Though only a shell these days, the remnants of this Byzantine palace give a good idea of how it would have looked in its heyday. Built in the late 13th or early 14th century, the large three-storied structure may have been an annex of the nearby imperial Palace of Blachernae, of which few traces exist today.
The building's later uses were not so regal: after the Conquest it functioned in turn as a menagerie for exotic wild animals, a brothel, a poorhouse for destitute Jews and a pottery.
The structure was undergoing restoration works at the time of research. When these are completed an entry fee may be levied.
