A Brief History of Constantinople. Grand Palace (Constantinople) Grand Imperial Palace in Constantinople

Sacred brilliance that protects life And then, as the ancient Vedas say, the ancient Indian sages turned to the goddess Durga. Her name is translated from Sanskrit as “hard-to-reach”, but at the same time “invincible”, because it was to her that the ancient gods of India gave magical weapons.

And expanded by Theophilus. The children of the emperor, born in the Porphyry Hall of the palace, were called porphyry-born.

Palace under Justinian

Justinian began the construction of the palace complex shortly after the Nika uprising, during which a significant part of the buildings of the old imperial chambers of Constantine was damaged by fire. The central part of the sacred chambers was a large square - Augusteon, stretching from the temple of St. Sophia to the palace. On four sides the square was surrounded by buildings - the church of St. Sophia in the north, the Baths of Zeuxippus and the Hippodrome in the southwest, in the east the Senate and the Magnavra Palace, and in the south the imperial residence.

After the fire, the Augustaion was enlarged and decorated with white porticos, supported by two rows of columns, the ground was paved with marble. On the square not far from the Golden Column, from which the roads of the empire diverged, a bronze column was erected, topped with an equestrian statue of Justinian. Procopius writes that the emperor was represented with his face turned to the east, with the orb in his left palm and outstretched right hand, "in order to command the barbarians." The emperor was dressed in armor, in which Achilles was usually depicted.

In front of the Senate building was built a portico with six white marble columns, decorated with statues. In the baths of Zeuxippus, where Constantine collected a collection of ancient statues, Justinian ordered the restoration of multi-colored marble ornaments that had been damaged in a fire. The imperial residence was rebuilt with pomp, which, according to Procopius, cannot be expressed in words. On the southwest side, under the porticos, there were iron doors that led to the vestibule, called the Khalka. Entering the door, visitors passed through a semicircular courtyard into a large hall with a dome, which Justinian rebuilt in 558. The floor was made of colored marble fringing a large round slab of porphyry. The wall panels were also of colored marble. On the top were large mosaic canvases depicting Justinian and Theodora in festive clothes, surrounded by senators, scenes of the Vandal and Italian wars, the triumph of Belisarius, representing the defeated kings to the emperor.

A double-leaf bronze door led from the rotunda of Chalka to the guardrooms, called porticos. scholars, protectors and candidates. These were vast halls that served as premises for the palace guards, and, in addition, they included ceremonial rooms, in one of which there was a large silver cross under the dome. Finally, through a wide alley, bordered by columns and cutting through the quarter of the guardsmen, they got into the palace itself, where, first of all, they entered a large Consistorion. It was a throne room, accessed on three sides by ivory doors draped with silk curtains. The walls were decorated with precious metals, the floor was carpeted. At the back of the hall, on a three-stage dais between two statues of Victoria with spread wings, there was a throne covered with gold and precious stones. Above the throne was a golden dome supported by four columns. Behind the throne, three bronze doors opened onto stairs that led to inner chambers.

Reception at the Consistory was held on the days of major holidays, with the appointment of senior dignitaries and the meeting of foreign ambassadors. Next to the Consistorion was a large Triclinium or Triclinium of nineteen lodges. It was a large, luxuriously decorated hall, in which feasts were held in honor of foreign ambassadors or high dignitaries, and some ceremonies were also held in the Triclinium, such as the crowning of the empress, farewell to the late emperor. Nearby was the Church of the Savior, which served in the time of Justinian as a palace church. The entire described complex was one-story and was called Chalkei, all the buildings of which were directed towards Augusteon with facades. Behind the apartments of Chalkea stood the great palace of Daphne. The Chalkea complex was connected with the palace by many alleys, courtyards and galleries.

The entrance to the palace was opposite the southeastern gate of the hippodrome. The palace was two-story and had two wings that surrounded a large courtyard, part of which was occupied by the personal arena of the emperor. The first floor of the buildings was occupied by court services. On the second floor were the personal chambers of the emperor, including the most luxurious halls of the chambers. These were three halls - the "Augusteos triclinium", the "octagonal living room" and the "Daphne's coyton". The halls were complemented by a wide terrace overlooking the sea. The terrace was part of the gallery of Daphne, which contained a statue of a nymph brought by Constantine from Rome. On the other side there was a gallery connecting the church of St. Stephen, Daphne with the emperor's box at the Kathisma hippodrome, which was a palace, where behind the box there were rooms for receptions and relaxation. In this part of the Chambers, as in Halkea, there were only reception and office premises. For housing, two palaces were used located between Daphne and the sea - "Chrysotriclinium" and "Trikon". Descriptions of their decoration have not been preserved.

The complex of sacred chambers was complemented by a secluded "Magnavara triclinium", restored by Justinian with great splendor. Galleries were attached to the palace, connecting it with St. Sophia. Thus, the emperor could, without leaving his home, go from the hippodrome to the church. To top it off, Justinian included his old house in which he lived before his accession to the expanded complex of palace buildings.

In later eras

Mosaics from the time of Justinian

Byzantinischer Mosaizist des 5. Jahrhunderts 001.jpg

Byzantinischer Mosaizist des 5. Jahrhunderts 002.jpg

Istanbull - palasset - 13.jpg

Mosaic from imperial palace.JPG

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Notes

Links

• computer reconstruction
• Gate of the Grand Palace
• on the Arkitera project
• on the Emporis project

Coordinates : 41°00′21″ s. sh. 28°58′38″ E d. /  41.00583° N. sh. 28.97722° E d./ 41.00583; 28.97722(G) (I)

An excerpt characterizing the Grand Palace (Constantinople)

Pierre got out of the carriage and, past the working militias, ascended the mound from which, as the doctor told him, the battlefield was visible.
It was eleven o'clock in the morning. The sun stood somewhat to the left and behind Pierre and brightly illuminated through the clean, rare air the huge panorama that opened before him like an amphitheater along the rising terrain.
Up and to the left along this amphitheater, cutting through it, the big Smolenskaya road wound, going through a village with a white church, lying five hundred paces in front of the mound and below it (this was Borodino). The road crossed under the village across the bridge and through the descents and ascents wound higher and higher to the village of Valuev, which could be seen six miles away (Napoleon was now standing in it). Behind Valuev, the road was hidden in a yellowed forest on the horizon. In this forest, birch and spruce, to the right of the direction of the road, a distant cross and the bell tower of the Kolotsky Monastery glittered in the sun. Throughout this blue distance, to the right and left of the forest and the road, in different places one could see smoking fires and indefinite masses of our and enemy troops. To the right, along the course of the Kolocha and Moskva rivers, the area was ravine and mountainous. Between their gorges, the villages of Bezzubovo and Zakharyino could be seen in the distance. To the left, the terrain was more even, there were fields with grain, and one could see one smoking, burned village - Semenovskaya.
Everything that Pierre saw to the right and to the left was so indefinite that neither the left nor the right side of the field fully satisfied his idea. Everywhere there was not a share of the battle that he expected to see, but fields, clearings, troops, forests, smoke from fires, villages, mounds, streams; and no matter how much Pierre disassembled, he could not find positions in this living area and could not even distinguish your troops from the enemy.
“We must ask someone who knows,” he thought, and turned to the officer, who was looking with curiosity at his unmilitary huge figure.
“Let me ask,” Pierre turned to the officer, “which village is ahead?”
- Burdino or what? – said the officer, addressing his comrade with a question.
- Borodino, - correcting, answered the other.
The officer, apparently pleased with the opportunity to talk, moved towards Pierre.
Are ours there? Pierre asked.
“Yes, and the French are farther away,” said the officer. “There they are, they are visible.
- Where? where? Pierre asked.
- You can see it with the naked eye. Yes, here, here! The officer pointed with his hand at the smoke visible to the left across the river, and on his face appeared that stern and serious expression that Pierre had seen on many faces he met.
Oh, it's French! And there? .. - Pierre pointed to the left at the mound, near which troops were visible.
- These are ours.
- Ah, ours! And there? .. - Pierre pointed to another distant mound with a large tree, near the village, visible in the gorge, near which fires were also smoking and something blackened.
"It's him again," the officer said. (It was the Shevardinsky redoubt.) - Yesterday was ours, and now it's his.
So what is our position?
- Position? said the officer with a smile of pleasure. - I can tell you this clearly, because I built almost all of our fortifications. Here, you see, our center is in Borodino, right here. He pointed to a village with a white church in front. - There is a crossing over the Kolocha. Here, you see, where rows of cut hay lie in the lowlands, here is the bridge. This is our center. Our right flank is where (he pointed steeply to the right, far into the gorge), there is the Moskva River, and there we built three very strong redoubts. The left flank ... - and then the officer stopped. - You see, it's hard to explain to you ... Yesterday our left flank was right there, in Shevardin, over there, you see where the oak is; and now we have taken back the left wing, now out, out - see the village and the smoke? - This is Semenovskoye, yes here, - he pointed to the mound of Raevsky. “But it’s unlikely that there will be a battle here. That he moved troops here is a hoax; he, right, will go around to the right of Moscow. Well, yes, wherever it is, we will not count many tomorrow! the officer said.
The old non-commissioned officer, who approached the officer during his story, silently waited for the end of his superior's speech; but at this point he, obviously dissatisfied with the words of the officer, interrupted him.
“You have to go for tours,” he said sternly.
The officer seemed to be embarrassed, as if he realized that one could think about how many people would be missing tomorrow, but one should not talk about it.
“Well, yes, send the third company again,” the officer said hastily.
“And what are you, not one of the doctors?”
“No, I am,” Pierre answered. And Pierre went downhill again past the militia.
- Ah, the damned! - said the officer following him, pinching his nose and running past the workers.
- There they are! .. They are carrying, they are coming ... There they are ... now they will come in ... - suddenly voices were heard, and officers, soldiers and militias ran forward along the road.
A church procession rose from under the mountain from Borodino. Ahead of all, along the dusty road, the infantry marched harmoniously with their shakos removed and their guns lowered down. Church singing was heard behind the infantry.
Overtaking Pierre, without hats, soldiers and militias ran towards the marchers.
- They carry mother! Intercessor! .. Iberian! ..
“Mother of Smolensk,” corrected another.
The militia - both those who were in the village and those who worked on the battery - having thrown their shovels, ran towards the church procession. Behind the battalion, which was marching along the dusty road, were priests in robes, one old man in a klobuk with a clergy and singers. Behind them, soldiers and officers carried a large icon with a black face in salary. It was an icon taken from Smolensk and since that time carried by the army. Behind the icon, around it, in front of it, from all sides they walked, ran and bowed to the ground with bare heads of a crowd of soldiers.
Having ascended the mountain, the icon stopped; the people holding the icon on towels changed, the deacons lit the censer again, and a prayer service began. The hot rays of the sun beat down sheer from above; a weak, fresh breeze played with the hair of open heads and the ribbons with which the icon was removed; the singing resounded softly in the open air. A huge crowd with open heads of officers, soldiers, militias surrounded the icon. Behind the priest and the deacon, in the cleared place, stood officials. One bald general with George around his neck stood right behind the priest and, without crossing himself (obviously a German), patiently waited for the end of the prayer service, which he considered it necessary to listen to, probably to excite the patriotism of the Russian people. Another general stood in a warlike pose and shook his hand in front of his chest, looking around him. Between this official circle, Pierre, standing in a crowd of peasants, recognized some acquaintances; but he did not look at them: all his attention was absorbed by the serious expression on the faces of this crowd of soldiers and militants, monotonously greedily looking at the icon. As soon as the tired deacons (who sang the twentieth prayer service) began to lazily and habitually sing: “Save your servant from troubles, the Mother of God,” and the priest and deacon picked up: “For we all come running to you, like an indestructible wall and intercession,” - at all faces flashed again the same expression of consciousness of the solemnity of the coming minute, which he saw under the mountain in Mozhaisk and in fits and starts on many, many faces he met that morning; and more often heads drooped, hair was shaken, and sighs and blows of crosses on the breasts were heard.
The crowd surrounding the icon suddenly opened up and pressed Pierre. Someone, probably a very important person, judging by the haste with which they shunned him, approached the icon.

The Hippodrome of Constantinople (Great Hippodrome or the Great Circus) was not only one of the most grandiose structures of Constantinople, but also the center of the social and political life of the capital of the empire.

In addition to chariot races and various spectacles, imperial decrees and other orders of the authorities were announced here, triumphal processions and festivities were held. Sports and political passions boiled here, the “green” and “blue” parties (so named for the color of the charioteers’ robes) were at enmity with each other, and sometimes popular uprisings broke out, the most famous of which (the Nika uprising!) occurred in 532 and barely was not worth the throne to Emperor Justinian.

The monumental stone hippodrome was built in Byzantium under the emperor Septimius Severus in 203 (before that, a modest wooden hippodrome had existed in its place), then it was rebuilt several times. A large-scale reconstruction of the hippodrome was undertaken by Constantine the Great in 324-330, after the transfer of the capital of the Roman Empire from Rome to Constantinople.

According to its design, the hippodrome was a rectangular sandy arena more than 400 meters long and about 120 meters wide, which was surrounded on three sides by Sfenda - spectator stands located in a semicircular amphitheater resembling an elongated horseshoe in shape.

Sfenda consisted of 16 (according to other sources - 30) rising rows of marble benches, above which a podium rose - a through covered portico, the roof of which rested on two rows of eight-meter columns topped with Corinthian capitals. The gaps between the columns were decorated with statues taken from all over the empire. On hot or rainy days, a fabric awning was pulled over the stands.

Hippodrome of Constantinople (modern reconstruction, unfortunately, not very accurate)

The fourth side of the arena was closed by Kathisma - a large building with lodges for dignitaries and an imperial tribune, which was connected by a covered passage to the nearby Grand Imperial Palace. The kathisma was crowned with a bronze Quadriga (four horses), taken from Greece, which was considered the creation of the great sculptor Lysippus. After the capture of Constantinople by the crusaders in 1204, Quadriga was transported to Venice and installed above the central portal of the Cathedral of San Marco.

Quadriga from the Hippodrome of Constantinople (currently located in the Museum of San Marco, and a copy has been installed in its place)

Under the imperial tribune, on a special balcony, the musicians were located, and even lower were the gates through which the chariots entered the arena.

The relief of the pedestal of the obelisk of Theodosius I with the image of the emperor on the podium of the hippodrome. In his hand he holds a wreath with which the winner of the competition was crowned.

Kathisma. Capital in the form of four pegasi. Parian marble. 203 year. Istanbul Archaeological Museum.

In the center of the arena, a low stone separating barrier (Spina) 10 meters wide, richly decorated with obelisks, statues and columns, crossed.

Ivory diptych depicting chariot races at the hippodrome. The lower part of the diptych depicts a back with an obelisk mounted on it.

By the beginning of the reign of Justinian I the Great (527-565), the hippodrome was expanded by adding wooden stands to replace the spans of the portico that had collapsed during earthquakes. Now it could accommodate up to 60 thousand spectators (according to other estimates: up to 120 thousand spectators).

The Hippodrome of Constantinople amazed the eyewitnesses with its size and splendor. A description of the hippodrome made by Robert de Clary, a member of the Fourth Crusade, is known: “... And in another place of the city there was another miracle: near the Lion's Mouth Palace there was a square called the Emperor's Playground. And this area was extended in length by one and a half shots from a crossbow, and in width - by almost one shot; and around this square there were 30 or 40 steps, where the Greeks climbed to look at the stadium; and above these steps there was a very spacious and very beautiful box, where, when the competitions were going on, the emperor and the empress and other noble men and ladies sat. And when competitions were arranged, there were two of them at once, and the emperor and the empress bet who would win in which of the two, and everyone who looked at the lists also bet. Along this square was a wall that was a good 15 feet high and 10 wide; and on top of this wall were the figures of both men and women, and horses, and bulls, and camels, and bears, and lions, and many other animals, cast in copper. And they were all so well made and so naturally sculpted that neither in pagan countries nor in the Christian world can one find such a skilled craftsman who could imagine and cast the figures so well as these were cast. Once they used to move by the power of magic, as if playfully, but now they no longer play; and the French looked at this imperial Playground as a miracle when they saw it.

Fresco of the Cathedral of St. Sophia in Kiev, depicting the kathisma (imperial box) of the Constantinople hippodrome

The hippodrome was badly damaged during the Latin occupation (1204-1261), and after the capture of Constantinople by the Turks in 1453, the conquerors turned it into a quarry. The once majestic building was literally wiped off the face of the earth. Currently, the remains of the hippodrome are at a depth of four meters from the ground level. Only the ruins of the southwestern part of the sfenda are accessible for inspection.

Hippodrome in the 15th century Engraving from the book Onofrio Panvinio "De ludis circensibus" (Venice, 1600)

Also. In large size (2000 x 1286)


Hippodrome square in a 16th-century Turkish miniature

Hippodrome square in a 19th century engraving. The Turks called it At-Meydan, which means "Square of horses"

Of the sculptures and architectural structures that adorned the hippodrome, only the Quadriga (located in Venice), the Obelisk of Theodosius, the Obelisk of Constantine and the Serpent Column have survived.

The Obelisk of Theodosius is an obelisk of Pharaoh Thutmose III - a pink granite monolith brought by Theodosius I the Great from the Egyptian city of Heliopolis, placed on a massive base of 2 stone blocks decorated with bas-reliefs.

Obelisk of Theodosius

Theodosius obelisk base

The obelisk of Constantine was erected by Constantine VII Porphyrogenic (911-959) in honor of his grandfather, Emperor Basil I (866-886). The 25-meter sandstone obelisk, lined with sheets of gilded bronze, was also called the "Golden Column" (the crusaders tore off the bronze sheets of the lining).

Obelisk of Constantine. Fragment of a drawing from 1575

The bronze Serpent Column, depicting coiled snakes, was brought from Delphi by Emperor Constantine the Great, cast in 478 BC. in honor of the victory of the Greeks over the Persians (it has an inscription with a list of Greek cities that took part in the battle of Plataea).

About the Serpent Column, on which the golden tripod once stood, Herodotus says: “When the booty was collected (after the battle of Plataea), the Hellenes separated a tenth of the Delphic god (Apollo). From this tithe, a golden tripod was also made, which stands in Delphi on a three-headed copper snake directly at the altar ”(IX, 81).

Serpent Column at Delphi. 5th c. BC. Reconstruction


Base of the Serpent Column at Delphi. Current state. Restoration

The Serpent Column is the oldest monument in Istanbul. The upper part of the column with snake heads has been lost. A preserved fragment of one of the snake heads is kept in the Istanbul Archaeological Museum.

Serpentine Column (in the background - the obelisk of Theodosius)

Proclamation of the emperor at the hippodrome. Bulgarian copy of the Chronicle of Constantine Manasses. 14th century

Sultan Suleiman I passes through the ruins of the hippodrome. Engraving from 1533.
The image is highly authentic (with the exception of fantastic figures on the sides). In the center is the Obelisk of Theodosius, to the right of it are the Serpent Column and the Obelisk of Constantine. In addition, the engraving (on the right) shows unpreserved initiatory columns and a part of the sfenda with a towering portico of the podium (the proportions are somewhat violated).

Choosing a place to stay is not an easy task. In order to find the most suitable option, you need to be interested in the history and climate features of different parts of the world. But there are also win-win offers. For example, a metropolis on two continents. Istanbul is a city that over time has become almost entirely Muslim. There are many, but the fact that many centuries ago the capital of the Byzantine Empire, Constantinople, stood in its place, is only reminiscent of some surviving Christian shrines and objects such as, for example, the mosaic museum on the site of the Grand Imperial Palace or.

It is up to you to choose where to go, but remember that in any case, a vacation in Istanbul will bring positive emotions and allow you to learn a lot of new things.

Grand Palace in Istanbul - history

Grand Imperial Palace in Constantinople (tour. Buyuk Saray)- the main residence of the Byzantine emperors and the symbolic center of the empire from Constantine the Great to Alexy I. It performed its main function for eight hundred years, and all this time it was subjected to reconstruction. At first, under Constantine the Great in the 4th century, the core of the palace complex was built Daphne's palace. It resembled several other similar imperial buildings built during the Tetrarchy period.

The second period in the development of the Grand Imperial Palace is the 6th century, the reign of Justinian I and Justin II. After the uprising of Nika in 532, Justinian was forced to rebuild the buildings that had suffered as a result of the unrest, and this entailed the rebuilding of the northern side of the palace. Justin II is credited erection of the Chrysotriklinos throne room, whose magnificent decoration was completed under Tiberius (578-582). Chrysotriklinos became the new ceremonial hall of the palace. The same emperor built two more halls near Chrysotriklinos and a wall on the south side of the palace.

The next important stage in the history of the Grand Palace dates back to the time of the iconoclast emperor Theophilus (829-842) and continued under Michael II, Basil I and Leo VI. Under Basil I appeared five-domed church of Nea Ekklesia. Among his ideas were also two new halls:

• Kainourgion
• and Pentakoubiklon.

As well as big court Tzykanisterion. Leo VI is credited with building baths. Later, the volume of construction within the Great Palace of Constantinople became much less. Under Nicephorus II Fock (963-969), another line of defensive walls.

Alexy I Komnenos (1081-1118) transferred the imperial residence. Nevertheless, some ceremonies continued to be held in the Grand Palace. There are even new buildings. So under Manuel I (1143-1180) they erected two halls:

• Manuelites
• and Mouchroutas. Mouchroutas was made by a Persian architect and was decorated with murals and gilded ceilings.

In 1204-1261. The Grand Palace was also used, but was robbed as a result. Palaiologists (1261-1453) did not attempt to restore the slowly crumbling complex. In 1489-1490. gunpowder stored there exploded, this led to the disappearance of most of the palace buildings.

The famous mosaics of the Grand Palace were found during excavations in 1933 on the territory. Later in the 1950s, after new archaeological finds of this kind, it was decided to build a Mosaic Museum (tur. Mozaik Müzesi). In 1987, instead of the old unreliable wooden museum building, a more modern one appeared, which was modernized in 2012. At the moment, the object is subordinate to the museum.

Grand Palace - description

Great Palace of Constantinople, also known as sacred palace, was the Byzantine counterpart, located in. It is a large complex of buildings with gardens overlooking the Sea of ​​Marmara. The palace was located almost on a trapezoidal area, the size of six hundred

N meters per half kilometer. In the west of the complex was the Hippodrome, in the north - the Senate.

Due to scarce archaeological data, the constituent parts of the palace complex have been studied, the largest of which is a hall with magnificent floor mosaics. In terms of its scale, the Grand Palace resembled a city with numerous buildings, ports, boulevards, terraces, ramps and stairs, gardens, and fountains. As already mentioned, the entire western side of the Grand Palace went to the Hippodrome, so there were so-called kathismas with an imperial box to watch the races.

The palace had:

• seven peristyles (canopy),
• eight courtyards,
• four churches,
• nine chapels,
• nine chapels (baptisteries),
• four guardhouses,
• three large galleries,
• five reception rooms,
• three canteens,
• ten chambers for members of the imperial house,
• seven secondary galleries,
• three lanes,
• libraries,
• arsenal,
• open terraces,
• arena,
• two baths,
• eight separate palaces,
• gardens and harbours.

At the Mosaic Museum in Istanbul, there is a collection of finds discovered during the excavations of the Grand Palace. Today, wall decorations from the era of the Byzantine emperor Justinian I are placed there. They were found by British archaeologists from the Scottish University of St. Andrews. These exhibits represent the largest and most beautiful example of late antiquity landscape mosaics. The exceptional workmanship probably indicates that it was made in the imperial workshop, where the best artisans from all over the Byzantine Empire worked. It is estimated that about 40,000 different cubes were required to create one square meter of such beauty.

The museum has about nine dozen different mosaics. They depict scenes from people's lives, mythological scenes.

Where was the Grand Palace in Istanbul and how to get to the Mosaic Museum

The Grand Palace was located in the historical center of modern Istanbul, v, near Sultanahmet Square in Istanbul, on bazaar of Arasta.