The cultured inhabitants of Constantinople
appreciated these works of art and took care of them. In giving a list
of the more important of the objects which went to the melting-pot,
Nicetas again and again urges that these works were destroyed by
barbarians who were ignorant of their value. Incapable of appreciating
either their historical interest or the value with which the labor of
the artist had endowed them, the crusaders knew only the value of the
metals of which they were composed.
The emperors had been buried within the precincts of the Church of the
Holy Apostles, the site of which was afterward chosen by Mahomet II
for the erection of the mosque now called by his name. Their tombs,
beginning with that of Justinian, were ransacked in the search for
treasure. It was not until the palaces of the nobles, the churches,
and the tombs had been plundered that the pious brigands turned their
attention to the statues, A colossal figure of Juno, which had been
brought from Samos, and which stood in the forum of Constantine, was
sent to the melting-pot. We may judge of its size from the fact that
four oxen were required to transport its head to the palace.
Pages:
259
260
261
262
263
264
265
266
267
268
269
270
271
272
273
274
275
276
277
278
279
280
281
282
283