Chrysotriklinos
thumb|right|250px|Map of the Great Palace and its surroundings. The approximate location of the Chrysotriklinos is shown in the south, near the seaside Boukoleon Palace and the Pharos light tower. The Chrysotriklinos (, "golden reception hall", cf. triclinium), Latinized as Chrysotriclinus or Chrysotriclinium, was the main reception and ceremonial hall of the Great Palace of Constantinople from its construction, in the late 6th century, until the 10th century. Its appearance is known only through literary descriptions, chiefly the 10th-century De Ceremoniis, a collection of imperial ceremonies
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6 sectionsContents
- History and functions
- Description
- See also
- References
- Sources
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thumb|right|250px|Map of the Great Palace and its surroundings. The approximate location of the Chrysotriklinos is shown in the south, near the seaside Boukoleon Palace and the Pharos light tower. The Chrysotriklinos (, "golden reception hall", cf. triclinium), Latinized as Chrysotriclinus or Chrysotriclinium, was the main reception and ceremonial hall of the Great Palace of Constantinople from its construction, in the late 6th century, until the 10th century. Its appearance is known only through literary descriptions, chiefly the 10th-century De Ceremoniis, a collection of imperial ceremonies, but, as the chief symbol of imperial power, it inspired the construction of Charlemagne's Palatine Chapel in Aachen.
== History and functions == thumb|right|250px|The Basilica of San Vitale in [[Ravenna. Its layout was similar to that of the Chrysotriklinos.]] The hall is usually attributed to Emperor Justin II (r. 565–578), with his successor, Tiberius II (r. 578–582) finishing it and carrying out its decoration. However, Byzantine sources present conflicting accounts: the Suda encyclopedia attributes the building to Justin I (r. 518–527), and the Patria of Constantinople to the Emperor Marcian (r. 450–457), although the latter is usually rejected as unreliable. The historian Joannes Zonaras records that Justin II in fact reconstructed an earlier building, which has been suggested as the Heptaconch Hall of Justinian I (r. 527–565).