Great Sacred Palace
The Great Sacred Palace is the official residence of the Mesogeian monarch, located in the Alexandropolis, the nation's capital. The Great Sacred palace is a large imperial complex located in the center of the old city of Alexandropolis. The palace complex consists of three separate palaces, the Daphne Palace, Triconchos Palace, and Boukoleon Palace, and contains over 900 separate buildings, consisting of the lavishly furnished state apartments, the intimate private apartments of the Emperor and the Imperial family, the Gynaikeion (the emperor's harem), treasuries, chapels, bathhouses, a Palaestra and a gymnasia, several libraries, storerooms, quarters for the palace courtiers, eunuchs, servants, and guards, several courtyards, gardens, a zoo and one of the world's largest museums, spread over 72 hectares (180 acres). In total the palace has an estimated 4,100 rooms, 307 staircases, and 21 courtyards.
The palace originated in the 4th century AD and has been built and rebuilt over the last thousand years with each successive emperor adding their own constructions to the palace complex. As a result of the constant construction and rebuilding of the buildings in the palace complex the imperial palace is infamous for its stylistic clashes with the oldest sections of the palace built in the medieval Anatolian style clashing with the more modernist styles of Baroque, Rococo, and neoclassicism. In fact nowhere is this clash of artistic styles more profound then in the palace's lavishly decorated interior which features icons, mosaics, tapestries, paintings, domed chapels, hypostyle halls, ornamented vaulted ceilings, bathing pools, columns, and arches; all of which are drawn from different architectural styles.
History
Imperial Gate
The Imperial gate known as the Chalke gate is the main entrance into the Imperial palace with it serving as the point of entry to the First Courtyard. The Imperial Gate's name Chalke comes from the bronze tiles that were used on its roof. Currently the gate's interior is decorated with marble and mosaics. An icon of Christ was once suspended from the gate's roof, but it was removed during the Iconoclasm period in the medieval age.
Daphne Palace
The Daphne Palace is the largest and oldest section of the imperial palace complex, with portions of the ancient palace, dating back all the way to the 4th century AD. This portion of the imperial palace complex contains such notable buildings, as the palace barracks, palace kitchens, palace hospital, Outer Treasury, the Public Audience Chamber, the Chrysotriklinos, the Imperial Stables, the Covered Hippodrome, the Emperor's old parade apartments, Private Audience Chamber, the Accubita, the Inner Treasury, Miniature and Portrait Gallery, Imperial Privy Library, Dormitory of the Imperial Page, quarters of the Eunuchs, the Gynaikeion (imperial harem), the Church of the Virgin of the Pharos, a polo field, gardens, pavilions, kiosks, and terraces.
First Courtyard
The First Courtyard of the Daphne Imperial palace, commonly called the Parade court is surrounded by high walls is the largest palace courtyard, and serves a ceremonial function during official receptions because during the traditional triumph ceremony court officials and the palace guards line up here in their parade dress. Because the barracks of the Scholai are located on the grounds the Courtyard is often referred to as the court of the Scholai
Second Courtyard
The Second Courtyard is accessed through the Gate of Salutatio. The Gate of Salutatio is flanked by two large, pointed octagonal towers which once served as guardhouses. The Second Courtyard or Concilium Square is surrounded by the palace hospital, palace kitchens, barracks of the Candidati, imperial stables, the Covered Hippdrome, the Imperial Gynaikeion, the Outer Treasury, the Public Audience Chamber, and the Chrysotriklinos (the golden reception hall).
The Second courtyard is used as a gathering place for the palace courtiers.
Palace kitchens
The palace kitchens were originally constructed in the 4th century with much of the old palace, and were connected to the rest of the palace, but when a fire destroyed the palace kitchens in the 16th century it was decided that the rebuilt palace kitchens would be a separate building. The palace kitchens faces the Second Courtyard on one side and the palace walls on the other. Originally constructed to feed 4,000 people at one time, the kitchens now accommodates three times that number regularly. Presently there are close to 900 persons attached to the palace kitchens alone.
The palace kitchens consists of the main kitchens, beverages room, confectionery room, creamery, winery, tea room, storerooms, and rooms for the cooks, chefs, and servants attached to the palace kitchens. The palace kitchens contains quarters for the staff in addition to baths, a chapel, and palaestra and gymnasia.
Third Courtyard
The Gate of Charites, known as the Gate of Grace is the entrance into the inner Courtyard, known as the Third Courtyard. The name of the gate comes from all those passing through its gates needing the Emperor's permission to pass within it. Even the most senior government officials in the Mesogeian empire are only granted authorization to pass into the third courtyard on certain occasions, and then only under specified conditions.
The Third Courtyard known as the Inner Court, commonly called the heart of the palace features lush gardens, the private residence of the imperial family, and is surrounded by the Private Audience Chamber, the Accubita, the Inner Treasury, Miniature and Portrait Gallery, Imperial Privy Library, Dormitory of the Imperial Pages, quarters of the Eunuchs, the Gynaikeion, the Church of the Virgin of the Pharos.
One of the oldest surviving sections of the palace is the Octagon, the Imperial State bedchamber, the most exclusive section of the Imperial parade apartments. A passage of the Imperial Parade Apartments leads directly to the imperial box (kathisma) in the Hippodrome.
Private Audience Chamber
Located just behind the Gate of grace is the Private Audience Chamber. It was in this chamber during the middle ages where the Emperor would receive the petitions from honored persons. As a result of its special use, it became known as the chamber of petitions. Rectangular in shape, the private audience chamber is a kiosk surrounded by a colonnade of 22 decorative columns supporting the structures' roof. The building dates back to the 14th century having served as a meeting room for the emperor's Sacred Council.
The Private Audience Chamber's ceiling was painted with a blue hue and studded with golden constellations, while the walls of the chamber were inlaid with blue and white tiles. The chamber was further furnished with richly decorated mosaics on its floors and priceless carpets and rugs. The chamber was renovated in the 1800s after a fire that nearly burned the structure to the ground.
Gynaikeion
The Gynaikeion, the Imperial Harem of the Mesogeian emperor is located just behind the Private audience Chamber and surrounded by high walls. While the Imperial Palace is a world apart from the rest of Alexandropolis, the Gynaikeion is a world inside it. With over 500 rooms, at its heyday in the 17th century, several thousand women, children, and servants lived in the Imperial Harem. For several centuries the Gynaikeion was home to the Empress Dowager, Empress Consort, the consorts, and concubines of the Emperor; and the rest of his extended family, including the Emperor's children, and other relatives.
The Gynaikeion consists of a complex of buildings and structures connected through colonnaded passages and marble courtyards. As tradition this portion of the palace is off-limits to outsiders with permission granted only to the eunuchs, the Empress Dowager, members of the imperial family, the Empress Consort, as well as the other consorts and concubines of the Emperor
Access to the Imperial harem is gained through the Hall of Purity, a name given to the hall because only the pure could gain access to its inner chambers. Passing from the Hall of Purity one enters the Courtyard of the Eunuchs. The courtyard of the Eunuchs is surrounded by the dormitories of the eunuchs, and the apartments of the court ladies, as well as the quarters of the Chief Eunuch.
The dormitories of the palace eunuchs is three stories high and arranged around an inner courtyard, with most senior eunuchs having quarters on the ground floor while novice eunuchs were placed on the upper stories. The Chief Eunuch's quarters, taking up a portion of the Eunuch dormitories consists of a reception room, bedrooms and a bath
The Gynaikeion reception hall located at the other end of the Courtyard of the Eunuchs acts as the barrier between the palace eunuchs and the apartments belonging to the Emperor's family and concubines. The Gynaikeion reception hall, known as the hall of Diversion features a vaulted ceiling and domed roof. Serving as the largest reception hall in the Imperial harem it was the site of lavish entertainment in the harem.
It was here in the middle ages where the Emperor received his confidants, honored guests, his mother, his empress, consorts, and his children. Celebrations of festivals, anniversaries, and weddings often took place here when the Imperial family resided at the Daphne palace regularly.
Directly above the Chamber of Diversions is a gallery where the Emperor's consorts and concubines would sit and watch the Emperor's entertainments in lavish seclusion. The Chamber of Diversions is connected by passages to the old apartments of the Emperor, the Dowager Empress' apartments, the Imperial baths, a palace dining room, and the State Bedchamber of the Emperor by way of a secret door behind a mirror.
Passing through the Gynaikeion's huge reception hall one enters the Courtyard of the Augusta. A passage known as the Passage of the Concubines connects the Courtyard of the Augusta to the Courtyard of the Consorts
The apartments of the Empress Dowager, together with the old parade apartments of the Emperor are the largest section of the Gynaikeion. The apartments consists of a two reception halls, dining room, music room, chapel, bath, and bedrooms located on the second story of the building. The ground floor of the apartments is occupied by the emperor's concubines, while the third story is occupied by the Empress Dowager's ladies-in-waiting. The apartments of the Empress Dowager are connected to the old apartments of the emperor by a passage way that leads to the Imperial baths.
Built in the ancient style, the Imperial baths located in the heart of the Imperial Harem consists of multiple rooms including a caldarium, a tepidarium and a frigidarium.
Fourth Courtyard
The Fourth Courtyard is the innermost private arena of the Emperor and his family, consisting of gardens, pavilions, kiosks, and terraces. This section of the palace also contains a Tzykanisterion, a polo field.
Triconchos Palace
The Triconchos is the second oldest section of the palace dating back to the early middle ages. Aside from the more modern Boukoleon Palace, the palace is the most public section of the palace, consisting of several wings including Augusta wing, Caesar Wing, the Imperial Chancellery Wing, Imperial Court Library, Festi Wing, Augustus wing, and the Hormisdas Wing consisting of the Hormisdas monastery, the Hormisdas Church, as well as the Hormisdas Palace which serves as the Imperial Museum.
It also contains the Imperial Riding school, the lavishly decorated Nea Ekklesia.
The Festi wing sits on the site of a former opera-house complex that was demolished in the 17th century to make way for an expanded imperial palace. The Festi wing as it is known serves as the site of major venues hosted by the court. It includes the Imperial Court Theatre, the large reception hall known as the Festi hall, and a concert hall for the playing of imperial operas.
Augusta Wing
Across from the Gate of the Varangians is the Augusta Wing, named for the fact that since its founding it has housed the apartments of various empresses, and consorts. At one time the empress bedchamber was located here. It currently houses the Empress' office, and the offices and apartments of her staff, including the Kouropalatissa, the Protovestiaria, and the Zoste Patricia, the grand mistress of the court.
Caesar Wing
Located on the other side of the Court of the Varangians is the Caesar Wing. The original wing was built in 1495 by Francis I for his grandson Manuel V, who had been raised to the rank of junior Emperor hence the name of the wing.
The original structure existed until the 1670s when the old structure was demolished by Constantine XV's architect to make way for a baroque structure that took its place. The Wing originally housed the bedchamber of the emperor, and currently houses various apartments of nobles resident at court, in addition to a large council chamber for meetings of the Sacred Council.
The palace's lower levels along with that of the Augusta Wing serve as the imperial wine celler of the palace.
Imperial Court Library
The Imperial court library was original constructed as a fee-standing structure in the 4th century to house the ancient works. The library was burned in a fire in 1300 but a significant portion of its contents were salvaged to reestablish the library in 1310. The library grew rapidly during the 17th and 18th centuries during the rule of Constantine XIV and Constantine XV, with the present building being completed under Constantine XV
The library currently contains well over a million books, manuscripts, and literary works. The library faces the Michael XIII square, one of the major courtyards of the palace, and is connected to the rest of the Triconchos on one side and the Hormisdas Wing on the other side through the Hormisdas Church.
Hormisdas Wing
Built adjacent to the Imperial court library on the other side of the Michael XIII is the Hormisdas Wing, consisting of the Hormisdas Church and monastery as well as the Hormisdas Palace housing the huge and expansive national museum of Mesogeia.
Since the 14th century the Hormisdas Church as been used by the Imperial family as the court church being the site of imperial weddings, baptisms, and so forth. The church is connected to the younger Boukoleon Palace which was built around it.
Boukoleon Palace
Facing the sea the Boukoleon palace is the most modern section of the palace. Starting in the 16th century, the Boukoleon gradually became the most inhabited section of the palace with the Emperor's actual bedchamber and apartments being in the private area of the palace. The Boukoleon palace is connected to the Daphne palace by way of the Hall of Constantine, the palace complex's largest throne hall.
The palace contains over a thousand rooms including the lavishly expansive state apartments, the private apartments of the emperor and his family. The state apartments of the Boukoleon Palace include, the Concert Hall, the Michael Hall, and the Porcelain Antechamber, the Small Throne room, the Armorial Hall, War Gallery, Hall of Constantine, as well as the Grand Chapel.
The Palace's private apartments includes separate apartments for the Emperor, Empress, the Despot, Despotissa, and various other members of the Imperial family. The private apartments in the Boukoleon also contains a private dining room, a gothic style library, and the Emperor's personal study, not to be confused with his official office located in the Caesar Wing of the Triconchos palace.