The Palace of Blachernae (Greek: τὸ ἐν Βλαχέρναις Παλάτιον)[1] was an imperial Byzantine residence in the suburb of Blachernae, located in the northwestern section of Constantinople (modern Istanbul, Turkey). The area of the palace is now mostly overbuilt, and absent an excavation, only literary sources are available as to its description.
The Palace of Blachernae was constructed on the northern slopes of the Seventh Hill of the city in circa 500.[2] The hill itself was partially remodelled, particularly in later times, and a number of terraces created to support the various buildings comprising the palace complex.[3] Although the main imperial residence during the 4th–11th centuries was the Great Palace at the eastern end of the city, the Blachernae palace was used at times, and is attested in the ceremonial protocols contained in the 10th-century De Ceremoniis (Chapters I.27, I.34, II.9, II.12) of Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogennetos (r. 945–959).[2] At that time, it included several structures: the hall (triklinos) of Anastasiakos (Greek: Τρίκλινος Ὰναστασιακὸς), named after Emperor Anastasius I (r. 491–518) who built it, the hall of Okeanos (Greek: Τρίκλινος Ὠκεανός, "ocean hall"), the portico of Josef or Iosephiakos (Greek: Πόρτικας Ἰωσηφιακὸς), and the hall of Danoubios (Greek: Τρίκλινος Δανουβιὸς). The latter communicated with the nearby shrine of the Church of St. Mary of Blachernae through a series of staircases.[1][2]
In the late 11th century, Emperor Alexios I Komnenos (r. 1081–1118) moved his main residence here, and he and his grandson Manuel I Komnenos (r. 1143–1180) undertook great works there, fortifying the palace precinct and erecting new halls.[2] Manuel I, in particular, is credited with the construction of an elaborate outer wall,[4] and of several splendid new halls, such as those of Irene (named after Empress Irene) and the Polytimos Oikos ("Valuable House"), so that the palace complex became known as the "New Palace".[5] Among the structures of the time, only the so-called Prison of Anemas, which formed part of the palace's substructure, still survives.[6] After the Fourth Crusade, the Latin emperors favoured the Bucoleon Palace, but on the recapture of the city in 1261, the Palaiologan emperors restored the Blachernae complex as their principal residence.[2][7] The Palace of the Porphyrogenitus, probably dating to the late 13th century, although a bit further south than the main Blachernae palace complex, is usually related to it. It is the only relatively intact example of palace architecture in Constantinople.[8]