When it was first built in the 4th century it was given the name 'Chora' which means 'at the countryside'. After the expanding of the city walls, it was included within the borders of the historical city. But this did not change its name. It was built with the order of Maria Dukaina in the 11th century and restored and expanded by Isaak Komnenos. During 1316-1321 it got its last form by the addition of an exterior narthex and paracclesion (burial chamber). This last restoration was under the auspices of Theodor Metochites, a man of culture and art who spent his wealth for charity. In the early 16th century, in 1511, the building was transformed into a mosque with the order of Atik Alt Pasha by the addition of a minaret. Also, the mosaics and frescoes were covered under fine plaster in 1765. Kariye Museum is a masterpiece having the most splendid Byzantine mosaics. It is better to start visiting the museum from the nave which was the main worship hall. The colored marble on the ground and the marble slabs on walls create a nice atmosphere. Since, Ottoman period niche of the mosque had to point the south-east direction for the prayers of the Moslems, it is not at the center of the Byzantine apse. Kight of the apse is the mosaic of child Jesus and Mary, and at the left one is Jesus Christ. These mosaics are partially damaged. But the 'koimesis' above the entrance door is well preserved. In this panel Mary lays in a bed and around her are Jesus, his apostles and angels. The most beautiful mosaics of the church are at the inner and outer narthexes. The diversity of subjects, richness of colors, the abundance of details in these panels are matchless among Byzantine churches. The siories depicted in the mosaics were taken from the Bible. But some of the subjects such as the birth and childhood of Mary were taken from Apocalyptic Bibles. The intention of these pictures was to teach the Bible. Jesus and his family to illiterate people. In most case the decorations of churches were drawn by the priests working in the church, but those in the Chora Church were the products of professional artists. These mosaics include vivid, realistic and dynamic scenes. Colored pebbles collected from the rivers of Istanbul and the coasts of Sea of Marmara were used to create these mosaics. The mosaics represent the revival of pictorial arts, in order to illustrate the t İnal dimension in the pictures, the buildings on the background were drawn by covering cloth over these. The significant persons are illustrated from the front the others from the profile. The pictures in the mosaics follow a chronological order and the story begins at the left wall with the annunciation of Mary's birth to her mother, Anna. Mary's birth, childhood, presentation to the temple, marriage with Joseph can be seen in this section. At the each side of the door, which provides passage from the inner narthex to nave, there are the illustrations of St. Paul and St. Peter, and above the door is the illustrations of Jesus Christ sitting on the throne and Theodor Metochites. Depicted in the dome, to the right of the door, are the prophets and the saints from the Old Testament. Below this dome miracles of Jesus, such as healing the sick and raising the dead are depicted on the mosaic panels. In this section there is another picture covering all the wall. In this picture we may see the large scale mosaics of Jesus Christ, Mother Mary, Isaak Komnenos and nun Melanie.
The outer narthex includes a story which begins with the scene depicting the migration of Mary and Joseph to Betbelem. It goes on with the biith of Jesus. But later on the chronological order is undone. In the middle section the scene illustrates the temptation of Jesus by Satan. Just above the entrance you can see the miracles of Jesus Christ, the wedding in Cana and multiplication of bread. To the right side of the outer narthex entrance there are the partly damaged illustrations of Herod searching for baby Jesus and the miracles of Jesus. The section connected to the outer narthex with an L plan and separated with two columns is the paracclesion section and was constructed during 14th century under the auspices of Theodor Metochites. This corridor is 16 m. long and 5 m. wide. This section was constructed not to worship but to bury the dead. In this section are the tombs of Theodor Metochites, statesman Michael Tornikes and two unknown people, and there are frescoes instead of mosaics and theme of death is dominating the frescoes. At the end semi-dome of the apse of the paracclesion, you can see the anasthasis scene, which depicts Jesus Christ as he takes out Adam and Eve from the hell. On the arch in front of this is the illustration of the last judgment day and sinners being taken to hell. The central dome of the corridor was illustrated with Mary, Jesus and Saints frescoes. (s4)
Certain art forms are indelibly associated with a specific place, time, or civilization. In the case of the Byzantines, this trademark art is the wall mosaic. Mosaic art existed in this region a thousand years before Christ, but originally was used only in floors. It was the Byzantines who refined the technique, used lighter material with better plaster, and mastered the application of mosaics to walls and ceilings. And the tiny, underrated Chora Church Museum—hiding out on the edge of town—is home to some of the best examples of late-period Byzantine mosaics anywhere.
ORIENTATION
Hours: late March-late Oct Thu-Tue 9:00-19:00, off-season until 17:00, last entry 30 min before closing, closed Wed.
Location: The Chora Church Museum is just inside Istanbul's Old Town walls, about four miles miles northwest of the historic core, in a district called Edirnekapi (eh-deer-neh-kah-puh). The church is on the east side of a little square, facing a big cafe with outdoor tables and lots of souvenir stands. Getting There: For maximum efficiency, consider taking a taxi (10 YTL each way from the Sultanahmet area). You can also reach the church by public transportation . From Taksim Square in the New District, bus #87 takes you right there (4-5/hr, bus stop at north end of Taksim Square, across from Marmara Hotel, behind Metro entrance). If you're coming from the Old Town, take the tram to the Eminönü stop, near the Galata Bridge. From where you emerge on the embankment, go beyond the bridge to catch a local bus (buses stop beneath yellow signs directly across from the Spice Market). Bus #32 (Eminönü— Cevatpaşa) or #910 (Eminönü—Otogar) will both take you to the stop called Edirnekapi (it's the stop just after the huge, sunken stadium, and right before the big fragment of the town wall). After disembarking at Edirnekapi, face the town wall: The church is down the hill to your right. The easiest way to find it is to follow the signs for Kariye Oteli, a hotel right next to the church. Look for the very old-looking dome with the simple minaret, a reminder of the time when the church was used as a mosque. Length of This Tour: One hour.
Services: Free WCs are on the left just after you buy your ticket, but before you pass through the turnstile. A bookstore is inside the southwest corner of the church. Eating: Basic tourist restaurants and cafes jockey for position with souvenir stands in the leafy square in front of the church. For better (and more expensive) cuisine, consider Asitane, in the Kariye Hotel next door to the church . Photography: Photography is permitted, but no flash and no tripods. Starring: Thousands upon thousands of glittering little tiles, plus several ceilings slathered with vivid frescoes.
Background
The Chora Church can be crowded inside, and you'll be craning your neck to see all of its little details. Read this information—and the sidebars throughout this chapter—before you arrive, either on the bus or at the small cafe across the square. Locals call this church Kariye (kah-ree-yeh)—the Arabic interpretation of the Greek word chora, which means a suburban or rural area. When a church was first built here in the fourth century, it was outside Constantine the Great's city wall. A century later, the walls were enlarged, and the church was no longer outside the city limits. But the name "Chora" stuck, likely because the word had become infused with other meanings and interpretations. In Byzantine religious literature, Mary herself is often referred to as "Chora," in the same sense as an uncultivated field—in other words, a virgin. When she became pregnant with Jesus, Mary (or the "Chora") became a container for the uncontainable. In this church, you'll see inscriptions with this all-important word. For example, "He chora ton zon ton" ("the house of the living") and "He chora tou achoretou" ("the house of the uncontainable"—the one that cannot be kept within boundaries, a.k.a. Jesus Christ). The current church—built after an earthquake damaged the original—dates back to the late 11th and early 12th centuries.
The church was further damaged by Crusaders in the early 13th century. In the 14th century, the Byzantine prime minister, Theodore Metochites, was selected as Chora's patron and directed to oversee the church's reconstruction. It was a first time someone other than a royal was honored with the title of patron for an imperial monastery (see sidebar, page 220). Metochites was powerful and rich, and came up with some serious coin to finance the project. Under his direction, the dome was rebuilt and the church building enlarged. A bell tower was added to the southwest corner, and the church was decorated with mosaics, frescoes, silver doors, and fine silk curtains. Valuable books were purchased for the library, making it the best of its kind in the capital city. The church was also home to a monastery. In the early 16th century, after the Ottomans took Constantinople, the church was converted into a mosque. A mihrab (prayer niche) was built off-center in the main apse, and the bell tower was replaced with the minaret you see today. The frescoes and mosaics remained as they were for another century, then were whitewashed. The decorations remained hidden from daylight until the late 1940s, when they were re-discovered and restored.
Overview
Theodore Metochites said of Chora Church, "The mosaics and frescoes in the church show how God has become a mortal on behalf of human beings." On this tour, we'll concentrate on important events in the lives of Mary and Jesus, to whom the church was dedicated. The layout of the church is fairly straightforward. The main part is a single nave, facing east (like all European Christian churches of the time). Behind the nave are two narthexes (narrower passages running perpendicular to the nave): interior and exterior. These narthexes hold most of the mosaics. Running along the south side of the nave is a long corridor called a paracclesion, or burial chamber. This section is decorated with frescoes, not mosaics. It can be confusing to move around the church, so read our directions carefully. We include compass directions for extra clarity—remember that the apse (the front part of the church) is always east. Give your neck a good stretch before you begin—most of what there is to see is a few feet above eye level. You'll be whirling like a Dervish to see all the details. To make things easier, we'll focus on the most interesting or important scenes—skipping lesser figures and events, such as Church fathers, no-name angels, and so on. And to avoid too much needless backtracking, some of the Bible stories will be slightly out of order.
Chora Vs. Ravenna
Visitors tend to compare the mosaics at the Chora Church with the mosaics in the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna, Italy (near Venice). But they were completed in very different historical periods. Ravenna's sixth-century mosaics were commissioned by Emperor Justinian. The basilica was an imperial project intended to show off the emperor's power and wealth. It was a gigantic, self-made shrine, and Justinian spent a great deal of money from the royal treasury to bring it to completion. The Chora's mosaics are from a much later date (the 14th century), and were commissioned by the wealthy Byzantine bureaucrat Theodore Metochites. Instead of showing emperors and empresses standing proud next to holy figures (as at Ravenna's Basilica), donors are generally portrayed as being more humble and vulnerable at the Chora Church. The mosaics' style, use of light, and perspective are also different. Compared to the classical Byzantine mosaics at Ravenna, the newer Chora mosaics show a better sense of 3-D perspective, with more realism, action, and emotion. Justinian's reign marked the heyday of the Byzantine Empire. But by the time Metochites was decorating the Chora Church, the empire was approaching its final days. The Black Death had killed hundreds of thousands of Europeans. The Serbs were a serious threat to the west, while the Turks were at Constantinople's gates to the east. Although the Chora Church is glorious in every respect, its mosaics shine brighter than the troubled age they reflect.
Theodore Metochites
Of the many Chora benefactors, the one name you need to know is Theodore Metochites. Metochites was born in Constantinople in 1270, a few years after the city was taken back from the Crusaders. His father supported unification of the Eastern Orthodox and Western Catholic churches—a view that earned the family exile in Nicaea. His parents tried to steer their son away from politics, encouraging him to devote his life to science. But politics was in his blood. By the time he reached his twenties, Metochites was writing essays and critiques. His work came to the attention of Emperor Andronicus II, who invited Metochites to serve in the palace. Within a year, he was made a senator. (Metochites got his start arranging political marriages for royal family members—including a wedding between the emperor's five-year-old daughter and a middle-aged Serbian king.) In the early 1300s, Metochites became treasurer, and then prime minister. Anyone who wanted access to the emperor had to see Metochites first. He acquired land and wealth, but wasn't the most effective bureaucrat. Decorating the Chora Church distracted him from the Italian merchants who were becoming superior in naval trade. As the Ottoman Turks became a clear threat to the empire, panic and chaos led to civil war between Andronicus II and his grandson Andronicus III. The grandson won, and in 1328 Metochites lost his protector. A mob burned his palace, his wealth was confiscated, and Metochites was exiled. Metochites was eventually allowed to return to the capital, where he entered Chora's monastery, took the name Theoleptos, and died in 1332.(s3)
When it was first built in the 4th century it was given the name 'Chora' which means 'at the countryside'. After the expanding of the city walls, it was included within the borders of the historical city. But this did not change its name. It was built with the order of Maria Dukaina in the 11th century and restored and expanded by Isaak Komnenos. During 1316-1321 it got its last form by the addition of an exterior narthex and paracclesion (burial chamber). This last restoration was under the auspices of Theodor Metochites, a man of culture and art who spent his wealth for charity. In the early 16th century, in 1511, the building was transformed into a mosque with the order of Atik Alt Pasha by the addition of a minaret. Also, the mosaics and frescoes were covered under fine plaster in 1765. Kariye Museum is a masterpiece having the most splendid Byzantine mosaics. It is better to start visiting the museum from the nave which was the main worship hall. The colored marble on the ground and the marble slabs on walls create a nice atmosphere. Since, Ottoman period niche of the mosque had to point the south-east direction for the prayers of the Moslems, it is not at the center of the Byzantine apse. Kight of the apse is the mosaic of child Jesus and Mary, and at the left one is Jesus Christ. These mosaics are partially damaged. But the 'koimesis' above the entrance door is well preserved. In this panel Mary lays in a bed and around her are Jesus, his apostles and angels. The most beautiful mosaics of the church are at the inner and outer narthexes. The diversity of subjects, richness of colors, the abundance of details in these panels are matchless among Byzantine churches. The siories depicted in the mosaics were taken from the Bible. But some of the subjects such as the birth and childhood of Mary were taken from Apocalyptic Bibles. The intention of these pictures was to teach the Bible. Jesus and his family to illiterate people. In most case the decorations of churches were drawn by the priests working in the church, but those in the Chora Church were the products of professional artists. These mosaics include vivid, realistic and dynamic scenes. Colored pebbles collected from the rivers of Istanbul and the coasts of Sea of Marmara were used to create these mosaics. The mosaics represent the revival of pictorial arts, in order to illustrate the t İnal dimension in the pictures, the buildings on the background were drawn by covering cloth over these. The significant persons are illustrated from the front the others from the profile. The pictures in the mosaics follow a chronological order and the story begins at the left wall with the annunciation of Mary's birth to her mother, Anna. Mary's birth, childhood, presentation to the temple, marriage with Joseph can be seen in this section. At the each side of the door, which provides passage from the inner narthex to nave, there are the illustrations of St. Paul and St. Peter, and above the door is the illustrations of Jesus Christ sitting on the throne and Theodor Metochites. Depicted in the dome, to the right of the door, are the prophets and the saints from the Old Testament. Below this dome miracles of Jesus, such as healing the sick and raising the dead are depicted on the mosaic panels. In this section there is another picture covering all the wall. In this picture we may see the large scale mosaics of Jesus Christ, Mother Mary, Isaak Komnenos and nun Melanie.