E00374: Evagrius Scholasticus in his Ecclesiastical History describes the shrine of *Euphemia (martyr of Chalcedon, S00017) in Chalcedon (north-west Asia Minor, near Constantinople), and the miracle of her flowing blood. The sanctuary hosted the Council of Chalcedon in 451. Written in Greek at Antioch (Syria), 593/594.

Evagrius Scholasticus, Ecclesiastical History, 2.3

Ἁλίζονται τοίνυν ἀνὰ τὸ ἱερὸν τέμενος Εὐφημίας τῆς μάρτυρος, ὅπερ ἵδρυται μὲν ἐπὶ τῆς Καλχηδοναίων τοῦ Βιθυνῶν ἔθνους, ἀπῴκισται δὲ τοῦ Βοσπόρου σταδίοις οὐ πλείοσι δύο, ἔν τινι τῶν εὐφυῶν χωρίων ἠρέμα προσάντει· ὥστε τοὺς περιπάτους ἀνεπαισθήτους εἶναι τοῖς ἐς τὸν νεὼν ἀπιοῦσι τῆς μάρτυρος, ἐξαπίνης τε μετεώρους εἶναι εἴσω τῶν ἀνακτόρων γενομένους· ὥστε τὰς ὄψεις ἐκχέοντας ἐκ περιωπῆς ἅπαντα θεωρεῖν, ὑπεστρωμένα πεδία ὁμαλῆ καὶ ὕπτια, τῇ πόᾳ χλοάζοντα ληΐοις τε κυμαινόμενα καὶ παντοδαπῶν δένδρων τῇ θέᾳ ὡραϊζόμενα, ὄρη τε λάσια ἐς ὕψος εὐπρεπῶς μετεωριζόμενά τε καὶ κυρτούμενα, ἄταρ καὶ πελάγη διάφορα, τὰ μὲν τῇ γαλήνῃ πορφυρούμενα καὶ ταῖς ἀκταῖς προσπαίζοντα ἡδύ τι καὶ ἥμερον ἔνθα νήνεμα τὰ χωρία καθεστᾶσι, τὰ δὲ παφλάζοντά τε καὶ τοῖς κύμασιν ἀγριαίνοντα, κάχληκάς τε καὶ φυκία καὶ τῶν ὀστρακοδέρμων τὰ κουφότερα μετὰ τῆς ἀντανακλάσεως τῶν κυμάτων αὐτῆς ἀνασειράζοντα. Ἀντικρὺ δὲ τῆς Κωνσταντίνου τὸ τέμενος, ὥστε καὶ τῇ θέᾳ τῆς τοσαύτης πόλεως τὸν νεὼν ὡραΐζεσθαι. Τρεῖς δ’ ὑπερμεγέθεις οἶκοι τὸ τέμενος· εἷς μὲν ὑπαίθριος, ἐπιμήκει τῇ αὐλῇ καὶ κίοσι πάντοθεν κοσμούμενος, ἕτερός τ’ αὖ μετὰ τοῦτον τό τε εὖρος τό τε μῆκος τούς τε κίονας μικροῦ παραπλήσιος, μόνῳ δὲ τῷ ἐπικειμένῳ ὀρόφῳ διαλλάττων· οὗ κατὰ τὴν βόρειον πλευρὰν πρὸς ἥλιον ἀνίσχοντα, οἶκος περιφερὴς ἐς θόλον, εὖ μάλα τεχνικῶς ἐξησκημένοις κίοσιν, ἴσοις τὴν ὕλην, ἴσοις τὰ μεγέθη καθεστῶσιν ἔνδοθεν κυκλούμενος. Ὑπὸ τούτοις ὑπερῷόν τι μετεωρίζεται ὑπὸ τὴν αὐτὴν ὀροφήν, ὡς ἂν κἀντεῦθεν ἐξῇ τοῖς βουλομένοις ἱκετεύειν τε τὴν μάρτυρα καὶ τοῖς τελουμένοις παρεῖναι. Εἴσω δὲ τοῦ θόλου πρὸς τὰ ἑῷα εὐπρεπής ἐστι σηκός, ἔνθα τὰ πανάγια τῆς μάρτυρος ἀπόκειται λείψανα ἔν τινι σορῷ τῶν ἐπιμήκων—μακρὰν ἔνιοι καλοῦσιν—ἐξ ἀργύρου εὖ μάλα σοφῶς ἠσκημένῃ. Καὶ ἃ μὲν ὑπὸ τῆς παναγίας ἐπί τισι χρόνοις θαυματουργεῖται, πᾶσι Χριστιανοῖς ἔκδηλα. Πολλάκις γὰρ ἢ τοῖς κατὰ καιρὸν τὴν αὐτὴν ἐπισκοποῦσι πόλιν ὄναρ ἐπιστᾶσα διακελεύεται ἢ καί τισι τῶν ἄλλως ἐς βίον ἐπισήμων, παραγινομένοις αὐτῇ κατὰ τὸ τέμενος τρυγᾶν. Ὅπερ ἐπειδὰν τοῖς τε βασιλεῦσι τῷ τε ἀρχιερεῖ καὶ τῇ πόλει κατάδηλον ᾖ, φοιτῶσι κατὰ τὸν νεὼν οἵ τε τὰ σκῆπτρα οἵ τε τὰ ἱερὰ καὶ τὰς ἀρχὰς διέποντες ἅπας τε ὁ λοιπὸς ὅμιλος μετασχεῖν τῶν τελουμένων βουλόμενοι. Πάντων τε οὖν ὁρώντων ὁ τῆς Κωνσταντίνου πρόεδρος μετὰ τῶν ἀμφ’ αὐτὸν ἱερέων εἴσω τῶν ἀνακτόρων χωρεῖ, ἔνθα τὸ λελεγμένον μοι πανάγιον ἀπόκειται σῶμα. Ἔστι δέ τι κλειθρίδιον μικρὸν κατὰ τὴν αὐτὴν σορὸν ἐν τῷ λαιῷ μέρει θύραις μικραῖς κατησφαλισμένον, ὅθεν σίδηρον ἐπιμήκη κατὰ τὰ πανάγια λείψανα σπόγγον περιαρτήσαντες ἐπαφιᾶσι, καὶ τὸν σπόγγον περιδονοῦντες ἐς ἑαυτοὺς τὸν σίδηρον ἀνέλκουσιν αἱμάτων πλήρη θρόμβων τε πολλῶν. Ὅπερ ἐπὰν ὁ λεὼς ἴδοι, εὐθέως προσεκύνησε τὸν θεὸν γεραίρων. Τοσαύτη δέ γε καθέστηκε τῶν ἐκφερομένων ἡ πληθύς, ὥστε καὶ τοὺς εὐσεβεῖς βασιλεῖς καὶ πάντας τοὺς ἁλιζομένους ἱερέας καὶ μὴν καὶ πάντα τὸν ἀθροιζόμενον λεὼν πλουσίως τῶν ἀναδιδομένων μεταλαμβάνειν, ἐκπέμπεσθαί τε καὶ ἀνὰ τὴν ὑφήλιον πᾶσαν τῶν πιστῶν τοῖς βουλομένοις, καὶ διὰ παντὸς τούς τε θρόμβους σώζεσθαι τό τε πανάγιον αἷμα, μηδαμῶς ἐς ἑτέραν μεταχωροῦν ὄψιν. Ἅπερ θεοπρεπῶς τελεῖται, οὐ κατά τινα διωρισμένην περίοδον, ἀλλ’ ὡς ἂν ἡ τοῦ προεδρεύοντος βιοτὴ καὶ ἡ τῶν τρόπων σεμνότης βούλεται. Φασὶ δ’ οὖν ὅτε μὲν τῶν εὐσχημόνων τις κυβερνῴη καὶ ταῖς ἀρεταῖς ἐπίσημος, τοῦτο τὸ θαῦμα καὶ μάλα συχνῶς γίγνεσθαι· ὅτε δὲ τῶν οὐ τοιούτων, σπανίως τὰς τοιαύτας θεοσημείας προϊέναι. Λέξω δέ τι, ὅπερ οὐ χρόνος, οὐ καιρὸς διατέμνει, οὐδὲ μὴν πιστοῖς τε καὶ ἀπίστοις διακέκριται, πᾶσι δὲ ἐξ ἴσης ἀνεῖται· ὅταν ὧδε τοῦ χώρου τις γένηται ἔνθα ἡ τιμία σορὸς ἐν ᾗ τὰ πανάγια λείψανα, ὀδμῆς εὐώδους ἐμπίπλαται πάσης συνήθους ἀνθρώποις ὑπερτέρας. Οὐδὲ γὰρ τῇ ἐκ λειμώνων ἀθροιζομένῃ παρέοικεν, οὐδέ γε τῇ ἔκ τινος τῶν εὐωδεστάτων ἀναπεμπομένῃ, οὐδὲ οἵαν μυρέψης ἐργάσαιτο· ξένη δέ τις καὶ ὑπερφυὴς ἐξ αὐτῆς παριστᾶσα τῶν ἀναδιδόντων τὴν δύναμιν.


‘So they convened at the holy shrine of the martyr Euphemia, which is situated at the city of Chalcedon in the province of Bithynia. It is built no more than two stades from the Bosphorus, on a pleasant, gently inclining site. Thus the walk is unassuming for those approaching the martyr’s church, but, once they are inside the sanctuary, they are suddenly aloft, so that, extending their gaze, they can see everything from a vantage point: plains lying below, level and outspread, green with grass, waving with crops and beautified by the prospect of all kinds of trees, thicketed mountains rising and curving majestically; but also varying seas, some purple in calm and playing sweet and gentle on the shores where the place is windless, other ones spluttering and angry with waves, drawing back pebbles and seaweed and the lighter shellfish with the waves’ backwash. The shrine is opposite Constantinople, so that the church is also beautified by the prospect of so great a city.

The shrine consists of three large buildings: one is open-air, with an oblong court, and adorned with columns on all sides; after this, there is another structure, very similar in breadth, length and columns, and differing only by the roof that covers it. On its northern side towards the rising sun there stands a circular building in the form of a rotunda, encircled with columns inside, which are fashioned with great skill, uniform in material and uniform in size. By these an upper gallery is raised aloft under the same roof, so that those who wish can supplicate the martyr and attend the ceremonies also from there. Inside the rotunda, towards the east, is a magnificent shrine [σηκός/sēkos] where the all-holy remains of the martyr lie in a sarcophagus (σορός/soros) of the oblong kind, which some people call makra, very well and skilfully fashioned from silver.

Now, the miracles performed by the all-holy lady at certain times are well-known to all Christians. For often, she appears in dream to those administering the bishopric of this city at the time, or even to some people otherwise distinguished in life, and she orders them to visit her at her shrine, and harvest. Whenever this is reported to the emperors and to the prelate and the city, those administering the sceptres and the temples and the offices throng to the church along with all the remaining multitude, in order to participate in the celebrations. And, with everyone watching, the prelate of Constantinople with his attendant priests goes inside the sanctuary where the said all-holy body lies. There is a small opening in the same coffin, on the left side, secured with small doors; through this they insert a long iron into the all-holy relics, on which they have fastened a sponge; they turn the sponge around and draw back the iron towards themselves, filled with blood and numerous clots (θρόμβος/thrombos). And when the populace beholds this, they forthwith worship God in jubilation. So great is the quantity of what is brought forth that both the pious emperors and all the assembled priests, and even all the people assembled, partake of the effusions richly, and they are sent forth throughout the whole wide world to those of the faithful who want them, and both the clots and the all-holy blood are preserved for ever, without changing into a different form. These things are performed divinely, not according to a certain fixed period of time, but as the conduct of the person in government, and the decency of his ways decide. They therefore say that, when an honourable person, distinguished for virtues, is at the helm, this miracle indeed happens particularly frequently, but that, when it is not someone of this kind, such divine signs proceed rarely.

And let me also tell of something which neither time nor occasion interrupts, and which indeed makes no distinction between believers and unbelievers, but it is sent forth for all equally: when one stands in that part of the site, where the precious coffin with the all-holy remains is, he is filled with a smell fragrant beyond any smell familiar to men. For it resembles neither the smell coming from meadows, nor indeed that emitted from the most fragrant of things, nor yet what a perfumer might produce; but it is strange and extraordinary, revealing in itself the power of the things that give it forth.’

Text: Bidez and Parmentier 2011. Translation: Efthymios Rizos using M. Whitby 2000.