ ἁγίου Κόνωνος πέραν εἰς Πηγάς): Dindorf 1832, 720, line 18, and 721, lines 1-2; Whitby and Whitby 1989, 174-5.
d) Armenian troops in the Byzantine army 'came out from the wall of Blachernae and threw fire into the portico which is near St. Nicholas' (Έξῆλθαν δὲ καὶ ὁι Ἀρμένιοι τὸ τεῖχος Βλαχερνῶν, καὶ ἔβαλον πῦρ εἰς τὸν Ἔμβολον τὸν παρεικεῖ τοῦ ἁγίου Νικολάου): Dindorf 1832, 724, lines 11-12; Whitby and Whitby 1989, 178.
Summary: David Lambert.
Cult building - independent (church)
Cult building - monastic
Places Named after SaintGates, bridges and roads
Source
The Chronicon Paschale (paschal or Easter chronicle) is a chronicle compiled at Constantinople in the first half of the 7th century. It covers events from the creation of the world up to the anonymous author's own time. The Chronicle probably concluded with the year 630 (see Whitby and Whitby 1989, xi), though the surviving text breaks off slightly earlier, in the entry for 628. The traditional name for the Chronicle originates from its introductory section, which discusses methods for calculating the date of Easter. The Chronicle survives thanks to a single manuscript, Vatican, Gr. 1941 (10th c.), on which all other surviving manuscripts depend. The only critical edition remains that of Ludwig Dindorf (1832).The chronicler uses multiple chronological systems to date events: Olympiads, consular years, indictions, and years from the Ascension, as well as using Roman, Greek, and sometimes Egyptian dates (see Whitby and Whitby 1989, x). Numerous literary sources are utilised for the period before the author's own time, including well-known historical sources such as Eusebius and John Malalas. We have not included entries for material in the Paschal Chronicle which simply reproduces material in earlier sources already entered in our database.
Discussion
a) The church or shrine of the Maccabees was in Galata, immediately to the north of the Golden Horn (Whitby and Whitby 1989, 171-2, n. 460; Janin 1969, 313-314). For earlier evidence probably relating to the same shrine, see E02697.b) The Gate of St Romanos was located towards the middle of the land-wall of Constantinople.
c) The bridge of St Kallinikos passed over a stream that flowed into the upper end of Golden Horn (Whitby and Whitby 1989, 175, n. 467). The church of St Nicholas was at Blachernae, where the northern end of the city's land-wall reached the Golden Horn, while the shrine of Konon was at Pegai, on the far side of the Golden Horn at its eastern end (ibid.): the Byzantine ships were deployed across the Golden Horn to prevent the Avars from navigating out into the Bosporus. The shrine of Konon at this location is well-attested (see E05729), but it is not certain which of three different martyrs named Konon, all associated with places in Anatolia, was commemorated there; see Janin 1969, 283-4. On the church of Nicholas, see Janin 1969, 369-70.
d) Again, St Nicholas is indicated to be in the Blachernae area. The Armenian troops were responding to Slavs fighting for the Avars, who came across the Golden Horn in canoes.
Bibliography
Edition:Dindorf, L., Chronicon Paschale (Bonn, 1832).
Translation:
Whitby, M., and Whitby, M., Chronicon Paschale 284-628 AD (Translated Texts for Historians 7; Liverpool, 1989).
David Lambert
11/08/2020
| ID | Name | Name in Source | Identity | S00120 | Romanos, deacon of Caesarea, martyred at Antioch | Ῥωμανός | Certain | S00177 | Konon, gardener and martyr of Magydos of Pamphylia | Κόνων | Uncertain | S00303 | Maccabean Martyrs, pre-Christian Jewish martyrs of Antioch | οἱ ἅγιοι Μακκαβαίοι | Certain | S00429 | Konon, martyr of Iconium | Κόνων | Uncertain | S00430 | Konon, martyr of Isauria | Κόνων | Uncertain | S00520 | Nicholas, bishop of Myra in Lycia, under Constantine | Νικολάος | Certain | S00923 | Kallinikos, martyr of Gangra (central Asia Minor) | Καλλινίκος | Certain |
|---|
Please quote this record referring to its author, database name, number, and, if possible, stable URL:
David Lambert, Cult of Saints, E07975 - http://csla.history.ox.ac.uk/record.php?recid=E07975