Ecumenical Council Site
Council of Chalcedon Site
COWN-sil of kal-SEE-dun · Modern Kadıköy (ancient Chalcedon), Istanbul, Turkey · 40.9962° N, 29.0186° E
The Fourth Ecumenical Council convened at Chalcedon October 8-November 1, AD 451, meeting in the Church of St. Euphemia, across the Bosphorus from Constantinople. The council produced the Chalcedonian Definition, affirming Christ "in two natures" (fully God, fully man) united in one person — accepted by Rome, Byzantium, and most churches, but rejected by the Oriental Orthodox churches, a split persisting today.
Archaeology
No physical remains of the Church of St. Euphemia survive above ground; historians generally place its foundations near the Haydarpaşa railway station complex on the Kadıköy waterfront, inferred from historical topography rather than confirmed excavation. Chalcedon's urban fabric has been almost entirely built over by modern Istanbul, so this entry marks the traditional, historically-attested area rather than an excavated council chamber.
On a modern map
Further reading
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