whole world seemed on fire. The emperor took shelter under a
large oak, but, fearing the tree might be thrown down by the furious
wind, he soon made for open ground. Scarcely had he done so when the oak
was torn up by the roots and hurled to the earth. A few moments later
the emperor would have been killed. This narrow escape occurred on the
24th September, the festival day of S. Thekla, and, therefore,
attributing his deliverance to her intervention, Isaac rebuilt and
greatly beautified the old sanctuary dedicated to her in Blachernae, and
frequently attended services there in her honour. Anna Comnena[343]
speaks of the restored church in the highest terms. According to her it
was built at great cost, displayed rare art, and was in every way worthy
of the occasion which led to its erection. Zonaras[344] is not so
complimentary. He describes the church as a monument of the
niggardliness of Isaac Comnenus. In any case, it was pulled down and
rebuilt in the following century by the Emperor John Comnenus in
splendid style, and dedicated to the Saviour.[345] As the beauty and
wealth of a Byzantine sanctuary were exhibited in the lavish adornment
of the interior, it is possible that the church of S. Thekla, though
small and outwardly plain, may have been a beautiful and rich building
in its latest Christian character. It had then the honour of seeing
among the worshippers before its altar Anna Dalassena, the mother of the
Comneni. For, when charged with the government of the Empire during the
absence of Alexius Comnenus from the capital, that able woman came often
to pray in this church, 'lest she should be immersed in merely secular
affairs.'[346]

_Architectural Features_

(For Plan see p. 206)

The building is an oblong hall, m. 13.55 by m. 5.4, divided into three
compartments. It is now covered with a wooden roof, but the arrangements
of the breaks or pilasters on the walls indicate that it had originally
a dome. At the east end is a single apse, the usual side-apses being
represented by two niches. The western compartment served as a narthex.
During the repairs of the mosque in 1890, frescoes of the eikons which
once decorated the walls were brought to view. On the exterior the apse
shows three sides, crowned with a corbelled cornice. The central side is
pierced by a window of good workmanship, divided by a shaft into two
lights, and above the window are two short blind concave niches. High
blind concave niches in