| >
CITIES
& TOWNS |
 |
|
|
The finest examples
of Byzantine mosaics that have remained to the present day are the ones
found in the Chora Monastery.The building known today as the Kariye
Museum was the Monastery of Chora and dates back to the Byzantine period.
It was built outside the city walls of Istanbul in the district of Chora.
Theodorus built the monastery in 534, during the reign of Justinian,
but later it suffered considerably from earthquake damage. In the 12th
century, it was rebuilt by the order of Maria Dukaina, the mother-in-law
of Emperor Alexius I Comnenus, and was dedicated to Christ. By the 14th
century the building had deteriorated greatly and was restored and adorned
with mosaics by Logothere Theodore Methochite the Great, he spent his
entire fortune for this purpose.
After Mehmet the Conqueror captured Istanbul, the building remained
as a church. Later Hadin Ali Pasa, the grand Vizier of Bayezit II, converted
it into a mosque and added a minaret in 1511. A religious school was
built next to the main building and the site was called Kariye.
The original mosaics of the church were uncovered, the building was
repaired and restored during the beginning of the Republic period, and
the Church was converted into a museum.
There is a vast collection of mosaics that have survived the years.The
walls and the domes of this structure are ornamented with mosaics. These
pictures are very alive and they portray the lives of Jesus and the
Virgin Mary, and the death of the Virgin Mary.
|
