The Myrelaion (Bodrum Camii) in Istanbul

the long version

This work is the first full publication of the Myrelaion, or Bodrum Camii, one of the two churches surviving from Constantinople from the seventh to the eleventh centuries, the private burial church built by Emperor Romanus I at the beginning of the tenth century, and a premier monument of Byzantine architecture. Combining architectural, archaeological, historical, and topographical evidence, Professor Striker confirms the identification of the Myrelaion with the Bodrum Camii, laying to rest scholarly doubts about this and about the structural unity of the church and the substructure on which it stands. Revealing the building to be of consummate quality and refinement of design, the author also shows that its design is the necessary solution to the topographical problems of the site. Based on the architectural survey and excavation carried out by the author in 1965-1966, the book presents a comprehensive description, analysis, and reconstruction of the building in its original state and examines its subsequent use, structural history, and the vicissitudes it has endured in the millennium following its construction. The book includes the architectural survey and graphic reconstructions and is accompanied by a report on the excavated pottery by John W. Hayes. -- Inside jacket flap.