Philadelphion

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The statue of the Tetrarchs used to decorate the entrance to the Philadelphion

The Philadelphion was located in Constantinople. After passing the Forum of Theodosius, the Mese street branched into two streets. One ran towards the quarter of today Yedikule via the quarters of Aksaray and Cerrahpaşa. The other passed through the quarters of Şezadebaşı and Fatih to the quarter of Edirnekapı (formerly the Gate of Polyandrion). A small space was formed where the road divided. The space was thought to be the physical centre, or mesomphalos, of the city.

Statues of Augustus and Caesar (the so-called Tetrarchs) in act of embracing were supposed to be placed on the shafts of two columns standing next to each other. Other statues also stood there. This was one of the squares where imperial processional ceremonies were performed. The square existed intact until the 8th century CE. The statues of the Tetrachs were plundered during the Fourth Crusade and brought to Venice, the mastermind behind the conquest.

As of today there are no plans to have the statues of the Tetrarchs restituted to Istanbul.