Byzantine History

The number of crosses and the intricate designs incorporating crosses should make any historian wonder which religious site once hosted these mosaics. I realize the museum itself is not proposing this, but let us consider Byzantine religious sites that could have been located on or near this site.

According to Burçak Evren, who wrote Surlarin Ote Yani Zeytinburnu, states that there were religious stopover sites along the Egnatia Road. Let us consider what these mosaics may signify and which religious buildings have not yet come to light. One of these forgotten sites may have been unknowingly identified when the mosaics were discovered.

We know that Zeytinburnu was formerly known as Rhesion, and that no one has identified these churches that once stood here.

The chart above lists additional possible Byzantine churches that may have been part of the mosaic complex or near the ancient roadway. Let’s research these three lost churches.

The Church of Samuel

There are differing views on the location of Samuel’s church. Some believe it was situated between the two roads leading to the Silivri Gate. Others suggest that the relics of the prophet Samuel were kept in a church in Hebdomon (modern-day Bakırköy)^[1]Hebdomon hosted multiple churches, such as St. John the Baptist, St. John the Evangelist, Saints Menas and Menaios, St. Theodotus (Janin 1950, 408), and one author (Külzer) noted that a church of … Continue reading The Zeytinburnu area lies between these two possible locations: Rhesion, not a municipal but a typological reference, which could be considered part of Hebdomon.

Now the main thing we know is that this church collapsed in an earthquake in 557 AD.^[2]https://zeytinburnu.istanbul/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/dokumann_surlarin_ote_yani-tur.pd. If the mosaic museum shows this former church, there should be evidence of an earthquake. Another possibility is that the building collapsed, which would have helped preserve these 5th-century mosaics. When the mosaics were discovered, no walls or upper structures were found (I did not notice any such remains myself). This could suggest that the mosaics were buried by an earthquake, and that subsequent buildings were later constructed on this buried layer.

St. Theodoros Church

St. Theodoros is mentioned upon a ridge or hillside parallel to the ancient Roman road, outside the city defenses, which would fit the area of the Mosaic Museum located on a hillside. In historical write-ups, there is a St. Theodoros Church within and also outside the walls of Istanbul. Then other writers say it was located near a stream. So with such a diverse typology, where could this church have been?

In La Géographie Ecclésiastique de l’Empire Byzantin, Raymond Janin (written in 1953) records a church of Hagios Theodoros situated outside the Theodosian Walls of Constantinople. He places it at a locality called Rhesion (Ρήσιον), which he maps to the area between Kazlıçeşme and Zeytinburnu. Janin describes this area as an exterior stopping-point near the western ramparts, likely serving travelers and pilgrims approaching the city, possibly via the Silivri Kapısı.

He also connects the church with the nearby place-name Bathys Ryax (a stream or hollow in the same vicinity). His treatment focuses primarily on topographical identification and historical place-names rather than architectural remains or detailed structural analysis. The stream area would most likely place this basilica either east of the Zeytinburnu hill or towards the area approaching Atakoy. The map below shows the lower areas of former streams in blue.^[3]found on https://en-us.topographic-map.com/map-zmlqtj/Zeytinburnu/ Notice the lower regions quite close to where these mosaics have been found, creating quite a contrast. Could one of these hilly slopes hosted a stream?

St. Mary of the Abramites Monastery

The site, called St Mary of the Abramites, has a documented history but no archaeological remains today. Some historians state that this monastery, which included a church, was west of the Silivri Gate area. Could this be the Mosaic site? The church of St. Mary at the Spring was also known to host a monastery, but this Monastery of the Abramites is documented as another monastery site. Even the history of Zeytinburnu references this former monastery as being within the former area of city.^[4]https://zeytinburnu.istanbul/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/dokumann_surlarin_ote_yani-tur.pdf

This monastery, founded in the 5th or 6th century, typifies what Byzantine monasteries were like: set up for pilgrim visits, with chapels and housing. Finding a mosaic chapel with a grave nearby aligns with what these locations consist of.

The early synod reports mention this monastery and continue up to at least the 8th century. During the iconoclast period, an association with Mary and a miraculous icon became a part of this location.

Also, many monasteries in ancient Constantinople were located on hills, so it is quite possible that a monastery once stood in this old area of Rhesion. Other monasteries on hills include Pantokrator Monastery (Zeyrek) and Stoudios Monastery (Koca Mustafa Paşa area), as well as the numerous monasteries found on the Princes’ Islands.

Religious House

It is also possible that the mosaic site was a private residence, perhaps belonging to a prominent religious figure who wanted decorative mosaics in their home. There are similar residential mosaics in Ravenna, Italy, as well as those found here. Such elaborate flooring could have been used in a bishop’s house or in a reception area for the owner. However, the presence of graves most likely undermines this theory for the location as a civil site.

Zeytinburnu Walking Tour