The Column of Constantine: A City's Founding Monument

In this episode of Constantinople to Istanbul, Lucas and Luna examine the Column of Constantine, also known as the Burnt Column or Çemberlitaş. Erected in 330 AD to mark the founding of Constantinople as the New Rome, this porphyry column once stood 50 meters tall, topped with a statue of Constantine as Apollo. They explore its construction, the relics buried beneath it—including the Palladium and fragments of the True Cross—and its survival through earthquakes, fires, and conquest. The column's chequered history includes a lightning strike in 1106 that toppled the statue, a severe fire in 1779 that blackened its surface, and the bronze clamps removed by the Fourth Crusade. Today, it remains a landmark in Istanbul's Fatih district, wrapped in iron rings and still bearing traces of its Byzantine past. The episode ties the column's endurance to the city's layered identity, reflecting on how a single monument can embody centuries of change.

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