The Monastery of the Transfiguration, known locally as Hristo

hrist In Norse mythology, a valkyrie (from Old Norse ''valkyrja'' "chooser of the fallen") is one of a host of female figures who decide who will die in battle. Selecting among half of those who die in battle (the other half go to the goddess Freyja's ...

Monastery, is a prominent

Greek Orthodox Greek Orthodox Church (, , ) is a term that can refer to any one of three classes of Christian Churches, each associated in some way with Greek Christianity, Levantine Arabic-speaking Christians or more broadly the rite used in the Eastern Rom ...

monastery that has served the Greek Orthodox community of

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

(modern

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

) since the time of the

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...

. The monastery is located on the island of

Kınalıada Kınalıada (Turkish language, Turkish for: Henna Island; , 'first', known classically in English as Prote) is the fourth smallest inhabited island in the Princes' Islands in the Sea of Marmara; near Istanbul, Turkey. It is also the closest o ...

, one of the

Prince Islands The Princes' Islands (; the word "princes" is plural, because the name means "Islands of the Princes", , ''Pringiponisia''), officially just Adalar (); alternatively the Princes' Archipelago; is an archipelago off the coast of Istanbul, Turkey, ...

in the

Sea of Marmara The Sea of Marmara, also known as the Sea of Marmora or the Marmara Sea, is a small inland sea entirely within the borders of Turkey. It links the Black Sea and the Aegean Sea via the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits, separating Turkey's E ...

. It is situated on one of the highest peaks on the island called Hristo Peak (93 meters), which is named after the Monastery. The Monastery is especially known as a destination for exiled Byzantine Emperors in the 11th century.

History

It is believed that the Byzantine Emperor

Leo V the Armenian Leo V the Armenian (, ''Léōn ho Arménios''; 775 – 25 December 820) was the Byzantine emperor from 813 to 820. He is chiefly remembered for ending the decade-long war with the First Bulgarian Empire, Bulgars, as well as initiating the second ...

was the first buried in what would later be the Monastery after his exile to the

. However, it is widely considered that the Monastery was built for the exiled Byzantine Emperor

Romanos IV Diogenes Romanos IV Diogenes (; – ) was Byzantine emperor from 1068 to 1071. Determined to halt the decline of the Byzantine military and to stop Turkish incursions into the empire, he is nevertheless best known for his defeat and capture in 1071 at ...

(r. 1068–1071) some centuries later. After his defeat at the

Battle of Manzikert The Battle of Manzikert or Malazgirt was fought between the Byzantine Empire and the Seljuk Empire on 26 August 1071 near Manzikert, Iberia (theme), Iberia (modern Malazgirt in Muş Province, Turkey). The decisive defeat of the Byzantine army ...

in 1071, the Byzantine Emperor had his eyes gouged out and sent to exile on the island of Proti (now

) where he spent his time in exile at the Monastery. The island of Proti was among the small island group located near

, in the Sea of Marmara. These islands would eventually be known as the

because of the many Byzantine princes exiled there. Romanos IV Diogenes spent the rest of his life on the island, dying from his wounds. It is believed that his body is buried not too far from the current

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian diaspora, Armenian communities around the ...

orphanage on the island. Not long after Romanos, Emperor

Nikephoros III Botaneiates Nikephoros III Botaneiates (; 1002–1081), Romanization of Greek, Latinized as Nicephorus III Botaniates, was Byzantine Empire, Byzantine List of Byzantine Emperors, Emperor from 7 January 1078 to 1 April 1081. He became a general du ...

(r. 1078–1081), was also exiled to the Monastery after he was forced to abdicate his throne. The Monastery has been repeatedly demolished and rebuilt. After the Ottoman

conquest of Constantinople The Fall of Constantinople, also known as the Conquest of Constantinople, was the capture of the capital of the Byzantine Empire by the Ottoman Empire. The city was captured on 29 May 1453 as part of the culmination of a 55-day siege which ha ...

, the Monastery fell into a ruinous state. In 1722, the Monastery underwent a major reconstruction by a group of wealthy Greek merchants from the island of

Chios Chios (; , traditionally known as Scio in English) is the fifth largest Greece, Greek list of islands of Greece, island, situated in the northern Aegean Sea, and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, tenth largest island in the Medi ...

, who were based in Constantinople. The restoration included the construction of a new ''

katholikon A ''katholikon'' or catholicon () or ''sobor'' () refers to one of three things in the Eastern Orthodox Church: * The cathedral of a diocese. * The major Church (building), church building (temple) of a monastery corresponding to a conventual ...

'' and a side chapel dedicated to Saint Paraskevi above the original Byzantine monastery. The Byzantine icons of the original monastery were transferred to the Greek Orthodox Church of Constantinople for preservation. In July 1998,

Bartholomew I Bartholomew (born Dimitrios Archontonis, 29 February 1940) is the current Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople since 1991. In accordance with his title, he is regarded as the ''primus inter pares'' (first among equals) in the Eastern Orthodox ...

, the

Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople The ecumenical patriarch of Constantinople () is the List of ecumenical patriarchs of Constantinople, archbishop of Constantinople and (first among equals) among the heads of the several autocephalous churches that comprise the Eastern Orthodox ...

, expressed his concerns regarding the deprivation of land belonging to the Monastery. The Turkish authorities have claimed that the Monastery, which serves as a camping ground and a summer vacationing house for children, is only entitled to the building itself.

Legacy

The bay located on the northern half of the island is called Manastır Bay, named after the Monastery. It is featured in many popular travel guides such as

Frommers Frommer's () is a travel guide book series created by Arthur Frommer in 1957. Frommer's has since expanded to include more than 350 guidebooks in 14 series, as well as other media including an eponymous radio show and a website. In 2017, the com ...

. The Monastery continues to attract many tourists.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Transfiguration, Kinaliada, Monastery of the Greek Orthodox churches in Istanbul 11th-century Eastern Orthodox church buildings Adalar