Istanbul is long known as a city endowed with layer upon layer of cultural riches dating from ancient times. But beyond the obvious sites in the Old City, there is a jewel that’s rarely seen: the Kariye Museum. It’s not easy to do but it is well worth the effort. The interior walls are covered with exquisite Byzantine religious art that has no equal anywhere in the world. Despite earthquake damage in 1894, many spectacular mosaics remain, awesome in their fine detail, displaying subtle shadings and rich colors that are lacking in earlier Byzantine mosaics.     

By Elizabeth Mitchell Munisoglu, Los Angeles (Matt Perreault)

Previous articleAnastasis
Next articleChora Church (Kariye Museum)

3 COMMENTS

  1. Dear Sir,

    Just I read the translated page about Kariye Mosque and still reading the page. But pls take care about the translations.

    Thanks and Regards
    Omer Yilanci

  2. Those translations are automatic robot translations just for simple and direct similiar meaning with orginal text. We are working on translate all text with human translation but as you may know it takes long time. Thanks for your time and cooperation. You may send your ideas or advices on translations via info@choramuseum.com.

  3. I just returned from seeing the church at chora and it is one of my most favorite places in Istanbul. I was disappointed not to have seen more Byzantine treasures. I was also in Cappadocia and the frescoes in those rock cut chapels also are so amazing. I’m glad that there are people who still like these things and are passionate about preserving them for posterity. These are treasures whether you are a believer or not.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.