İMRAHOR İLYAS BEY
MOSQUE MONASTERY OF STOUDIOS
HAGIOS IOANNES PRODROMOS BASILICA

Monastery of Stoudios located in Yedikule vicinity is one of the oldest buildings of East-Roman period in İstanbul. During the period of Emperor Leon I (457-474), East Consul Stoudios had built a church for the sake of Ionnes Prodromos (John the Baptist) on a land of his own property and added a great monastery alongside. The monastery and the church had been called with Stoudios, the name of the founder. It had been utilized as a religious center in East-Roman period; the famous patriarchs of the time were raised from here.

Due to the increase in Turkish population in the city after the conquest of İstanbul in 1453, this idle building had been transformed into a mosque. During Sultan Bayezid II period, the mosque had been denominated with the name of İmrahor İlyas Bey who had devoted the structure in 1486. The building is one of the important mosques of the Turkish era. It had been used as a hermitage afterwards. The building is significant since it has the architectural characteristics of early Christianity era. It is currently an organizational unit of Hagia Sophia Museum Directorate and not available for visiting.