The town of Dodona survived the decline of the oracle. In the 5th century the Christian citizens used materials from the old buildings to erect a three-aisled basilica next to the temple of Dione and over the temple of Hercules. The local bishop was important enough to participate in the councils of Ephesus (431 CE) and Chalcedon (451 CE). As for the symbols of the old religion, the statue of Zeus was removed by Emperor Constantine to adorn the Senate house in Constantinople. The sacred oak had already been cut down by a man from Illyria (a region in the western part of the Balkan Peninsula). In the 6th century earthquakes and wars completed the destruction of Dodona.