Boukoleon: The Magnificent Palace of Byzantine Emperors is Being Restored

The palace operation successful 1850. Public Domain

The Boukoleon Palace (also spelled Bucoleon), presently being restored, was 1 of the astir historically important Byzantine palaces successful Constantinople (modern Istanbul), serving arsenic a important portion of the monolithic imperial residential analyzable known arsenic the Great Palace.

It served arsenic the summertime palace and 1 of the main imperial residences for Byzantine emperors, peculiarly from the 9th to the 11th centuries, earlier the tribunal permanently moved to the Palace of Blachernae. It besides housed the Byzantine imperial regalia and ineffable relics.

It was strategically located connected the confederate broadside of the city, built straight on the Sea of Marmara (Propontis) shoreline, southbound of the Great Palace and the Hippodrome. Its presumption connected the oversea walls gave it a stunning façade overlooking the water.

A photograph taken during the restoration process, October 2022. Credit: Daniel J. Rodriguez , CC BY-SA 4.0/Wikipedia

Boukoleon Palace means “bull-lion” successful Greek

The palace takes its sanction from a ample marble sculpture (or possibly 2 abstracted sculptures) that erstwhile stood astatine its backstage harbor, depicting a bull and a lion. The sanction Boukoleon virtually means “bull-lion” successful Greek.

One of the chromatic lions astatine the entranceway to the Bukoleon harbor, contiguous astatine the Istanbul Archaeological Museums. Public Domain

The archetypal gathering signifier is often attributed to Emperor Theodosius II successful the 5th period AD. It was extensively rebuilt and expanded by Emperor Theophilos (829–842) and fortified by Emperor Nikephoros II Phokas (963–969), who made it his superior residence.

The Palace was seized by Boniface of Montferrat

In 1204, during the Fourth Crusade’s sack of Constantinople, the palace was famously seized by Boniface of Montferrat, who recovered large treasures and galore Byzantine noblewomen who had fled there.

Montferrat “rode each on the enactment to the palace of Bukoleon, and erstwhile helium arrived determination it surrendered, connected information that the lives of each therein should beryllium spared. At Bukoleon were recovered the larger fig of the large ladies who had fled to the castle, for determination were recovered the sister of the King of France, who had been empress, and the sister of the King of Hungary, who had besides been empress, and different ladies precise many. Of the treasure that was recovered successful that palace I cannot good speak, for determination was truthful overmuch that it was beyond extremity oregon counting.” (Villehardouin)

Among the prizes, then, was Empress Margaret, girl of Bela III of Hungary, whom Boniface married. During the consequent Latin Empire (1204–1261), the Bukoleon continued to beryllium utilized arsenic an imperial residence.

After the recapture of the metropolis by Michael VIII Palaiologos, however, the palace, on with the full Great Palace complex, was gradually abandoned successful favour of the Blachernae Palace. It fell into ruin, a authorities successful which the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II recovered it upon entering the metropolis successful 1453.

Today, lone the awesome seaward façade of the palace, featuring 3 ample marble-framed windows and a gallery, remains visible, a almighty ruin incorporated into the aged oversea walls of Istanbul.

Related: Constantinople: The Greek Settlement That Became the World’s Greatest City