The impressive column was erected in 330 AD by Constantine the Great to commemorate the transfer of the capital of the Roman Empire from the West to the East. It was built at the heart of the expansive area that was once occupied by the Forum of Constantine the Great. From then on, the ancient city of Byzantium would be reborn to become “Nova Roma'' and to celebrate the pivotal transition, the Emperor had a 35-meter-high porphyry column erected right in the centre of the forum. He also commissioned a statue that depicted him in the guise of Apollo, the sun god. This stood proudly at the top of the column gazing over the forum’s columned porticoes and other impressive statues. Such was the grandeur of the site that it has been compared to Bernini’s portico at St. Peter’s. Around it, important public buildings were located such as the Senate hall and the Praetorium.