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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
Istanbul 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.
Open every day except Tuesdays
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