Monastery of Blachernae

The Monastery of Blachernae in Arta is a Byzantine foundation, distinct from its more famous Constantinopolitan namesake. The site takes its name from the Blachernae district of Istanbul, though the Greek location is spelt with a 'V' (Vlachernae). The monastery is associated with the Panagia Blachernitissa, a 7th-century icon of the Hodegetria type. According to tradition, this icon was not painted but composed from wax and the ashes of 6th-century martyred Christians. The original icon was housed in the imperial palace of Blachernae in Constantinople and was defaced during the 1955 riots in Istanbul. A rare copy exists in Russia at the Tretyakov Gallery. The Arta monastery thus preserves the name and cult of a famous Byzantine icon, linking a provincial Greek foundation to the great Marian traditions of the imperial capital.