Kariye (Chora) Museum
Kariye is located at
Edirnekapı section of İstanbul. The dictionary meaning of Kariye (Chora)
is "outside of the city", or "rural" in old Greek. The
existence of a chapel outside the city walls in very old is mentioned in
some sources. The first Khora Church was built on the site of this chapel
by Justinianus. The building which managed to survive until the times of
the Commenos with various additions and repairs, gained importance when
the Imperial Palace Blakhernia near the city walls was expanded. At the
end of 11th century Maria Dukaina, the mother-in-law of Emperor
Alexi I had it rebuild.
 The church has a kiborion shaped space whose dome is
carried by four arches. During the Latin occupation of 1204 - 1261, both
the monastry and the church became extremely run down. During the reign of
Andronikos (1282 - 1326), one of the prominent names of the day, the
writer, poet and the minister of treasury Theodore Methocite had the
monastry and the church repaired towards 1313, and had an annex to the
north of the building, an outer narthex to the west and a chapel
(Parekklesion) to the south. These new additions were decorated with
frescoes and mosaics. Parekklesion, which is a long single naved chapel
going along the southern façade, is built above a basement floor. It is
partially covered with a dome and the remaining sections are covered by
vaults. It has a single abscissa. The outer narthex which runs along the
full western facade forms the present façade. The northern wing is only
an insignificant corridor. The central dome has a high drum. It is a
Turkish period restoration and is made of wood. Outer façades are given
plasticity and movement with round arches, half braces, niches and rows of
stone and brick. The eastern façade is finished with abscissa extending
to the exterior. The middle abscissa is supported with a half arched
brace.
The building was
used as a church after the conquest of İstanbul but was converted into a
mosque in 1511 by the Visier Grand Hadım Ali Pasha, who later added a
school and a alm kitchen next to it. After the conversion, the mosaics and
frescoes were covered, sometimes by wooden blinds and sometimes by
whitewashing over them. All the mozaics and frescoes were uncovered with
the work carried out by the American Institute of Byzantine Research
between 1948 - 1958.
 Chora mosaics and frescoes are the most beautiful
examples of the last period of Byzantine art (14th century).
They show a striking similarity. The monotonous background of the former
period cannot be seen here. The concept of depth, recognition of the
placticity and movement of the figures and the elongation in the figures
are the characteristic of this style. Scenes from life of Jesus are given
on the outer narthex while the inner narthex has scenes from the life of
Madonna.On the portal of the door joining the outer to the inner narthex,
there is Christ the "Pantocrator". On the left the scenes depict
the birth of Jesus, population cencus being carried out under the
supervision of Governor Cyrinus, the angel telling Joseph to leave taking
Mary with him, the multiplication of loaves of bread, water turning to
wine and on the right side scenes such as messanger kings informing about
the birth of Christ, healing of the stroke victims and the massacre of
children.
The most beautiful
mosaic on the inside is Deisis. There is Jesus in the center with Mary on
the left, below Mary, Isaac Commenus and a nun on the right of Jesus. This
woman is the daughter of the Mikhael Palaiologos VIII. She was married to
the Mongolian Prince Abaka Khan and following her husband's death returned
to İstanbul and became a member of a religious order. In this section,
under the dome there is Jesus and his ancestors are shown in the segments.
On the portal of the church proper, there is Christ in the middle and on
the left Theodoros Metochites who has restored the church and adorned it
with the mosaics presenting a model of the church.
 The life story of Mary, which is not included in the
Bible is taken from subjects based on the Apostles. At the inner narthex
the scenes about Mary can be followed depicting her birth, her first
steps, Gabriel telling her that she shall have a child, Mary buying wool
for the tebernacle and others. Mosaic above the inner portal of the
entrance to the main church depicts the death of the Virgin, Madonna
bearing the child Jesus and a Saint. Parekklesion is totally decorated
with frescoes. The Anastasia (rebirth) scene seen on the abscissa is a
masterpiece. The last judgement above it is shown here in full. It is
known that the niche on the right and left sides of the Parekklesion are
graves. On the dome of the Parekklesion there is Mary and the child Jesus
and 12 in the segments.
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