The Palace of Mangana was located to the east of Hagia Sophia near the sea walls of the quarter of Mangana, near the Monastery of St. George and Christ Philanthropos. Later its ruins lay within the Sultan’s Walls surrounding Topkapı Palace. 
The palace was found by Emperor Constantine IX Monomachos (1042-1055), third husband of Empress Zoe. He also established a monastery, a hospital, and a law school in Mangana. The monastery and surrounding lavish gardens, constructed on a grand scale by Constantine, were noted by the historian Michael Psellos. Constantine IX Monomachos was subsequently buried near his mistress Maria Skleraina at the monastery in 1055. 
During the occupation of Istanbul, the French army camping at Topkapı excavated the region in 1922-1923, bringing to light the ruins of several structures in the Mangana quarter, included those identified as the substructures of the Palace of Mangana. In addition, other structures were found nearby, including the Monastery of St. George. There was not enough time to excavate the entire region, though the results were later published by Demangel and Mamboury.