Chora Monastery

Chora Monastery, now Kariye Mosque, stands beyond the walls of ancient Constantinople, which explains its name, meaning “in the country” or “outside the city.” Founded in the fourth century, it acquired its present form in the 11th century and was expanded in the 14th under Theodore Metochites. After the Ottoman conquest, the church became a mosque, and in the 20th century it was converted into a museum, revealing its Byzantine mosaics and frescoes. Today Kariye is once again a mosque while retaining its rich artistic heritage. Its architecture combines Byzantine domes with Ottoman elements and is divided into vestibules, a nave and a side chapel. The frescoes and mosaics depict biblical scenes including the Nativity of the Virgin, the Dormition, the Resurrection and the Last Judgement.

When Chora’s mosaics and paintings were uncovered beneath Ottoman plaster in the 19th century, researchers refused to believe they were the work of Greek artists. At the time, a myth persisted that medieval Greek art was merely derivative, so the extraordinary mosaics were attributed to unknown Italian masters.