Ceremonial in the Great Palace

In the tenth-century Book of Ceremonies (De Cerimoniis) the emperor Constantine VII compares the ceremonial of the imperial court to the harmonious movement given by the Creator to the universe. Inherited from the imperial cult of pagan Antiquity, the notion of emperor and palace as a reflection of the heavenly order was portrayed in the context of Christian ideology through ceremonies illustrating the divine nature of the sovereign’s power. The political ramifications and inherent conservatism are evident. Constantine compiles the Book of Ceremonies to restore order to court ceremonial and render the imperial power more awesome, to give imperial officials and all his subjects the example of a well-ordered way of life ; for thereby, he continues, they become more pleasing to the emperor and also more respectful to one another and admirable to other nations. The main setting of the ceremonies is the Great Palace. Originally constructed by Constantine I beside the Hippodrome, by the tenth century it had expanded to the lower terrace beside the Sea of Marmara where the emperors now resided. But the older parts were preserved and used for fossilised ceremonies on high feasts or for visits by foreign dignitaries, evoking the authority and grandeur of the past. Even when the Comnenian and Palaiologan emperors resided in the newer palace at Blachernai, whence Byzantine ceremonial passed on to Western courts, the Great Palace- what was left of it- was visited on important occasions such as coronations.

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