Monastery of the Transfiguration, Kinaliada

The Monastery of the Transfiguration, known locally as Hristo [Christ] Monastery, is a prominent Greek Orthodox monastery that has served the Greek Orthodox community of Constantinople (modern Istanbul) since the time of the Byzantine Empire. The monastery is located on the island of Kınalıada, one of the Prince Islands in the Sea of Marmara. 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.

It is believed that the Byzantine Emperor Leo V the Armenian was the first buried in what would later be the Monastery after his exile to the Prince Islands.

However, it is widely considered that the Monastery was built for the exiled Byzantine Emperor Romanos IV Diogenes (r. 1068–1071) some centuries later. After his defeat at the Battle of Manzikert in 1071, the Byzantine Emperor had his eyes gouged out and sent to exile on the island of Proti (now Kınalıada) where he spent his time in exile at the Monastery. The island of Proti was among the small island group located near Constantinople, in the Sea of Marmara...