Gate of St. Romanus

The Gate of St. Roman, now Topkapi ("Cannon Gate"), is a gate, still preserved, of the walls of the city of Constantinople (now Istanbul), which was built in the 5th century by the prefect of the praetorian guard Antemio, regent of Emperor Theodosius II.

Design and defensive features

Like the other gates of the city walls (the Belgrade Gate is particularly well preserved) it is a double entrance that crosses the double enclosure of which the Theodosian walls are made, with an interior courtyard bordered by transverse walls (peribolos). The inner wall gate was the most important and was flanked by two high towers, from which, thanks to their height, it was also possible to protect the entrance placed in the outer wall. The towers were similar to those found along the entire length of the walls; their position allowed the defenders to protect the innermost entrance from the fire of enemy archers.​

The outer entrance, on the other hand, was quite modest, a simple arched door newly raised above the level of the outer wall.

History

The gate suffered severe devastation during the siege of Constantinople in 1453, during which one of the towers of the innermost entrance collapsed.​​ This was probably the place where the last Byzantine emperor, Constantine XI Palaiologos, died during the siege, engaged in the defense of what was considered the weakest point of the city's defenses.​​

In addition, many of the battlements of the walls were missing and the transverse walls that enclose the peribolos were also poorly preserved. The gate was affected by the restoration works carried out since 2005 by the Turkish government for all Byzantine-period architecture of Istanbul.