The Hebdomon enjoyed a great religious reputation because of the many churches that once stood within its boundaries. These sanctuaries made the suburb not only a political and military center, but also an important place of Christian worship. Pilgrims, clergy, and emperors alike visited the Hebdomon to pray, attend services, and honour the saints associated with its churches.
Among these religious buildings, one church stood above all others in age, fame, and imperial association: the Basilica of St. John the Evangelist Balkan Tours.
The Basilica of St. John the Evangelist
The oldest sanctuary in the Hebdomon was the Basilica of St. John the Evangelist. It is first mentioned in historical sources during the reign of Emperor Arcadius, at the end of the fourth century. However, the church claimed a much earlier origin and was believed to have been founded by Constantine the Great himself. Whether this tradition was accurate or not, it reflects the high esteem in which the church was held.
After suffering damage over time, the basilica was restored during the reign of Basil I in the ninth century. Papal legates sent by Pope Hadrian II later described the church as remarkable for its great size, using the phrase mine magnitudinis, meaning “of great magnitude.” This testimony shows that the basilica was one of the largest and most impressive churches in the suburb.
A Shrine Revered for Centuries
The Basilica of St. John the Evangelist continued to be a venerated shrine well into the Comnenian period. Emperors, nobles, and ordinary believers visited it for worship and devotion. Over time, however, changing political conditions and neglect led to its gradual decline. Eventually, the church was abandoned and allowed to fall into ruin The Palace of the Hebdomon and the Name Magnaura.
Despite this decay, the basilica retained immense symbolic value, especially because of its connection with Basil II, one of the greatest emperors of Byzantium.
The Burial and Rediscovery of Basil II
According to his final wish, Emperor Basil II was buried in the Basilica of St. John the Evangelist. His grave remained undisturbed for centuries. However, during the thirteenth century, while Emperor Michael Palaiologos was engaged in the siege of Galata in 1260, the ruins of the Hebdomon were explored by members of the imperial household.
They found the once-great church reduced to a sheepfold, used to shelter cattle and animals. As they wandered through the remains of the building, admiring traces of its former beauty, they made a shocking discovery: the naked but well-preserved body of a man lying near a sarcophagus. In a cruel act of mockery, a vulgar jester had placed a shepherd’s lute in the corpse’s mouth.
The nearby sarcophagus bore an epitaph honouring Basil II, leaving no doubt that the body was that of the emperor himself.
The Honour Restored to an Emperor
When this discovery was reported to Michael Palaiologos, he acted at once. He ordered that the remains of his great predecessor be carried with honour to the imperial camp before Galata. There, Basil II received renewed respect and ceremonial homage.
Afterwards, the emperor commanded that the remains be transferred with solemn rites to Selivria, where they were reinterred in the Monastery of St. Saviour. This final act restored dignity to the memory of a ruler whose tomb had been forgotten but whose legacy still commanded reverence.
Thus, the Basilica of St. John the Evangelist, even in ruin, continued to play a powerful role in the spiritual and historical life of the Hebdomon.
