Church of St. Savior in Chora

Yesterday (Saturday, May 30) we visited the Church of St. Savior in Chora. Built in the late eleventh century, this building contains magnificent frescoes and mosaics from the fourteenth century. I was surprised by the size of the images. If you are familiar with medieval churches in western Europe, you will know that sculptures and images - though by no means small - are frequently far off from the ground and hard to make out without binoculars. The church at Chora is different. Figures on the walls and ceilings are quite large, and everything is easily visible from the ground (which means that getting good pictures is not at all difficult). Here are a few examples.

the creation:

the resurrection:

Mary and Christ:

The excellent condition of the artwork is, ironically enough, due to Istanbul's Ottoman conquerors. Like most of the other churches in Istanbul, St. Savior was converted into a mosque in the early sixteenth century (Kariye Camii). Rather than destroying the frescoes and mosaics, however, the Ottoman Muslims instead covered over the artwork with plaster and paint. The images remained hidden and unknown until they were rediscovered in 1860.

For those interested in more pictures and information, check out the following cool sites:

http://www.mcah.columbia.edu/byzantium/index2.html (contains 3D virtual reality model)

http://www.byzantium1200.com/chora.html (3D reconstruction of exterior)

http://www.e-turkey.net/v/istanbul_kariye_museum_chora_church/ (photos with explanations)

http://www.choramuseum.com/ (photos and articles)