Michaelion
Early sanctuary of Saint Michael, model for Eastern churches.
The Michaelion was an early sanctuary dedicated to Saint Michael the Archangel in the Roman Empire, traditionally built in the 4th century by Emperor Constantine the Great near Constantinople. It was constructed over a former pagan temple associated with healing, and its location continued to be linked with healing waters. The Michaelion became a model for hundreds of other churches in Eastern Christianity.
Quick Facts
- Location
- Sosthenion (modern İstinye), on the European shore of the Bosphorus strait, just north of Constantinople
- Original structure
- Pagan temple (Leosthenion or Sosthenion) dedicated to Zeus Sosthenios or a winged deity
- Rebuilt by
- Basil I the Macedonian (late 9th century)
- First securely attested monastery
- 11th century
- Last mentioned
- 1337
Facts from the source article.
Foundation
A temple called Leosthenion or Sosthenion existed at the site before the 4th century, corresponding to modern İstinye. A widespread tradition, current since the 6th century, held that Constantine the Great founded the Church of St. Michael there after visiting the temple, which was said to have been erected by the Argonauts and dedicated to Zeus Sosthenios or a winged deity. Constantine interpreted the winged statue as a Christian angel and, after sleeping in the temple, reported a vision that the angel was the Archangel Michael, converting the building into a church. French scholar Raymond Janin considered this tradition a later invention, created in competition with the older shrine at Anaplous. The church certainly existed by the turn of the 6th century, as the rebel Vitalian used it as headquarters and Emperor Anastasius I visited in 515. The 5th-century historian Sozomen recorded healings at Michaelion, stating he himself received a healing. The pagan temple had been associated with healing and medicine, and the Christian tradition continued this association with healing waters. By the late 9th century the church had fallen into ruin, but was rebuilt by Basil I the Macedonian. As an imperial foundation, it soon eclipsed its rival at Anaplous. A monastery was attached at an unknown later date, first securely attested in the 11th century and mentioned until 1337. Janin hypothesized it was demolished in the 15th century, its material used for the nearby Rumelihisarı fortress.
Battle and iconography
Constantine, the first Roman emperor to become a Christian, defeated his co-emperor Licinius at the Battle of Adrianople in 324, not far from the Michaelion, attributing the victory to Archangel Michael. Constantine viewed both Licinius and Arius as agents of Satan, associating them with the serpent in Revelation 12:9, and depicted Licinius as a snake on his coins. After the victory, he commissioned a painting of himself and his sons slaying Licinius as a serpent, borrowing symbolism from Christian teachings on the Archangel. A similar painting at the Michaelion, showing Archangel Michael slaying a serpent, became a major art piece and led to the standard iconography of Michael as a warrior saint.
A model for other churches
After the Michaelion was built, a monastery was added, and four other churches dedicated to Archangel Michael followed in Constantinople. Under subsequent emperors, the number of such churches in the city increased to fifteen. Based on reports of miracles there, the Michaelion became a model for hundreds of other churches in Eastern Christianity. Churches dedicated to the Archangel in Western Christianity lagged behind those in the East for some time. The association of Michael with healing and protection continued into the 6th century, as seen in Rome after a plague, when the sick slept at night in the church of Castel Sant'Angelo dedicated to him for saving Rome from the plague.
More in Michael
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced