Editing Constantinople (section)

==== Iconoclast controversy in Constantinople ====
In the 8th and 9th centuries, the [[Byzantine Iconoclasm|iconoclast]] movement caused serious political unrest throughout the Empire. The emperor [[Leo III the Isaurian|Leo III]] issued a decree in 726 against images, and ordered the destruction of a statue of Christ over one of the doors of the Chalke, an act that was fiercely resisted by the citizens.<ref>The officer given the task was killed by the crowd, and in the end the image was removed rather than destroyed: It was to be restored by [[Irene (empress)|Irene]] and removed again by [[Leo V the Armenian|Leo V]]: Finlay 1906, p. 111.</ref> [[Constantine V]] convoked a [[Council of Hieria|church council in 754]], which condemned the worship of images, after which many treasures were broken, burned, or painted over with depictions of trees, birds or animals: One source refers to the [[Church of St. Mary of Blachernae (Istanbul)|church of the Holy Virgin]] at [[Blachernae]] as having been transformed into a "fruit store and aviary".<ref>Vasiliev 1952, p. 261.</ref> Following the death of her husband [[Leo IV the Khazar|Leo IV]] in 780, the empress [[Irene (empress)|Irene]] restored the veneration of images through the agency of the [[Second Council of Nicaea]] in 787.

The iconoclast controversy returned in the early 9th century, only to be resolved once more in 843 during the regency of Empress [[Theodora (9th century)|Theodora]], who restored the icons. These controversies contributed to the deterioration of relations between the [[Roman Catholic|Western]] and the [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Eastern]] Churches.