The Antiquities of Constantinople: With a Description of Its Situation, the Conveniencies of Its Port, Its Publick Buildings, the Statuary, Sculpture, Architecture, and Other Curiosities of That CityGilles, Pierre
History
The Antiquities of Constantinople: With a Description of Its Situation, the Conveniencies of Its Port, Its Publick Buildings, the Statuary, Sculpture, Architecture, and Other Curiosities of That City
Gilles, Pierre
Istanbul (Turkey) -- Antiquities; Istanbul (Turkey) -- Description and travel; Turkey -- Antiquities
I shall take no Notice of the Statue of _Themistius_ the Philosopher,
plac’d near the _Forum_ of _Constantine_, whom _Valentinian_ had
dignified with the Title of _Prefect_ of the City, and to whom the
Emperor _Valens_ had done more Honour by his Writings, than any
Statue or high Station whatsoever. _Socrates_ gives us the following
Account of the Death of _Arius_, the Ring-leader of the Sect of the
_Arians_. _Arius_, says he, when he had made his Appearance before
_Constantine the Great_, at his coming out of the Palace, attended
by the Life-Guards, of which _Eusebius_ was Commander, and passing
thro’ the City, gaz’d at by Crowds of People; when he came near the
_Porphyry_ Pillar in the _Forum_ of _Constantine_, and being informed
upon Enquiry, where there was a Privy, he repairs thither under a
strange Terror and Despondency of Mind, where being oppressed with an
uncommon falling of the Bowels, his strait Gut fell from him, which
was followed by a large Effusion of Blood, which brought away his
small Guts, his Liver, and his Spleen, so that he died instantly. The
same Author adds, that this Privy was standing in his Time. There is
nothing however remaining at present in the _Forum_ of _Constantine_,
but the _Porphyry_ Pillar, for the Ground of it is wholly rebuilt
upon. Near the Pillar there stands a _Caravansera_, or a Place built
for the Entertainment of Strangers; and near that, a _Turkish_ Mosque,
built by _Hali Bassa_, the _Vestibule_ or Porch of which is large,
made of Marble, and adorned with six shining Pillars, four of white,
and two of _Thebaick_ Marble; the Shafts of which measure at the
bottom of them seven Foot and four Digits in Circumference. These,
tho’ they are very tall Columns, have each of them, according to the
_Turkish_ Manner, two _Bases_; the lowermost of which was Marble, and
the other Brass. This Way of Building they learned from the _Greeks_,
who generally raised their _Pedestals_ with a very high _Cornice_.
Not far from this Mosque there stands a School, or College, inhabited
by the Professors of the _Mahometan_ Divinity. There’s a quadrangular
_Portico_ runs round it, which is supported with eighteen Pillars,
Part of which consist of green, and Part of white Marble. A little
below that of _Ali-Bassa_ stands another Mosque. ’Tis seated on the
highest Eminence of the second Valley, and has a Marble _Vestibule_,
adorned with six Columns; two of which are made of _Porphyry_ Marble
variegated, two of white Marble with Sky coloured Streaks, and two of
a dark green Marble stained with White. From some Things, which, as I
remarked before, stood on the second Hill, you discover the Situation
of Part of the third _Ward_, (in which was built the Tribunal of the
_Forum_ of _Constantine_) and almost all the fifth and sixth _Ward_. I
would observe also in this Place, that _Dionysius_ places the Temples
of _Tellus_, _Ceres_, _Proserpina_, _Juno_ and _Pluto_, partly on
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