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TheGreat Palace of Constantinople (Greek:Μέγα Παλάτιον,Méga Palátion;Latin:Palatium Magnum), also known as theSacred Palace (Greek:Ἱερὸν Παλάτιον,Hieròn Palátion;Latin:Sacrum Palatium), was the large imperialByzantine palace complex located in the south-eastern end of the peninsula today making up theFatih district ofIstanbul (formerlyConstantinople), in modernTurkey. It served as the main imperial residence of theEastern Roman emperors until 1081 and was the centre of imperial administration for over 690 years. Only a few remnants and fragments of its foundations have survived into the present day.
WhenConstantine the Great refoundedByzantium as Constantinople in 330, he planned out a palace for himself. The palace was located between theHippodrome andHagia Sophia.
The complex of palaces was rebuilt and expanded several times during its history. Much of the complex was destroyed during theNika riots of 532 and was rebuilt lavishly by the emperorJustinian I. Further extensions and alterations were commissioned byJustinian II andBasil I. However, it had fallen into disrepair by the time ofConstantine VII, who ordered its renovation. From the early 11th century onwards emperors favoured thePalace of Blachernae as an imperial residence, though they continued to use the Great Palace as the primary administrative and ceremonial centre of the city. It declined substantially during the following century when parts of the complex were demolished or filled with rubble. During the sack of Constantinople by theFourth Crusade, the palace was plundered by the soldiers ofBoniface of Montferrat. Although the subsequentLatin emperors continued to use the palace complex, they lacked money for its maintenance. The last Latin emperor,Baldwin II, went as far as removing the lead roofs of the palace and selling them.
One of the biggest halls of the Great Palace known as the "Trullo hall" hostedThird Council of Constantinople, recognized as theecumenical council by both Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches andQuinisext Council or "Council in Trullo".
Consequently, when the city was retaken by the forces ofMichael VIII Palaiologos in 1261, the Great Palace was in disrepair. ThePalaiologos emperors largely abandoned it, ruling from Blachernae and using the vaults as a prison. WhenMehmed II entered the city in 1453, he found the palace ruined and abandoned. As he wandered its empty halls and pavilions, he allegedly whispered a quote from thePersian poetSaadi:[1]
The spider is curtain-bearer inthe palace of Chosroes,
The owl sounds the relief in the castle ofAfrasiyab.
Much of the palace was demolished in the general rebuilding of Constantinople in the early years of theOttoman era. The area was initially turned into housing with a number of small mosques before SultanAhmet I demolished the remnants of the Daphne and Kathisma Palaces to build theSultan Ahmed Mosque and its adjoining buildings. The site of the Great Palace began to be investigated in the late 19th century and an early 20th-century fire uncovered a section of the Great Palace. On this site prison cells, many large rooms, and possibly tombs were found.
Initial excavations were carried out by French archaeologists at the Palace of Manganae between 1921 and 1923. A much larger excavation was carried out by theUniversity of St Andrews in 1935 to 1938. Further excavations took place under the directorship ofDavid Talbot Rice from 1952 to 1954, which uncovered a section of one of the south-western buildings at the Arasta Bazaar. The archaeologists discovered a spectacular series of wall and floor mosaics which have been conserved in theGreat Palace Mosaic Museum.[2]
Excavations are continuing elsewhere, but so far, less than one quarter of the total area covered by the palace has been excavated; total excavation is not presently feasible as most of the palace currently lies underneath theSultan Ahmed Mosque and other Ottoman-era buildings.
The palace was located in the southeastern corner of the peninsula where Constantinople is situated, behind theHippodrome and theHagia Sophia. The palace is considered by scholars to have been a series of pavilions, much like theOttoman-eraTopkapı Palace that succeeded it. The total surface area of the Great Palace exceeded 200,000 square feet (19,000 m2). It stood on a steeply sloping hillside that descends nearly 33 metres (108 ft) from the Hippodrome to the shoreline, which necessitated the construction of large substructures and vaults. The palace complex occupied six distinct terraces descending to the shore.
The main entrance to the palace quarter was theChalke (Bronze) gate at theAugustaion. The Augustaion was located on the south side of the Hagia Sophia, and it was there that the city's main street, theMese ("Middle Street"), began. To the east of the square lay the Senate house or Palace ofMagnaura, where theUniversity was later housed, and to the west theMilion (the mile marker, from which all distances were measured), and the oldBaths of Zeuxippus.
Immediately behind the Chalke Gate, facing southwards, were the barracks of the palace guards, theScholae Palatinae. After the barracks stood the reception hall of the 19Accubita ("Nineteen Couches"), followed by thePalace of Daphne, in early Byzantine times the main imperial residence. It included the Octagon, the emperor's bedchamber. From the Daphne, a passage led directly to the imperial box (kathisma) in the Hippodrome. The main throne room was theChrysotriklinos, built byJustin II, and expanded and renovated byBasil I, with the palatine chapel of theTheotokos of the Pharos nearby. To its north lay the Triconchos palace, built by the emperorTheophilos and accessible through a semicircular antechamber known as the Sigma. To the east of the Triconchos lay the lavishly decoratedNea Ekklesia ("New Church"), built by Basil I, with five gilded domes. The church survived until after the Ottoman conquest. It was used as a gunpowder magazine and exploded when it was struck by lightning in 1490. Between the church and the sea walls lay thepolo field of theTzykanisterion.
Further to the south, detached from the main complex lay the seasidepalace of Bucoleon. It was built by Theophilos, incorporating parts of the sea walls, and used extensively until the 13th century, especially during theLatin Empire (1204–1261) whose Catholic emperors fromWestern Europe favoured the seaside palace. A seaward gate gave direct access to the imperial harbour of Bucoleon.
41°0′21″N28°58′38″E / 41.00583°N 28.97722°E /41.00583; 28.97722
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