Forum of Constantine

The Forum of Constantine was a Forum in the city of Constantinople.

History
The Forum of Constantine was built at the foundation of Constantinople immediately outside of the old city walls of Byzantium. It was circular in shape and had two monumental gates to the east and west. The Column of Constantine, which still stands upright and is known today in Turkish as Cemberlitas, was erected in the centre of the square.

The column was originally crowned with a statue of Constantine I, 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. The cross was removed by the Ottoman Turks after the fall of Constantinople in 1453.

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.