Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Byzantine legend, the doors of the Imperial Gate were made of wood
which had originally been part of Noah's Ark and the cornice was the
sarcophagus of St. Eirene.
In the lunette above the Imperial Gate we see the second of the
two mosaics which were uncovered in 1933. The mosaic shows Christ
seated upon a jewelled throne, his feet resting on a footstool. He
raises his right hand in a gesture of blessing, and in his left he holds
a book in which we may read this inscription in Greek: “Peace be
with you. I am the Light of the World.” On Christ's right an emperor
prostrates himself, his hands outstretched in supplication. Above, on
either side of the throne, are two roundels: the one above the emperor
containing a bust of the Blessed Virgin; that on the other side, an
angel carrying a staf or wand. It is thought that the imperial figure
represents the Emperor Leo VI, the Wise, and the mosaic is dated to
the period of his reign, 886-912. If so, it is probable that the Emperor
is pleading with Christ to forgive him for what Gibbon so aptly called
“the frequency of his nuptials.” For the Emperor had lost his first three
wives without producing a male heir, and wished to take a fourth
mate, ordinarily forbidden by the Orthodox Church. After a long
and bitter dispute, the famous Scandal of the Tetragamy, Leo inally
obtained permission to marry his mistress, Zoe, and legitimized his
bastard son, the future Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus. Although
the afair of the Tetragamy may have scandalized Byzantium, we are
fortunate that it was resolved in Leo's favour. For his son Constantine
would later write the
Book of Ceremonies,
which recreates the pomp
and splendour of the rituals and liturgies performed in Haghia Sophia
in the days of Byzantium.
The Imperial Gate was reserved for the use of the Emperor and his
procession, which passed through there into the nave of the church.
According to the
Book of Ceremonies
:
“The princes remove their
crowns, kiss the holy Gospel carried by the archdeacon, greet the
patriarch and proceed to the Imperial Gate. Bearing the candles and
bowing thrice, they enter the church after a prayer is pronounced by
the patriarch.”
As we walk through the Imperial Gate into the nave, we notice the
deep hollows worn into the pavement on either side of the entrance.
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