The Vordonos Islands (also called Vordonisi) are two small islands located in the Sea of Marmara, about 700 meters off the coast of Maltepe, on the Asian side of Istanbul. They were part of the Prince Islands Archipelago and sank during an earthquake in 1010 AD
But under the sea there is an entire archaeological site to discover, including the Byzantine monastery founded between 858 and 886 AD. by the Patriarch of Constantinople Phocio I , who was exiled there.
Photius was the most important literary figure in the Byzantine Empire during his lifetime, and prior to his appointment as patriarch he had been a diplomat in the service of the Imperial Chancellery. Photius was not a priest, but in only six days, between December 22 and 25 of the year 858 he went through all the priestly ranks until he reached bishop and be named patriarch. Moreover, his dubious appointment would be the seed of the future separation of the churches of Constantinople and Rome.
At the time of the earthquake, the monastery was still active, inhabited by monks, who would have sunk with it. That is why the Ottomans knew them as the rocks of the submerged monastery .
Its existence was revealed for the first time in 1936 by the historian Semavi Eyice. Even then the visibility of the monastery was difficult because the marine vegetation had completely covered it.
Now, more than a thousand years after they disappeared under water, the two islets are being rediscovered by a team of researchers from three Turkish universities. Last October, divers took pictures of the entire area, including the monastery. The objective is to better understand the circumstances and effects of the great earthquake in Istanbul, and to turn the place into the first underwater archaeological park in the city, open to tourism.
At the same time, it is intended that the islands be included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, in order to preserve their important archaeological remains.