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They have been made of two shapes, the one straight, being towards the rising and setting sun, and the other transverse, turned towards the north and the south 1.4.12 wind. Enclosed on the outside by a circuit of walls, but on the inside surrounded by columns standing above and below; and at the crossing of the two straight lines, which would be very nearly at their center, an inaccessible space has been made for the uninitiated, which, as is 1.4.13 fitting, they call the sanctuary. And of this, the sides on either side of the transverse straight line happen to be equal to one another, but of the straight line, the one towards the setting sun has been made larger than the other by so much as to form 1.4.14 the shape of the cross. Of the roof, the parts over what is called the sanctuary have been made similar, at least in the middle, to the church of Sophia, except, indeed, that these happen to be smaller in size than those. 1.4.15 For the four arches are both suspended and joined to one another in the same way, and the circular structure rising above them is pierced with windows, and the spherical dome curving over it seems to be suspended in the air and not to stand on a solid structure, although it is perfectly 1.4.16 secure. The middle of the roof, then, has been made in this way; but along the four sides, as I have said, the size has been made the same as the middle, lacking only this, that below the spherical part the 1.4.17 structure is not pierced with windows. And when this holy place was completed by him, the apostles made it clear to all that they rejoiced in the honor from the emperor and luxuriated in it exceedingly. 1.4.18 At any rate, the bodies of the apostles Andrew and Luke and Timothy, which were formerly unknown and altogether hidden, then became manifest to all, not scorning, I think, the faith of the emperor, but allowing him openly, upon seeing and approaching and touching them, to reap the benefit from them and security for his life. And it was made known thus. 1.4.19 The emperor Constantius, for his part, had built this very church to the honor and name of the apostles, having arranged for the tombs to be there for himself and for those who would reign thereafter, not only for men, but for women no less; which is also preserved to this time; where indeed he also placed the body of his father Constantine. 1.4.20 But he had by no means indicated that the bodies of apostles were there, nor did any place there appear 1.4.21 to be set aside for holy bodies. But now, as this church was being rebuilt by the emperor Justinian, the stonemasons were digging up the whole floor, so that nothing unseemly might be left there; and they saw three wooden coffins somewhat neglected there, which indicated by the letters inscribed on them that they were the bodies of the apostles Andrew and Luke and Timothy; 1.4.22 which the emperor himself and all the Christians saw most gladly, and having held a procession and a festival for them, and having piously performed the customary rites with honor toward them, and having wrapped the coffins, they buried them again in the earth, not leaving the place unmarked or unneighbored, but establishing it with piety as dedicated to the bodies of the 1.4.23 apostles. And it is clear that, in requital, as I have said, these apostles have revealed the emperor’s honor towards them to men 1.4.24 now. For when an emperor is pious, divine matters do not depart from human affairs, but are wont to mingle and dwell fondly in intercourse with men. 1.4.25 And who would be silent about the church of Acacius? which, having fallen into ruin, he tore down and raised up from its very foundations, endowing it with a wondrous size; which is raised up everywhere on exceedingly white columns, and its floors are clothed with a similar stone, from which such a brilliant light flashes that it even gives the impression that the whole church is covered with snow. 1.4.26 And two stoas have been built in front of it, one being a peristyle, and the other facing towards the agora. 1.4.27 I almost forgot to mention that martyrium, which is dedicated to St. Plato, being truly sacred and venerable

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σχήματος πεποίηνται δύο, ἡ μὲν ὀρθὴ πρὸς ἀνίσχοντά τε καὶ δύοντα τὸν ἥλιον οὖσα, ἐγκαρσία δὲ ἡ ἑτέρα πρός τε ἄρκτον τετραμμένη καὶ ἄνε1.4.12 μον νότον. τοίχοις μὲν ἐκ περιφεροῦς ἀποπεφραγμέναι τὰ ἔξωθεν, ἐντὸς δὲ περιβαλλόμεναι κίοσιν ἄνω τε καὶ κάτω ἑστῶσι· κατὰ δὲ ταῖν δυοῖν εὐθείαιν τὸ ζεῦγμα, εἴη δ' ἂν κατὰ μέσον αὐταῖν μάλιστα, τοῖς οὐκ ὀργιάζουσιν ἄβατος τετέλεσται χῶρος, ὅνπερ ἱερατεῖον, ὡς τὸ 1.4.13 εἰκός, ὀνομάζουσι. καὶ αὐτοῦ αἱ μὲν ἐφ' ἑκάτερα πλευραὶ τῆς ἐν τῷ ἐγκαρσίῳ κειμένης εὐθείας ἴσαι ἀλλήλαις τυγχάνουσιν οὖσαι, τῆς μέντοι ὀρθῆς ἡ πρὸς δύοντα ἥλιον ἐς τόσον τῆς ἑτέρας πεποίηται μείζων ὅσον ἀπεργάσασθαι 1.4.14 τὸ τοῦ σταυροῦ σχῆμα. τῆς δὲ ὀροφῆς τὰ μὲν τοῦ ἱερατείου καλουμένου καθύπερθεν τῷ τῆς Σοφίας ἱερῷ κατά γε τὰ μέσα ἐμφερῆ εἴργασται, πλήν γε δὴ ὅτι ταῦτα ἐκεί1.4.15 νων ἐλασσοῦσθαι μεγέθει συμβαίνει. αἵ τε γὰρ ἀψῖδες τέσσαρες οὖσαι κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν ᾐώρηνταί τε καὶ συνδέονται ἀλλήλαις τρόπον καὶ τὸ κυκλοτερὲς ὑπερανεστηκὸς κατὰ τὰς θυρίδας διῄρηται, τό τε σφαιροειδὲς ἐπικυρτούμενον ὕπερθεν μετεωρίζεσθαί που δοκεῖ καὶ οὐκ ἐπὶ στερρᾶς τῆς οἰκοδομίας ἑστάναι, καίπερ ἀσφαλείας εὖ 1.4.16 ἔχον. τὸ μὲν οὖν τῆς ὀροφῆς μέσον τῇδε πεποίηται· κατὰ δὲ τὰς πλευρὰς τέσσαρας οὔσας, ᾗπέρ μοι εἴρηται, κατὰ ταὐτὰ τῷ μέσῳ τὸ μέγεθος εἴργασται, τούτου δὴ μόνου ἐνδέοντος, ὅτι δὴ τοῦ σφαιρικοῦ ἔνερθεν οὐ διῄρηται ἡ 1.4.17 οἰκοδομία θυρίσιν. ἐπειδὴ δὲ αὐτῷ τὸ ἁγίστευμα τοῦτο ἐξείργαστο, καταφανεῖς οἱ ἀπόστολοι πεποίηνται πᾶσιν ὡς γεγήθασί τε τῇ τοῦ βασιλέως τιμῇ καὶ κατακόρως ἐνα1.4.18 βρύνονται. σώματα γοῦν τῶν ἀποστόλων Ἀνδρέου τε καὶ Λουκᾶ καὶ Τιμοθέου ἄδηλά τε καὶ ὅλως κρυφαῖα τὰ πρότερα ὄντα τηνικάδε πᾶσιν ἔνδηλα γέγονεν, οὐκ ἀπαξιούντων, οἶμαι, τὴν βασιλέως πίστιν, ἀλλ' ἐπιχωρούντων αὐτῷ διαρρήδην ὁρῶντί τε αὐτοὺς καὶ προσιόντι καὶ ἁπτομένῳ τῆς ἐνθένδε ὠφελείας τε καὶ περὶ τὸν βίον ἀσφαλείας ἀπόνασθαι. ἐγνώσθη δὲ ὧδε. 1.4.19 Κωνστάντιος μὲν βασιλεὺς τοῦτον δὴ τὸν νεὼν ἔς τε τὴν τιμὴν καὶ τὸ ὄνομα τῶν ἀποστόλων ἐδείματο, τὰς θήκας γενέσθαι αὑτῷ τε καὶ τοῖς ἐς τὸ ἔπειτα βασιλεύσουσιν ἐνταῦθα τάξας, οὐκ ἀνδράσι μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ γυναιξὶν οὐδέν τι ἧσσον· ὅπερ καὶ διασώζεται ἐς τόνδε τὸν χρόνον· οὗ δὴ καὶ Κωνσταντίνου τοῦ πατρὸς τὸν 1.4.20 νεκρὸν ἔθετο. ἀποστόλων δὲ σώματα ἐνταῦθα εἶναι ὡς ἥκιστά πη ἐπεσημήνατο, οὐδέ τις ἐνταῦθα ἐφαίνετο χῶ1.4.21 ρος σώμασιν ἁγίοις ἀνεῖσθαι δοκῶν. ἀλλὰ νῦν Ἰουστινιανοῦ βασιλέως ἀνοικοδομουμένου τὸ ἱερὸν τοῦτο, οἱ μὲν λιθουργοὶ τὸ ἔδαφος διώρυσσον ὅλον, τοῦ μή τι ἄκοσμον τῇδε λελεῖφθαι· θήκας δὲ ξυλίνας ἐνταῦθά πη ἀπημελημένας τεθέανται τρεῖς, γράμμασιν ἐγκειμένοις σφίσι δηλούσας, ὡς Ἀνδρέου τε καὶ Λουκᾶ καὶ Τιμο1.4.22 θέου τῶν ἀποστόλων σώματα εἶεν· ἅπερ ἀσμενέστατα βασιλεύς τε αὐτὸς καὶ Χριστιανοὶ ξύμπαντες εἶδον, πομπήν τε αὐτοῖς καὶ πανήγυριν ἐπιτετελεκότες, τῇ τε περὶ αὐτοὺς τιμῇ ἐξοσιωσάμενοι τὰ εἰωθότα καὶ περιστείλαντες τὰς θήκας αὖθις τῇ γῇ ἔκρυψαν, οὐκ ἄσημον οὐδὲ ἀγείτονα λιπόντες τὸν χῶρον, ἀλλὰ σώμασιν ἀπο1.4.23 στόλων ἀνειμένον καταστησάμενοι ξὺν εὐσεβείᾳ. εὔδηλον δὲ ὡς ἀμειβόμενοι, ὅπερ μοι εἴρηται, οἱ ἀπόστολοι οἵδε τὴν ἐς αὐτοὺς βασιλέως τιμὴν πεφήνασι τοῖς ἀν1.4.24 θρώποις τανῦν. βασιλέως γὰρ εὐσεβοῦντος οὐδὲ ἀποφοιτᾷ τῶν ἀνθρωπείων τὰ θεῖα πραγμάτων, ἀλλ' ἐπιμίγνυσθαί τε καὶ ἐμφιλοχωρεῖν τῇ ἐς τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ὁμιλίᾳ φιλεῖ. 1.4.25 Τίς δ' ἂν τὸν Ἀκακίου σιωπῴη νεών; ὅνπερ καταπεπονηκότα περιελὼν ἐξ αὐτῶν θεμελίων ἀνέστησε, μέγεθος περιβεβλημένον θαυμάσιον ἡλίκον· ὃς κίοσι μὲν ἐπῆρται πανταχόθι λευκοῖς ὑπεράγαν, λίθῳ δὲ τὰ ἐδάφη παραπλησίῳ ἠμφίεσται, ὧνπερ ἀπαστράπτει τοσοῦτον ἡ αἴγλη ὥστε καὶ δόξαν παρέχεσθαι ὅτι δὴ χιόσιν ὁ νεὼς 1.4.26 ἅπας κατάρρυτός ἐστι. στοαὶ δὲ αὐτοῦ προβέβληνται δύο, περίστυλος μὲν ἁτέρα οὖσα, ἡ δὲ πρὸς ἀγορὰν νε1.4.27 νευκυῖα. μικροῦ με τὸ μαρτύριον ἐκεῖνο παρῆλθεν εἰπεῖν, ὃ Πλάτωνι ἀνεῖται ἁγίῳ, ἱεροπρεπές τε ὡς ἀληθῶς ὂν καὶ σεμνὸν