How the Basilica Cistern Was Built: Workers, Vaults, and Scale

Quick take: A 6th-century mega-project — roughly 7,000 workers, brick vaults, spolia columns, and capacity near 80,000 m³ supplied the Great Palace.

Build Anatomy

• Foundations: compacted subgrade + lime mortar bedding.
• Walls: brick courses with waterproof plaster.
• Arches + vaults: interlocking rings for strength.
• Columns: spolia integration with custom bases.

Scale & Capacity

• Area: ~10,000 m².
• Columns: 336.
• Typical aisle spacing: ~4–5 m.

Visiting Like an Engineer

• Trace arch thrust lines from crown to column.
• Observe vault mortar joints — subtle curvature tells a story.

Bottom Line

The cistern is order and repetition turned into resilience — a monument to practical genius.