Helenopolis
Helenopolis ( Greek Ἑληνόπολις ) was an ancient city in Asia Minor landscape Bithynia (now Hersek in Turkey). It lay on the south side of the Gulf of Astakos and was initially called Drepanon ( Δρέπανον ) or Latinized Drepanum .
In honor of his mother Helena , who was presumably born there, Constantine the Great renamed the city in 318 and, by analogy with Constantinople, set the sign that he regarded Helena as his co-regent. Constantine often stayed in Helenopolis - probably also because of the warm baths - and was baptized here shortly before the end of his life .
Lively construction activity seems to have started under Justinian , who had other baths, aqueducts and other structures built. Soon after its name, Helenopolis became a bishopric , the most important bearer of which was probably Palladius . The last bishop is known from the 9th century, after which Helenopolis is likely to have become increasingly insignificant.
Helenopolis in Bithynia is now a titular bishopric of the Roman Catholic Church . It belonged to the ecclesiastical province of Nicomedia . The titular bishopric has not been occupied since 1967.
Ruins of the city were found near what is now the Turkish village of Hersek.
literature
- Leonhard Schmitz : Hellenopolis . In: William Smith : Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography. London 1854.
- Karl Strobel : Helenopolis. In: The New Pauly (DNP). Volume 5, Metzler, Stuttgart 1998, ISBN 3-476-01475-4 .
- Walther Ruge : Drepanon 4 . In: Paulys Realencyclopadie der classischen Antiquity Science (RE). Volume V, 2, Stuttgart 1905, Col. 1697.
Coordinates: 40 ° 43 ' N , 29 ° 30' E