1,900-year-old statue discovered in Istanbul

Fatma Aksu- ISTANBUL

Teams from Istanbul Municipality have discovered a statue from the Roman period, estimated to be 1,900 years old, in the area of the Saint Polyeuktos Church in Saraçhane that was destroyed during the Latin occupation.

The teams from Istanbul Municipality’s Cultural Heritage Department initiated an excavation work in the area where the church was destroyed on June 8 last year.

During the ongoing efforts on the north side of the church, a statue was discovered when the team went down 1 meter below the ground on March 31. At the end of the excavation, the statue was completely unearthed.

Describing the discovery as a “surprising development,” the team stated that the head, legs and right arm of the marble statue were broken.

It is estimated that the state is from the Roman period and is nearly 1,900 years old.

During the excavation carried out under the supervision of the Istanbul Archaeological Museums, apart from the statue, the teams also found 681 bronze coins, stamped bricks, marble pieces, ceramics, oil lamps, glass and metal artifacts.

The giant church that was built in the name of Saint Polyeuktos in today’s Saraçhane region in 524 A.D. by a Byzantine princess was partly damaged in a quake in 1010.

However, during the Latin invasion of Istanbul, the church was completely destroyed, and its valuable parts were taken to Venice and Barcelona.

As initially the Istanbul Archeological Museum and Oxford University carried out a joint project to excavate the area of the church in 1964, the teams managed to determine the plan and decoration of the church, but no artifacts were found.

After the excavations, the area where the church was located has been remained idle until the second excavation initiative of the municipality.

In the meantime, the heritage teams also restored the 1,500-year-old cistern in historical Gülhane Park.

Along with the Gülhane Park Cistern, the historical fountain next to it was also restored and supplied with water.

The baroque-style fountain began to serve those who visit the park.

The teams prepared the inside of the cistern, which they equipped with a lighting system, for different activities such as interviews or concerts.