880day.year
The Nea Ekklesia is inaugurated in Constantinople, setting the model for all later cross-in-square Orthodox churches.
In 880, the grand Nea Ekklesia in Constantinople was consecrated, introducing the cross-in-square design that shaped Orthodox church architecture.
Under Emperor Basil I, the Nea Ekklesia was inaugurated within the Great Palace complex as a monumental new church dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Its innovative cross-in-square layout, supported by domes and pendentives, established a blueprint for Eastern Orthodox sacred design. Rich mosaics and a central dome highlighted the aesthetic pinnacle of Byzantine art. The church influenced countless ecclesiastical buildings across the Byzantine Empire and beyond. Despite later damage and eventual collapse, its architectural legacy endured for centuries. The Nea Ekklesia marked a defining moment in medieval religious and architectural history.
880
Nea Ekklesia
Constantinople
cross-in-square