Column of Constantine

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The Column of Constantine in July 2010, north side

The Column of Constantine (Turkish Çemberlitaş , from çemberli 'ringed / frosted' and taş 'stone') is a late Roman monumental column in Istanbul . It originally stood on the Forum of Constantine and shaped the cityscape of Constantinople in its original size . Today it is only partially preserved, but must be seen as one of the few surviving monuments from the time Constantinople was founded. The column is located in Yeniçeriler Caddesi in the old town of Istanbul, which corresponds to the Mese, the former main street of Constantinople.

history

The Column of Constantine (reconstruction of the original state by Cornelius Gurlitt )
The Column of Constantine, 1912

The Column of Constantine was erected in 328 and was consecrated on May 11, 330 at the inauguration ceremony of Constantinople. She stood in the middle of the Constantine Forum. It was part of the new cityscape that Constantine had envisaged for his new capital. After his victory over Licinius in 324, which secured him total rule over the Roman Empire , a few weeks later he founded his Nova Roma , which emerged from the Greek city of Byzantion : a new capital in the east of the empire, with the aim of both a To create representation of the emperor as well as an integration of the eastern ruling elites under that very fact.

The statue on the Column of Constantine

The original column consisted of 7 porphyry drums, which stood on a pedestal decorated with reliefs. She carried a statue with a spear in her left hand and a globe in her right. These reconstructions are made possible by a picture of the column on the Tabula Peutingeriana , on which it appears as a symbol of the city of Constantinople next to a picture of Constantine the Great. However, little more is known about the statue and much has been speculated: Was it naked or clothed? Extra newly created or spoiled ? Was she wearing a crown or not? Did the globe have a cross? It is also controversial to what extent she should portray Constantine as / or Sol Invictus . The confusion caused by the statue is based on two facts: First, since 324, there have been fewer and fewer depictions of the emperor in the direct context of Sol on coins and other pictorial sources. Second, his religious policy since 312 has been seen by some as a simultaneous turn to Christianity on the one hand and a sharp turn away from ancient Roman beliefs on the other.

It should not be overlooked, however, that the pagan population in Constantine's time should have been at least 80%, more likely up to 95%. This is important because it can resolve the contradiction that Constantine, as a Christian ruler, opposed pagan traditions. Rather, he emphasized his Christianity and weakened the apparent Sol cult to a mere adoption of many of its elements. The logical interpretation of the Column of Constantine is therefore that it wanted to address both the Christian and the pagan population: the statue thus forms, to put it bluntly, an impressive point in Constantine's attempt to form a tolerant syncretism from Sol elements and Christianity but with certainty: A monument of Constantine's glory - so also the traditional inscription:

For Constantine who shines like the sun

The dative of the original leaves room for guesswork as to who officially founded the pillar: Perhaps the city and its official representatives, the Senate ? This cannot be conclusively assessed. It was recently doubted that the statue wore a crown of rays, but it is very likely: The pedestal drawn by Melchior Lorichs contains an image of Constantine with a crown of rays within a laurel wreath . A Byzantine source from the 6th century also says:

And on his pillar he put his own statue, which has seven rays on his head.

The relief

The column stood on a square base; this was the conclusion of a series of five or six levels. The center of the composition is that picture of Constantine. Below is a woman sitting on a small throne, which can be interpreted as Tyche Constantinople. Two winged niks , each holding armor, lead two boys in the middle, who both bring a bowl with gifts for Constantinople and / or the emperor. Behind the two gift-bringers stand two bearded men (presumed in literature as Persians and Teutons) who, like the niks, encourage the offering of the gifts to the center.

The pillar through time

Just 86 years after it was built, column 416 was so damaged by a lightning strike that the iron tires that gave it its name were attached to stabilize it, as otherwise the entire structure was feared to overturn. Another lightning strike demolished the column in 1079 and in 1106 a violent storm swept the top three drums and the statue down. Under Manuel Komnenos (1143–1180) a cross was placed on the pillar, which was removed by the Ottoman conquerors after the conquest in 1453 . The column of honor was not spared from the looting by the crusaders in 1204: bronze inserts between the drums were broken out by crusaders. To stabilize it, the base and the bottom drum were walled in in 1779 under Sultan Abdülhamid I after a fire.

Functional history

The changes in the upper end of the column show its changing function in the cityscape quite impressively: through late antiquity and the Middle Ages it was (a) symbol of the city, under Constantine and his Roman successors also a sign of syncretism , both to Christianity as well as judging pagan believers. Church historians from late antiquity report that in the 5th century Christians made sacrifices at the statue and asked for personal help - an echo of the pagan imperial sacrifice in a now Christian society. After the statue was overthrown in the 12th century, it was not raised again. Instead, a cross was put in its place and thus the column was finally to be understood as an exclusively Christian symbol. According to the chronicler Dukas, many citizens of Constantinople gathered under her shortly before the conquest in 1453 to await the saving angel of the Lord, which was predicted by many contemporary "prophets" - but as is well known, this did not happen. It is not surprising that the cross was removed after the city was conquered by the Ottomans. The rest of the column was left as it was, apart from a few restoration measures.

Legends about the pillar

In a source from the 9th century there is the legend that Constantine himself is said to have stored various - Christian and pagan - sanctuaries in a cavity below the column: The Palladion (!), A splinter from the cross of Christ, Noah's ax , a Piece of the rock from which Moses struck water, the baskets of feeding the ten thousand and more from Christian tradition. Nails of the crucifixion of Christ are said to have been worked into the rays of the crown of the statue . Some historians see this as further proof of the syncretism of the emperor and the endeavor to address not only his Christian subjects with such buildings.

The pillar today

Today the Column of Constantine is still central, but has long since lost its status as a religious monument and supraregional urban landmark. It is nevertheless eponymous for the entire surrounding district and the tram stop of the same name. The total height of the Çemberlitaş is around 35 m today. In the 1970s it was restored and received new iron tires. The pavement of the forum was found during excavations in 1929/30 at a depth of 2.33 m. The same excavations also showed that there is a vault at a depth of 4.6 m below, in which some want to see the Chapel of Constantine, which is mentioned in some sources.

See also

literature

  • Marianne Bergmann : Constantine and the sun god. The statements of the photo testimonies. In: Alexander Demandt et al. (Ed.): Konstantin der Große. History, archeology, reception. Trier 2006, p.?.
  • Manfred Clauss : The old cults in Constantinian times. In: Alexander Demandt et al. (Ed.): Konstantin der Große. History, archeology, reception. Trier 2006, p.?.
  • John Freeley, and Hilary Sumner-Boyd: Istanbul. A guide. Munich 1975, p.?.
  • Karen Piepenbrink : The "New Rome" on the Bosporus - The founding of Constantinople. In: Kay Ehling, Gregor Weber (ed.): Konstantin der Große. Between Sol and Christ. Darmstadt / Mainz 2011, p.?
  • Marios Philippides, Walter K. Hanak: The Siege and the Fall of Constantinople in 1453. Farnham 2011.
  • Marcell Restle: Istanbul. Bursa. Edirne. Iznik. Monuments and museums. Stuttgart 1976, p.
  • Martin Wallraff : Constantine's "Sun" and its Christian contexts. In: Kay Ehling, Gregor Weber (ed.): Konstantin der Große. Between Sol and Christ. Darmstadt / Mainz 2011, p.?.
  • Johannes Wienand : A farewell in gold - Constantine and Sol invictus. In: Kay Ehling, Gregor Weber (ed.): Konstantin der Große. Between Sol and Christ. Darmstadt / Mainz 2011, p.?.

Individual evidence

  1. The chiseled base of a column, drawing by Melchior Lorichs, 1561 ( memento from July 19, 2011 in the Internet Archive ). Available online on the website of the Danish State Art Museum.

Coordinates: 41 ° 0 ′ 31 ″  N , 28 ° 58 ′ 16 ″  E