Palace of Blachernae

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The Palace of Blachernae (Greek: Βλαχερναί) was an imperial Byzantine residence in the suburb of Blachernae, located in the northwestern section of Constantinople.

It was the site of a spring and a number of churches were built there, notably by Pulcheria in the 5th century and by Justinian I in the 6th century. These were originally outside the city walls, until 627 when the walls were expanded to include this section of the city. After Alexius I, the Blachernae Palace became the main residence of the emperors from 1081 AD to 1453 AD, though the old Great Palace was still used for major imperial ceremonies.

The palace was rather a complex of different buildings for different functions, such as churches, chapels, palaces and so forth than a single structure. It is thought that buildings such as the Theotokos Church, the Palace of Manuel I Komnenos and the Palace of Empress Bertha stood there.