jus sepulchrum adhuc exstat in templo
patriarchatus Constantinopli a D. Steph. Gerlachio visum.'[242]
But _cujus_ (whose) refers, not to Anna, but to Alexius. This rendering
is put beyond dispute by the statement made by Gerlach in a letter to
Crusius, that he found, in the Pammakaristos, 'sepulchrum Alexii Comneni
[Greek: autokratoros],' the tomb of the Emperor Alexius Comnenus.[243]
The church was converted into a mosque under Murad III. (1574-1592), and
bears the style Fetiyeh, 'of the conqueror,' in honour of the conquest
of Georgia and Azerbaijan during his reign. According to Gerlach, the
change had been feared for some time, if for no other reason, because of
the fine position occupied by the church. But quarrels between different
factions of the Greek clergy and between them and Government officials
had also something to do with the confiscation of the building.[244]
When the cross, which glittered above the dome and gleamed far and wide,
indicating the seat of the chief prelate of the Orthodox Communion, was
taken down, 'a great sorrow befell the Christians.'[244] The humble
church of S. Demetrius Kanabou, in the district of Balat, then became
the patriarchal seat until 1614, when that honour was conferred upon the
church which still retains it, the church of S. George in the quarter
of Phanar.
[Illustration: PLATE XXXIX.
(1) S. MARY PAMMAKARISTOS. EAST END OF THE PARECCLESION.
(2) S. MARY PAMMAKARISTOS. THE WEST COLUMN IN THE PARECCLESION.
_To face page 148._]
_Architectural Features_
Owing to the numerous additions and alterations introduced into the
original fabric, both before and since the Turkish conquest, the
original plan of the building is not immediately apparent. Nor does the
interior, with its heavy piers, raised floor, and naked walls correspond
to the accounts given of its former splendour and beauty. A careful
study will, however, unravel the tangled scheme which the actual
condition of the church presents, and detect some traces of the beauty
which has faded and passed away. The building might be mistaken for a
domed church with four aisles, two narthexes, and a parecclesion. But
notwithstanding all the disguises due to the changes it has undergone,
the original church was unquestionably an 'ambulatory' church. It had,
moreover, at one time a third narthex, of which now only the foundations
remain on the west side of the church. The present outer narthex is in
five bays, cov
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