Fatih MosqueThe Directorate General of Cultural Assets and Museums of Türkiye
The porphyry sarcophagi of the Eastern Roman Emperors were once housed in the Church of the Holy Apostles, which is now the site of the Fatih Mosque in Istanbul.
The church, which was used as a burial place for emperors until 1028, is thought to have been built by Constantine the Great.
By the order of Mehmed the Conqueror, the Fatih Mosque Complex was built in place of the church, which had been damaged before the conquest.
It is thought that Mehmed the Conqueror transferred the porphyry emperor sarcophagi found here to the gardens of the Topkapi Palace, where he also preserved the valuable Eastern Roman sculpture collection.
Hagia EireneThe Directorate General of Cultural Assets and Museums of Türkiye
Three porphyry sarcophagi and a lid exhibited in the Istanbul Archaeology Museums were brought from the Topkapi Palace to the Hagia Eirene, which was used as a museum at the time, during the reign of Sultan Abdülmecid. They were then moved to the Istanbul Archaeological Museums.
Topkapı Palace (1949)The Directorate General of Cultural Assets and Museums of Türkiye
Two of the sarcophagi did not have their lids when they were moved from the palace, but it was known that these lids were under a plane tree in the garden. In 1917, upon the Sultan's order, these lids were removed from the roots of the tree and placed on the sarcophagi they belonged to.
A Fragment from a Porphyry SarcophagusThe Directorate General of Cultural Assets and Museums of Türkiye
Porphyry, a type of stone that is difficult to process, is one of the most important types of marble used in the Early Eastern Roman Period.
Porphyry quarries are only found in a mountainous region in the east of Egypt, known as Mons Porphyrites, between the Nile and the Red Sea.
The Interior of Hagia SophiaThe Directorate General of Cultural Assets and Museums of Türkiye
Throughout antiquity, purple was considered the color of royalty and nobility, and its use continued in the Roman and Eastern Roman Periods.
Hagia Sophia and Column of Constantine (Çemberlitaş)The Directorate General of Cultural Assets and Museums of Türkiye
For this reason, purple porphyry was also used in buildings such as Hagia Sophia, Çemberlitaş (Constantine's Column) and sarcophagi built for the imperial family.
Eastern Roman Imperial Sarcophagus (3154 T)The Directorate General of Cultural Assets and Museums of Türkiye
The title of porphyrogennetos (born in the purple) refers specifically to individuals born legitimately to a reigning emperor. According to tradition, emperors born in the purple were also buried in porphyry; thus, birth and death were associated with porphyry (purple).
Eastern Roman Imperial Sarcophagi in the Garden of Istanbul Archaeological MuseumsThe Directorate General of Cultural Assets and Museums of Türkiye
It is not clearly known which emperors the porphyry sarcophagi belonged to. According to historical sources, 9 Eastern Roman emperors were buried in porphyry sarcophagi between the 4th and 5th centuries.
Eastern Roman Imperial Sarcophagus (3156 T)The Directorate General of Cultural Assets and Museums of Türkiye
Sarcophagus Number 3156 T
The sarcophagus with a triangular-roofed lid has profiles on the lower part, while the surfaces are flat and undecorated. Only the pediment of the lid with corner acroteria is decorated with a ribbon-tied wreath of laurel leaves and a cross inside.
Eastern Roan Imperial Sarcophagus (3154 T)The Directorate General of Cultural Assets and Museums of Türkiye
Sarcophagus Number 3154 T
Like Sarcophagus 3156 T, it has a simple form. Above the horizontal arm of the cross on the pediment are the first and last Greek letters A and W, symbolizing the presence of Jesus from beginning to end.
Eastern Roman Imperial Sarcophagus (3155 T)The Directorate General of Cultural Assets and Museums of Türkiye
Sarcophagus Number 3155 T
The sarcophagus and its lid were unearthed separately in different periods during excavations carried out in the 2nd courtyard of Topkapı Palace. Since there are no religious symbols on the sarcophagus, it is thought that it may belong to Emperor Julian, who was a pagan believer of Roman descent.
Eastern Roman Imperial Sarcophagus (2391 T)The Directorate General of Cultural Assets and Museums of Türkiye
Sarcophagus Number 2391 T
The sarcophagus without a lid was found in Fatih, Kıztaşı, Istanbul.
The Lid of Eastern Roman Imperial Sarcophagus (3157 T)The Directorate General of Cultural Assets and Museums of Türkiye
Sarcophagus Number 3157 T
The cover of the porphyry sarcophagus, which only has a lid and no sarcophagus, has a ribbon-tied wreath of laurel leaves and a cross on the pediment. Under the horizontal arms of the cross are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, A and W, which symbolize the presence of Jesus from beginning to end.
A Fragment from a Porphyry SarcophagusThe Directorate General of Cultural Assets and Museums of Türkiye
Fragment of Sarcophagus Number 806
Eros figures are picking grape clusters in the midst of rinceaux. The fragment, found in Istanbul, is dated to the 4th century AD.
It is thought that it may belong to Constantine, as it is similar to the Constantina Sarcophagus, which is located in the Vatican Museums and belongs to Constantine's daughter.
Click here to read more on Istanbul Archeological Museums collection.
