the former Marneion, and he himself followed carrying the holy gospel and having the devout clergy around him, truly imitating Christ with the disciples. And the ever-memorable Barochas went before the people carrying the image of the sign of the cross, and on either side of the people were the soldiers who had been left behind for the sake of the good order of the city. And as they went, they sang psalms, and at the place of the psalm's pause, they would say alleluia; and the psalm they were saying was: "Come let us rejoice in the Lord, let us shout to God our savior. Let us come before his face with thanksgiving, and in psalms let us shout to him for the Lord is a great God and a great king over all the earth, for in his hand are the ends of the earth, and the heights of the mountains are his, for his is the sea and he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. Come let us worship and fall down before him and weep before the Lord who made us, for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand." And they said other psalms until they entered the Marneion.

78 The bishop among the saints had urged Rufinus the architect from Antioch, a faithful and skillful man, through whom the entirety of the building was completed. This man, having taken chalk, marked out the site of the holy church according to the form of the plan sent by the most God-loving Eudoxia. And after the most holy bishop made a prayer and knelt, he permitted the people to dig. And immediately everyone with one soul and with the same zeal began to dig, crying out: Christ has conquered. And there was not to be seen a difference between man and woman or old man or child, but the zeal gave the same strength to all, and some dug while others carried away the earth, so that in a few days all the places for the foundations were dug out and cleared.

79 And the material having been prepared, both enormous stones from the hill called Aldioma to the east of the city and other material, the one among the saints again gathered the Christ-loving people and having made many prayers and psalm-singings in the place, he himself, having girded himself, was the first to begin carrying stones and casting them into the foundations, then also the God-loving clergy and all the laity, rejoicing and singing psalms with a loud voice, so that they could be heard from three miles from the city.

80 And a great miracle occurred on that day. There happen to be wells within the precinct of the temple, of which one is on the western side of the present holy church of God, having no little depth. So three boys, being thirsty, went to drink, and having approached the mouth of the well, they were leaning over, supported by the wood over the mouth, as it happens for boys to do, and when the wood broke the three fell into the well. But some who were found there went away and announced to the people what had happened. And no small uproar arose, with everyone running together to the well. And when the most holy Porphyry learned what had happened, he himself also ran to the place, he ordered silence to be made, and when it was made, he began to pray and to beseech Christ with many tears that he might preserve the boys alive and unharmed, and especially on account of the idol-mad, lest they should say: Where is their God in whom they trusted? And having spent one hour lying on the ground, and having risen up, he permitted someone to go down by the ropes of the buckets, to make a search for the boys. For those from the crowd were shouting, calling the boys, and there was no one answering from below out of the well.

81 And when the man had gone down, the three boys were found sitting on top of a great stone unharmed and cheerful, talking to one another. And when the man saw them, he was exceedingly amazed and glorified God, and crying out from below he said: Glorify

τὸ ποτὲ Μαρνεῖον, αὐτὸς δὲ ἐπηκολούθει βαστάζων τὸ ἅγιον εὐαγγέλιον καὶ περὶ αὐτὸν ἔχων τὸν εὐαγῆ κλῆρον, ὄντως μιμούμενος τὸν Χριστὸν μετὰ τῶν μαθητῶν. Προηγεῖτο δὲ τοῦ λαοῦ ὁ ἀείμνηστος Βαρωχᾶς βαστάζων τὸ ἐκτύπωμα τοῦ σημείου τοῦ σταυροῦ, ἐξ ἑκατέρων δὲ τῶν μερῶν τοῦ λαοῦ ἦσαν οἱ στρατιῶται οἱ ὑπολειφθέντες χάριν τῆς εὐταξίας τῆς πόλεως. Πορευόμενοι δὲ ἔψαλλον, καὶ ἐν τῇ θέσει τῆς διακοπῆς τοῦ ψαλμοῦ ἔλεγον τὸ ἀλληλούια· ἦν δὲ ὁ ψαλμὸς ὃν ἔλεγον· «∆εῦτε ἀγαλλιασώμεθα τῷ κυρίῳ, ἀλαλάξωμεν τῷ θεῷ τῷ σωτῆρι ἡμῶν. Προφθάσωμεν τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ἐν ἐξομολογήσει, καὶ ἐν ψαλμοῖς ἀλαλάξωμεν αὐτῷ ὅτι θεὸς μέγας κύριος καὶ βασιλεὺς μέγας ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν, ὅτι ἐν τῇ χειρὶ αὐτοῦ τὰ πέρατα τῆς γῆς, καὶ τὰ ὕψη τῶν ὀρέων αὐτοῦ εἰσιν, ὅτι αὐτοῦ ἐστιν ἡ θάλασσα καὶ αὐτὸς ἐποίησεν αὐτὴν, καὶ τὴν ξηρὰν αἱ χεῖρες αὐτοῦ ἔπλασαν. ∆εῦτε προσκυνήσωμεν καὶ προσπέσωμεν αὐτῷ καὶ κλαύσωμεν ἐναντίον κυρίου τοῦ ποιήσαντος ἡμᾶς, ὅτι αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν καὶ ἡμεῖς λαὸς νομῆς αὐτοῦ καὶ πρόβατα χειρὸς αὐτοῦ.» Ἔλεγον δὲ καὶ ἄλλους ψαλμοὺς ἕως ὅτε εἰσῆλθον εἰς τὸ Μαρνεῖον.

78 Ἦν δὲ προτρεψάμενος ὁ ἐν ἁγίοις ἐπίσκοπος Ῥουφῖνον τὸν ἀρχιτέκτονα ἐκ τῆς Ἀντιόχου, πιστὸν ἄνδρα καὶ ἐπιστήμονα, δι' οὗ καὶ τὸ ἅπαν τῆς οἰκοδομῆς ἐτελειώθη. Οὗτος λαβὼν γύψον ἐσημειώσατο τὴν θέσιν τῆς ἁγίας ἐκκλησίας κατὰ τὸ σχῆμα τοῦ πεμφθέντος σκαρίφου ὑπὸ τῆς θεοφιλεστάτης Εὐδοξίας. Καὶ ποιήσας ὁ ὁσιώτατος ἐπίσκοπος εὐχὴν καὶ γονυκλισίαν, ἐπέτρεψεν τῷ λαῷ σκάπτειν. Εὐθέως δὲ πάντες μιᾷ ψυχῇ καὶ τῇ αὐτῇ προθυμίᾳ ἔσκαπτον βοῶντες· Ὁ Χριστὸς ἐνίκησεν. Οὐκ ἦν δὲ θεάσασθαι διαφορὰν ἀνδρὸς καὶ γυναικὸς ἢ γέροντος ἢ παιδίου, ἀλλ' ἡ προθυμία πᾶσιν τὴν αὐτὴν δύναμιν παρεῖχεν, καὶ οἳ μὲν ἔσκαπτον ἄλλοι δὲ ἐξεχόϊζον, ὥστε δι' ἡμερῶν ὀλίγων πάντας τοὺς τόπους τῶν θεμελίων ὀρυχθῆναι καὶ ἐκχοϊσθῆναι.

79 Καὶ προευτρεπισθείσης τῆς ὕλης, λίθων τε παμμεγεθῶν ἀπὸ λόφου τοῦ λεγομένου Ἀλδιώματος ἐξ ἀνατολῶν τῆς πόλεως καὶ ἄλλης ὕλης, ὁ ἐν ἁγίοις πάλιν συναγαγὼν τὸν φιλόχριστον λαὸν καὶ ποιήσας πολλὰς εὐχὰς καὶ ψαλμῳδίας ἐν τῷ τόπῳ, ἀναζωσάμενος αὐτὸς πρῶτος ἤρξατο βαστάζειν λίθους καὶ βάλλειν εἰς τὰ θεμέλια, ἔπειτα καὶ οἱ θεοφιλεῖς κληρικοὶ καὶ πάντες οἱ λαϊκοί, χαίροντες καὶ ψάλλοντες μεγάλῃ τῇ φωνῇ, ὡς ἀκούεσθαι αὐτοὺς ἀπὸ τριῶν μιλίων τῆς πόλεως.

80 Ἐγένετο δὲ μέγα θαῦμα ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ. Φρέατα τυγχάνουσιν ἔσωθεν τοῦ περιβολαίου τοῦ ἱεροῦ, ἐξ ὧν ἐστιν ἓν ἀπὸ δυτικοῦ μέρους τῆς νῦν ἁγίας τοῦ θεοῦ ἐκκλησίας, οὐκ ὀλίγον βάθος ἔχον. Τρεῖς οὖν παῖδες διψήσαντες ἀπῆλθον ἐπὶ τὸ πιεῖν, καὶ πλησιάσαντες τῷ στομίῳ τοῦ φρέατος, παρέκυπτον ἐπερειδόμενοι τῷ ξύλῳ τῷ ἐπὶ τοῦ στομίου, οἷα συμβαίνει παῖδας ποιεῖν, καὶ κλασθέντος τοῦ ξύλου οἱ τρεῖς ἔπεσαν εἰς τὸ φρέαρ. Τινὲς δὲ ἐκεῖ εὑρεθέντες ἀπῆλθον καὶ ἀνήγγειλαν τῷ λαῷ τὰ γενόμενα. Ἐγένετο δὲ οὐ μικρὸς θόρυβος, πάντων συντρεχόντων ἐπὶ τὸ φρέαρ. Γνοὺς δὲ τὸ γεγονὸς ὁ ὁσιώτατος Πορφύριος καὶ αὐτὸς δραμὼν ἐπὶ τὸν τόπον, ἐκέλευσεν ἡσυχίαν γενέσθαι, καὶ γενομένης ἤρξατο εὔχεσθαι καὶ δέεσθαι τοῦ Χριστοῦ μετὰ πολλῶν δακρύων ἵνα ζῶντα καὶ ἀσινῆ τὰ παιδία διαφυλάξῃ, καὶ μάλιστα διὰ τοὺς εἰδωλομανεῖς, ἵνα μὴ εἴπωσιν· Ποῦ ἐστιν ὁ θεὸς αὐτῶν εἰς ὃν ἤλπιζον; Καὶ ποιήσας ὥραν μίαν χαμαὶ κεκλιμένος καὶ ἀναστάς, ἐπέτρεψεν κατελθεῖν τινα διὰ τῶν σχοινίων τῶν κάδων, τὴν ἔρευναν τῶν παίδων ποιήσασθαι. Ἐβόων γὰρ οἱ ἀπὸ τοῦ πλήθους, καλοῦντες τὰ παιδία, καὶ οὐδεὶς ἦν ὁ ὑπακούων κάτωθεν ἐκ τοῦ φρέατος.

81 Κατελθόντος δὲ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς εὑρέθησαν οἱ τρεῖς παῖδες καθήμενοι ἐπάνω λίθου μεγάλου ἀσινεῖς καὶ ἱλαροὶ ὁμιλοῦντες ἀλλήλοις. Ὡς δὲ ἐθεάσατο αὐτοὺς ὁ ἀνήρ, ὑπερεθαύμασεν καὶ ἐδόξασεν τὸν θεόν, καὶ βοήσας κάτωθεν εἶπεν· ∆οξάσατε