Konstantinopolis ve çevresinde bir azizenin izinde: Azize Euphemia?nin kültü ve Hipodrom?daki kilisesi için kurtarma planı teklifi

The cult of St. Euphemia who was martyred around 1700 years ago in Chalcedon (today?s Kadıköy) still exists today in İstanbul, and the feast day of the saint is celebrated every September 16 by the Greek-Orthodox Patriarchate as a continuing tradition since its emergence in the fourth century. Although Euphemia was an Eastern saint who was later associated with the definition of Chalcedonian Orthodoxy, she was venerated by the Western and Eastern Monophysite Churches as well. This thesis aims to understand the still-surviving cult as well as its importance for the city of Constantinople and the Christian world. Thus, on the basis of the Byzantine textual evidence the study examines the historical, cultural, theological, political and social reasons for the emergence and the propagation of the cult of St. Euphemia. Patriarchal records, pilgrims? accounts and the Byzantine chronicles will then be used to analyse the development and the wide geographical spread of her cult throughout the Christian world, the journey of her relics as well as the church and monastery dedications to the saint in and beyond the borders of Constantinople. The last chapter of this study presents a preliminary proposal for the future of the only surviving Byzantine church dedicated to St. Euphemia in Istanbul together with its surroundings in the historic town. The project will be based on international criteria for the sustainable conservation and management of cultural heritage property.