In addition to the general statements about the distance of the Hebdomon from Constantinople, there is another important line of evidence. Not only is the suburb as a whole described as being seven miles from the city, but the individual buildings and features located there are also clearly identified as standing at the same distance. This repetition of the same measurement, applied to different objects, leaves no room for uncertainty.
Ancient writers consistently describe these structures with exact language, showing that the Hebdomon was understood as a definite place, not a broad or loosely defined district The Final Assessment of Earlier Arguments.
The Church of St. John the Baptist
The Church of St. John the Baptist, one of the most famous buildings in the Hebdomon, is repeatedly stated to be seven miles from Constantinople. Sozomen, Socrates, and John of Antioch all affirm this fact in direct terms. Their words clearly indicate that the church stood at a fixed distance from the city, measured according to the Roman system of milestones.
These historians do not speak vaguely or poetically. They state plainly that the church was located at the seventh milestone. Such precision would be meaningless if the Hebdomon referred merely to a wide stretch of land extending from the city outward.
The Church of St. John the Evangelist
The same precision appears in references to the Church of St. John the Evangelist, another important building in the suburb. Socrates, once again, tells us that this church also stood seven miles from the city. The agreement between different authors and different buildings strongly supports the conclusion that the Hebdomon was a specific locality, defined by distance.
If the Hebdomon had been a large and undefined district, it would be impossible for multiple churches within it to be described so consistently as being exactly seven miles away Guided Sofia Tour.
The Campus of the Hebdomon
Further confirmation comes from descriptions of the Campus of the Hebdomon, the open plain used for military assemblies, ceremonies, and imperial processions. Cedrenus refers to it as “the plain in front of the city, seven miles distant.” This phrase is important. While the plain lay in front of Constantinople, it was not close to the city walls. Its defining feature was its distance, not its proximity.
The wording shows that ancient writers had no difficulty describing places that were both connected to the city and yet clearly separated from it by several miles.
The Imperial Tribune and the Palace of Justinian
The Imperial Tribune, located in the Campus of the Hebdomon, is also described with great accuracy. Idatius and Marcellinus Comes both state that it stood at the seventh milestone. Their Latin phrases leave no ambiguity.
Likewise, the palace built by Emperor Justinian the Great at the Hebdomon is described in the official subscriptions of his laws as being located at the seventh mile from Constantinople. These legal documents were written with care and precision, making them especially trustworthy.
Final Conclusion on Distance
Taken together, these many references define the Hebdomon with remarkable clarity. Churches, plains, tribunals, and palaces are all described as standing seven miles from the city. Such consistency makes any loose or extended interpretation of the term “Hebdomon” impossible. If words are to have meaning, the Hebdomon must be understood as a distinct and precisely located suburb at the seventh milestone from Constantinople.
