Forum Of Constantine
The column was originally crowned with a statue of Constantine I (3. 306-337) as Apollo, but a strong gale in 1150 caused the statue and three of the column's upper drums to fall, and a cross was added in its place by the Byzantine emperor Manuel I Komnenos (r. 1143-1180). Otherwise the forum remained nearly intact until the Fourth Crusade in 1203–1204. The city's first Senate House lay on the north side of it. It is known from the sources that the square was decorated with a number of antique statues, but it is impossible to determine their exact appearance and location.
The Forum suffered major damage in a fire started by soldiers of the Fourth Crusade in 1203. After the Sack of 1204, the antique statues decorating the Forum were melted down by the Crusaders.
See also
References
- ^ David Potter (9 November 2012). Constantine the Emperor. Oxford University Press. pp. 262–. ISBN 978-0-19-998602-6.
- ^ Allan Doig (2008). Liturgy and Architecture from the Early Church to the Middle Ages. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. pp. 53–. ISBN 978-0-7546-5274-8.
41°00′32″N 28°58′16″E / 41.009°N 28.971°E