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Byzantine Monasteries in Istanbul
I am professional tour guide and in this tour i will introduce you byzantine art and history. Please feel free to ask if you any questions regarding this tour.
Meeting Point
At your hotel lobby
At your hotel Lobby
I will meet you up at ypur hotel lobby.
Tekfur Palace
The so-called Palace of the Porphyrogenitus (Turkish Tekfur Sarayı) was located in the region of Blachernai (modern Ayvansaray) in the northwestern corner of Byzantine Constantinople. Its name likely refers to the porphyrogenitus (“purple-born”) Constantine, son of Emperor Michael VIII (1259–1282). It was built on a hill above the Blachernai Palace, as a separate yet closely related complex. It opened as a museum in 2019 following a controversial reconstruction.
Chora Monastery (From Outside)
The Monastery of Christ at Chora (Μονή του Χριστού της Χώρα) was located in northwestern Byzantine Constantinople (modern Istanbul, Turkey) near Charisios Gate (Edirnekapı), south of the Palace of the Porphyrogenitus (Tekfur Sarayı). The well-preserved mosaics and frescoes of the surviving katholikon of the monastery are important examples of monumental art of the Late Byzantine period. After serving as a mosque (known as Kariye Mosque or Ali Pasha Kenise Mosque), it was converted into a museum in 1945 and is now included on the list of the Historic Areas of Istanbul of UNESCO World Heritage.
Theotokos Pammakaristos (From Outside)
The Monastery of the Theotokos Pammakaristos (Mother of God the All-Blessed), now Fethiye Mosque, was located on the fifth hill of Constantinople, in the modern neighborhood of Çarşamba. It is located south-east of Chora and Blachernai churches. It is a Middle Byzantine Church, founded during the Komnenian era, with late Byzantine additions, notable for its extensively decorated parekklesion.
Panagia Mouchliotissa
The Church of Panagia Mouchliotissa (Παναγία Μουχλιώτισσα), located in the district of Fener, is the only Byzantine church in the city that has continued to function as an Orthodox church. This church, which is also known as St. Mary of the Mongols, was a Middle Byzantine structure significantly altered during the Palaiologan and Ottoman eras.
Cistern of Aspar
The Cistern of Aspar (κινστέρνα του Άσπαρος) was a huge open-air water reservoir located on the Fifth Hill of Constantinople. It is now next to the Mosque of Sultan Selim. The cistern was built by the Patrician Aspar in 459. Aspar was an influential 5th century figure of Alan descent who served as magister militum and consul. By representing the power of the Germanic elements of the military, he dominated the Eastern court. Aspar helped secure the throne for Valentinian III and later did the same for Leo I. His influence was undercut by Leo’s alliance with Zeno, which eventually led to his execution in 471. While it is generally identified with the cistern that Aspar had built, it has also been identified with the Cistern of Bonus.
Fatih Mosque
Located in the middle of the historical peninsula of Istanbul in Fatih neighbourhood, the Fatih Mosque (Fatih Camii) is the mosque of Fatih Mosque Complex (Fatih Külliyesi) commissioned in 1463, ten years after the conquest of Constantinople by the Ottomans in 1453. The construction of the mosque lasted seven years and was finished in 1470. It was the Ottoman Sultan Mehmet II (Mehmet the Conqueror) who commissioned the mosque, therefore his name was given to the mosque as well as neighbourhood. In Turkish, Fatih means “the conqueror”.
Lunch at the local restaurant (extra)
We will have lunch in a local turkish hommade food restaurant
Pantokrator Monastery
The Monastery of Christ Pantokrator is located on the fourth hill of Constantinople overlooking the Golden Horn, east of the Church of the Holy Apostles and north of the Aqueduct of Valens. Built between 1118-1136, it was a large monastic complex with a hospital. It is possible that the nearby Şeyh Süleyman Mosque was once part of the complex, perhaps serving as its library. There are also several cisterns in the vicinity, including the prominent is Unkapanı Cistern. At one time it held more than a dozen tombs of Byzantine emperors.
Valens Aqueducts
The Aqueduct of Valens (Greek Ἀγωγὸς τοῦ ὕδατος) stretched across the valley east of the Church of the Holy Apostles between the Fourth and Third Hills of Constantinople. It dates to the late 4th century and was again used in the Ottoman era, when it was known as Bozdoğan Kemeri (“Aqueduct of the Grey Falcon”). The Aqueduct of Valens is not merely a bridge of arches, but an immense network that supplied Constantinople water for many centuries.
Church of St. Polyeuktos
The Church of St. Polyeuktos was a large church built by Anicia Juliana in the 520s. Built before Justinian’s major building program that included Hagia Sophia, it was one of the largest and most sumptuously decorated churches in Constantinople. It seems to have been abandoned by the 13th century and its ruins were discovered in 1960.
Theotokos Kyriotissa
The Church of Theotokos Kyriotissa (now Kalenderhane Mosque) is located near the east end of the Aqueduct of Valens in Constantinople. While it is a large Middle Byzantine church with a cross-in-square plan covered by a dome, it has a complex structural history, with several stages of building on the site, including a bath complex.
Monastery of the Myrelaion
The Monastery of Myrelaion (Bodrum Camii) was once located west of the Forum of Theodosius on the Mese in Constantinople. It is an important example of a cross-in-square plan from the Middle Byzantine era.
Monastery of Lips
The Monastery of Lips consists of two adjoined churches in the Lycus valley of Constantinople, southwest of the Church of the Holy Apostles. During the Ottoman Era, it became a mosque known as Fenari İsa Mosque. The north church, dedicated to Theotokos Panachrantos (the Immaculate Mother of God), was constructed in 907 under the auspices of Constantine Lips, while the south church, dedicated to Hagios Ioannes Prodromos (St. John the Forerunner), was built in the late thirteenth century by Empress Theodora (c. 1240-1303), wife of Michael VIII Palaiologos.
End of our tour
i will take you back to your hotel.
Ending Point
At your hotel lobby
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Inclusions & Exclusions
Entrance fees.
Professional guided tour in English.
Refreshments.
Lunch (10-20 USD)
Pick up and drop off services from centrally located hotels.(40 USD up to 4 pax)
Tour Important Information
If you are fan of Byzantine Art and civilization and want to know more about Byzantium Empire this tour is for you.
Istanbul is the capital of the Byzantium Empire that rocked the world from 4th to 15th centuries.
In this fabulous tour we take you in the trail of Byzantine Monasteries in Istanbul. This special walk covers most of the historical monasteries of Byzantine Constantinople. We see ruins of Byzantine churches, Byzantine stone houses, cisterns, dungeons, columns, palaces and lots of other things.
What we have in this tour:
- St. Polyeuktos Church ruins,
- Pantokrator Church,
- Aspar Cistern,
- Pammakristos Church (it is under renovation and only outdoor visit is possible)
- Visit the Chapel of St. John the Forerunner (it is under renovation and only outdoor visit is possible),
- The Monastery of St. Saviour in Chora, (it is under renovation and only outdoor visit is possible),
- Tekfur Palace,
- Fatih Mosque,
- Wednesday Market (only on Wednesday)
- Church of Saint Mary of the Mongols,
- Bodrum (Myrelaion ) Mosque
- Fenari Isa Mosque ( Lips Monastery),
- Kalenderhane Mosque ( Theotokos Kyriotissa Monastery)
Please note that it will be all day walking tour.
Important message from the guide
İ can guide you as much as i can according to your time patience.
Cancellation Policy
- Free cancellation - 8 days prior to meeting time
- 50% Refund - 3 to 7 days prior to meeting time
- No Refund - Within 2 day(s) prior to meeting time
