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But it will suffice to say only this much, that in beauty and 1.3.9 size it surpasses most sanctuaries. Both these sanctuaries have been built in front of the city wall, one beginning by the seashore, the other very near the so-called Golden Gates, which happen to be near the end of the fortress, so that both might be unconquerable bulwarks for the circuit-wall of the city. 1.3.10 Furthermore, also in the Heraion, which they now call Hieron, he established for the Mother of God a church which is not easy to describe. 1.3.11 And in a district of the city which is called Deuteron, he dedicated a holy and altogether admirable shrine to Saint Anna, whom some suppose to have been the mother of the Mother of God, and the 1.3.12 grandmother of Christ. For God, having become man just as He wished, even endures a third-generation ancestry and has his maternal genealogy traced 1.3.13 just like a man. And not far from this church, near the last street of the city, a truly venerable shrine has been built for Zoe the martyr. 1.3.14 And he found a sanctuary of the Archangel Michael in Byzantium that was small and exceedingly dark and by no means suitable to be dedicated to the Archangel, having been built in former times by some senator of patrician rank, simply resembling a small chamber 1.3.15 of a not very prosperous house. For this reason, he razed it to the ground from its foundations, so that nothing of its 1.3.16 former ugliness might be left to it. And having built a large one in the form which is now seen, he transformed it to a wondrous beauty. 1.3.17 For the sanctuary is four-sided, but the length is seen to exceed the width by not much. And of the side which is turned toward the rising sun, at the ends on either side a thick wall has been constructed of stones laid in great number, but in the middle 1.3.18 it recedes and is drawn back in a recess. And on either side of it, columns, variegated with certain colours by nature, support the church. And the wall opposite, toward the setting sun, is divided by the doors that lead into the church. 1.4.1 And his piety toward the apostles of Christ has been demonstrated in the following way. First, he built for Peter and Paul a church which had not previously existed in Byzantium, beside the emperor's 1.4.2 court, which was formerly named after Hormisdas; for having made this, his own private house, seem to be and befit a Palace by the magnificence of its construction, when he became Emperor of the Romans, he joined it to the other 1.4.3 palaces. There he also built another sanctuary for the famous saints Sergius and Bacchus, and then also 1.4.4 another sanctuary adjoining this one at the side. These two churches do not stand opposite one another, but side by side, joined and vying with each other, and sharing their entrances, and clad in all other respects and their foundations equally, and neither is shown to be superior or inferior to the other in beauty or size or anything else. 1.4.5 For each alike outshines the sun with the gleam of its stones, and each alike is everywhere sated with an abundance of gold and glories in its votive offerings. However, they differ in one thing only. 1.4.6 For the length of the one has been worked out in a straight line, while in the other the columns stand for the most part in a semicircle. 1.4.7 And they have a single portico before the entrances, at the narthex, so named for being long. And in common they have all the propylaea, the court and the inner doors and their connection with the palace. 1.4.8 And so it happens that both these sanctuaries are so admirable that they are clearly an adornment of the whole city and not least of the palace. 1.4.9 And then, revering all the apostles exceedingly, he did the following. There was in Byzantium from of old a church for all the apostles; but it was already shaken by the length of time 1.4.10 and had become suspect of being no longer able to stand. Emperor Justinian took this whole church down, and was zealous not so much to rebuild it, but to make it more worthy in size and 1.4.11 beauty. He accomplished his zealous undertaking in the following way. Straight lines joined to one another in the middle in the form of a cross

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τοσοῦτον δὲ μόνον εἰπεῖν ἀποχρήσει, ὡς τῶν ἱερῶν κάλλει τε καὶ 1.3.9 μεγέθει ὑπεραίρει τὰ πλεῖστα. ταῦτα δὲ ἄμφω τὰ ἱερὰ πρὸ τοῦ τῆς πόλεως πεποίηται τείχους, τὸ μὲν ἀρχομένου παρὰ τὴν τῆς θαλάσσης ἠϊόνα, τὸ δὲ ἄγχιστά πη τῶν Χρυσῶν καλουμένων Πυλῶν, ἃς δὴ ἀμφὶ τὸ τοῦ ἐρύματος πέρας συμβαίνει εἶναι, ὅπως δὴ ἄμφω ἀκαταγώνιστα φυλακτή1.3.10 ρια τῷ περιβόλῳ τῆς πόλεως εἶεν. ἔτι μέντοι κἀν τῷ Ἡραίῳ, ὅπερ Ἱερὸν καλοῦσι τανῦν, τῇ θεοτόκῳ νεὼν οὐκ εὐδιήγητον κατεστήσατο. 1.3.11 Ἐν χωρίῳ δὲ τῆς πόλεως, ὃ ∆εύτερον ἐπικαλεῖται, ἱεροπρεπές τε καὶ ἀγαστὸν ὅλως ἀνέθηκεν ἕδος Ἄννῃ ἁγίᾳ, ἣν τῆς μὲν θεοτόκου γεγονέναι μητέρα τινὲς οἴονται, τοῦ 1.3.12 δὲ Χριστοῦ τιτθήν. ἄνθρωπος γὰρ ᾗπερ ἐβούλετο γεγονὼς ὁ θεὸς καὶ τριγονίας ἀνέχεται καὶ γενεαλογεῖται 1.3.13 τὰ ἐκ μητρὸς ἀνθρώπῳ ἴσα. τούτου δὲ δὴ τοῦ νεὼ οὐ πολλῷ ἄποθεν ἀμφὶ τῆς πόλεως ἀγυιὰν ἐσχάτην Ζωῇ μάρτυρι σεμνὸν ἐπιεικῶς ἕδος πεποίηται. 1.3.14 Τοῦ δὲ ἀρχαγγέλου Μιχαὴλ ἱερὸν εὗρεν ἐν Βυζαντίῳ βραχύ τε καὶ ἀφεγγὲς ἄγαν καὶ ὡς ἥκιστα τῷ ἀρχαγγέλῳ ἀνεῖσθαι πρέπον πρὸς σενάτορός τινος τῶν πατρικίων ἐν χρόνῳ γεγενημένον τῷ ἔμπροσθεν, κοιτωνίσκῳ οἰκίας 1.3.15 ἀτεχνῶς ἐμφερὲς οὐδὲ λίαν εὐδαίμονος. διὸ δὴ καθεῖλε μὲν αὐτὸ ἐς τὸ ἔδαφος ἐκ τῶν θεμελίων, ὡς μή τι αὐτῷ 1.3.16 τῆς προτέρας ἀκοσμίας ἀπολειφθείη. εὐμέγεθες δὲ τεκτηνάμενος κατὰ τὸν νῦν φαινόμενον τρόπον, ἐς κάλλος 1.3.17 μεταβιβάζει θαυμάσιον οἷον. ἐν τετραπλεύρῳ μὲν γὰρ τὸ τέμενός ἐστιν, οὐ κατὰ πολὺ δὲ φαίνεται προέχον τοῦ εὔρους τὸ μῆκος. τῆς δὲ πλευρᾶς ἣ πρὸς ἀνίσχοντα ἥλιον τέτραπται κατὰ μὲν τὰ ἄκρα παχὺς ἑκατέρωθεν τοῖχος λίθοις ἐν πλήθει ξυγκειμένοις ἀποτετόρνευται, κατὰ δὲ 1.3.18 τὰ μέσα ἐξ ὑπαγωγῆς ἀποχωρῶν ὑποστέλλεται. καὶ αὐτῆς ἐφ' ἑκάτερα μὲν ἀνέχουσι τὸν νεὼν κίονες χροιαῖς τισι ποικιλλόμενοι φύσει. ὁ δὲ καταντικρὺ πρὸς δύοντά που τὸν ἥλιον τοῖχος ταῖς εἰς τὸν νεὼν εἰσαγούσαις διῄρηται θύραις. 1.4.1 Ἐς δὲ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἀποστόλους τὸ πιστὸν ἐπιδέδεικται τρόπῳ τοιῷδε. πρῶτα μὲν Πέτρῳ καὶ Παύλῳ νεὼν οὐ πρότερον ὄντα ἐν Βυζαντίῳ ἐδείματο παρὰ τὴν βασι1.4.2 λέως αὐλήν, ἣ Ὁρμίσδου τὸ παλαιὸν ἐπώνυμος ἦν· ταύτην γὰρ οἰκίαν αὑτοῦ ἰδίαν Παλάτιον εἶναι δοκεῖν τε καὶ πρέπειν τῷ μεγαλοπρεπεῖ τῆς οἰκοδομίας διαπραξάμενος, ἐπειδὴ αὐτοκράτωρ κατέστη Ῥωμαίοις, τοῖς ἄλλοις 1.4.3 βασιλείοις ἐνῆψεν. οὗ δὴ καὶ τέμενος ἄλλο ἁγίοις ἐπιφανέσι Σεργίῳ τε καὶ Βάκχῳ ἐδείματο, καὶ ἔπειτα καὶ 1.4.4 τέμενος ἄλλο ἐκ πλαγίου τούτῳ παρακείμενον. ἄμφω δὲ τούτω τὼ νεὼ οὐκ ἀντιπροσώπω, ἀλλ' ἐκ πλαγίας ἀλλήλοιν ἑστᾶσι, συνημμένοι τε καὶ ἀλλήλοις ἐνάμιλλοι ὄντες, καὶ τὰς εἰσόδους ἐπικοινούμενοι, καὶ ἴσα ἀλλήλοις τά τε ἄλλα πάντα καὶ τὰ κράσπεδα περιβεβλημένοι, καὶ ἅτερος θατέρου οὔτε κάλλους πέρι οὔτε μεγέθους οὔτε ἄλλου οὐδε1.4.5 νὸς πλεονεκτῶν ἢ ἐλασσούμενος δείκνυται. ὁμοίως μὲν γὰρ ἑκάτερος τῇ αἴγλῃ τῶν λίθων ὑπεραστράπτει τὸν ἥλιον, ὁμοίως δὲ χρυσοῦ περιουσίᾳ πανταχόθι κατακορής ἐστι καὶ κατακομᾷ τοῖς ἀναθήμασιν. ἑνὶ μέντοι διαλ1.4.6 λάσσουσι μόνῳ. τὸ μὲν γὰρ μῆκος αὐτοῖν τῷ μὲν κατ' εὐθὺ διαπεπόνηται, τῷ δὲ οἱ κίονες ἐν ἡμικύκλῳ ἐκ τοῦ 1.4.7 ἐπὶ πλεῖστον ἑστᾶσιν. ἔστι δὲ αὐτοῖς μία μὲν ἡ ἐπὶ τῶν προθύρων στοὰ ἐπὶ τοῦ νάρθηκος τῷ περιμήκης εἶναι ὠνομασμένη. ἐπὶ κοινῆς δὲ προπύλαια πάντα, ἥ τε αὐλὴ καὶ μέταυλοι θύραι καὶ τὸ προσήκειν τοῖς βασιλείοις. 1.4.8 οὕτω δὲ ἄμφω ἀγαστὰ τὰ ἱερὰ τάδε ξυμβαίνει εἶναι ὥστε διαφανῶς τῆς τε πόλεως ὅλης καὶ οὐχ ἥκιστα τῶν βασιλείων ἐγκαλλώπισμα τυγχάνει ὄντα. 1.4.9 Μετὰ δὲ καὶ τοὺς ἀποστόλους ἅπαντας ὑπερφυῶς σέβων ἐποίει τοιάδε. ἦν τις ἐν Βυζαντίῳ ἐκ παλαιοῦ τοῖς ἀποστόλοις νεὼς ἅπασι· μήκει τε χρόνου κατασεισθεὶς 1.4.10 ἤδη καὶ πρὸς τὸ μηκέτι ἑστήξειν γεγονὼς ὕποπτος. τοῦτον περιελὼν Ἰουστινιανὸς βασιλεὺς ὅλον οὐχ ὅσον ἀνανεώσασθαι διὰ σπουδῆς ἔσχεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ μεγέθους καὶ 1.4.11 κάλλους πέρι ἀξιώτερον καταστήσασθαι. ὑπετέλεσε δὲ τὸ σπούδασμα τρόπῳ τοιῷδε. εὐθεῖαι συνημμέναι κατὰ μέσον ἀλλήλαιν ἐπὶ σταυροῦ