Η εκκλησία της Παναγίας του Φάρου
V. Ἐπειδὰν δέ τις ἐκεῖθεν μόλις ἀποσπασθεὶς εἰς αὐτὸ παρακύψῃ τὸ τέμενος, ἡλίκης καὶ ὅσης οὖτος χαρᾶς τε ἅμα καὶ ταραχῆς καὶ θάμβους ἐμπίπλαται. Ὡς εἰς αὐτὸν γὰρ τὸν οὐρανὸν μηδενὸς ἐπιπροσθοῦντος μηδαμόθεν ἐμβεβηκὼς καὶ τοῖς πολυμόρφοις καὶ πανταχόθεν ὑποφαινομένοις κάλλεσιν ὡς ἄστροις περιλαμπόμενος ὅλος ἐκπεπληγμένος γίνεται. Δοκεῖ δὲ λοιπὸν ἐντεῦθεν τά τε ἄλλα ἐν ἐκστάσει εἶναι καὶ αὐτὸ περιδινεῖσθαι τὸ τέμενος· ταῖς γὰρ οἰκείαις καὶ παντοδαπαῖς περιστροφαῖς καὶ συνεχέσι κινήσεσιν, ἃ πάντως παθεῖν τὸν θεατὴν ἡ πανταχόθεν ποικιλία βιάζεται τοῦ θεάματος, εἰς αὐτὸ τὸ ὁρώμενον τὸ οἰκεῖον φαντάζεται πάθημα. Ἀλλὰ γὰρ χρυσός τε καὶ ἄργυρος τὰ πλεῖστα τοῦ ναοῦ διειλήφασιν, ὁ μὲν ψηφῖσιν ἐπαλειφόμενος, ὁ δὲ εἰς πλάκας ἀποξεόμενός τε καὶ τυπούμενος, ἄλλος ἄλλοις ἐπιπασσόμενος μέρεσιν...
Φώτιος, Ὁμιλία δεκάτη, επιμ. Β. Λαούρδας, Φωτίου Ὁμιλίαι. Ελληνικά, Παράρτημα 12 (Θεσσαλονίκη 1959), σελ. 101.
Ο ναός της Περιβλέπτου
In the body of the church thera are five altars, and the body itself is a round hall, very big and tall, and it is supported on japsper [columns] of different colors; and the floor and the walls are like-wise covered with slabs of jasper. This all is enclosed all round by three aisles which are joined to it, and the ceiling of the hall and the aisles is one and the same, and is completely wrought in mosaic. And at the end of the church, on the left side, was a big tomb of colored jasper wherein lies the said emperor Romanus... And in this church was another big tomb of jasper in which lay another emperor. Also in this church was the other arm of St. Jogn the Baptist...
Ruy Gonzàlez de Clavijo, Embajada a Tamorlan, pp. 37 f., transl. Mango, C., The Art of the Byzantine Empire 312-1453. Sources and Documents (London 21986), σελ. 217.