Category: Religious
Type: Church / Mosque
Location: Mesih Paşa, Ordu Ave. Beyazıt, Fatih
Date: 10th Century / 1500
Designer: Unknown
Period: Eastern Roman Empire / Ottoman Empire
Photos: Kaan Çorbacı
The Bodrum Mosque, originally established as the Myrelaion Monastery, stands as a prime example of mid-Byzantine architecture in the Laleli district of Istanbul. Built around 920 AD by Emperor Romanos I Lekapenos, the church was designed as a private burial site for the imperial family and was part of a grand palace complex. Architecturally, it is celebrated as one of the earliest and most refined examples of the cross-in-square plan, featuring a compact structure supported by four central columns and topped by a graceful dome. Interestingly, the church was constructed atop a massive 5th-century rotunda, which was converted into a vaulted substructure to provide a level foundation on the city’s hilly terrain. Following the Ottoman conquest, the building was converted into a mosque in the late 15th century by Mesih Pasha, eventually earning the name Bodrum—meaning cellar or basement—due to the vast subterranean ruins and cistern located directly beneath the prayer hall.
