The Column of Constantine: A Buried Relic of New Rome

At the heart of Ottoman Istanbul, inside the walled garden of a 19th-century palace, stands a mysterious landmark: the Column of Constantine. Erected by the first Christian Roman emperor in 330 AD to mark the foundation of his new capital, the column has survived earthquakes, fires, and centuries of neglect. In this episode of Constantinople to Istanbul, Lucas and Luna explore the column's original form — 50 metres of porphyry and marble, crowned with a statue of Constantine as Apollo — and the sacred relics buried at its base: the Palladium of Troy, the True Cross, and the bowl from which Christ washed his disciples' feet. They trace the column's place in civic ritual, its role as a protective talisman, and its gradual decline into a scorched, iron-braced stump known today as the Burnt Column (Çemberlitaş). Along the way, they revisit Constantine's vision for his city, the legend of the city's founding, and the uneasy relationship between pagan symbolism and Christian empire. This episode continues Fexingo History's layered portrait of a city that has been Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman — and still holds secrets in its stones.

#ColumnOfConstantine #Çemberlitaş #Constantinople #Istanbul #RomanEmpire #ByzantineEmpire #ConstantineTheGreat #Palladium #TrueCross #BurntColumn #FoundationOfConstantinople #NewRome #PorphyryColumn #CivicRitual #LateAntiquity #History #FexingoHistory #MiddleEast

Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo