The History of Chora Church, Explained

Q: What is the Chora Church?

The Chora Church u2014 the Kariye u2014 is the church of the Chora Monastery in the west of the old city, holding the finest surviving mosaics and frescoes of the late Byzantine art. The church is one of the greatest monuments of Istanbul.

By All Over InformationUpdated August 10, 20267 min read

The Chora Church — the Kariye, the church of the Chora Monastery — is one of the greatest monuments of Byzantine art, and its story runs through the deepest history of Istanbul. The church in the west of the old city holds the finest surviving mosaics and frescoes of the Byzantine world, and its history is the history of the city itself: the early church, the centuries of the empire, the Ottoman transformation, and the modern restoration. This guide tells the complete history of the Chora Church.

The Meaning of the Name

The name of the church carries its early story. The Chora — the Greek word for the country, the land outside the walls — marked the position of the church beyond the walls of the old Constantinople, in the fields and the country of the early city. The name entered the tradition of the church in the phrase of its dedication: the church of Christ the Chora, the Savior of the country — the wordplay that runs through the art of the church, and the name that the building has carried through the centuries.

The Turkish name of the church — the Kariye — preserves the old name in its modern form, and the church of the country outside the walls is known by both names today: the Chora, and the Kariye.

The Early Church

The first church on the site was built in the early centuries of the Byzantine world, and the monastery of the Chora grew around it. The early church stood in the fields beyond the walls of the city — the monastery of the country, away from the crowded capital — and the settlement of the monks carried the religious life of the site through the early centuries. The history of the early building is the history of the foundation: the church of the fifth century, and the monastery that followed.

The early centuries of the Chora are the centuries of the foundation — the building of the first church, and the establishment of the monastery that would carry the name of the Chora through the ages.

Chora Church, Turkey — Photo by dimitrisvetsikas1969 on Pixabay

The Centuries of the Empire

The long centuries of the Byzantine empire saw the Chora church rebuilt and renewed through the ages. The church was restored and enlarged through the centuries of the city’s history — the earthquakes and the fires of Constantinople taking their toll, and the rebuilding following — and the monastery of the Chora held its place among the religious foundations of the capital. The position of the church, inside the newly extended walls of the later city, brought it into the life of the medieval Constantinople.

The medieval centuries were the centuries of the church’s service: the monastery of the Chora, the religious life of the foundation, and the buildings of the site evolving through the ages of the empire.

The Restoration of the Palaelogans

The great transformation of the Chora came in the late Byzantine period, under the Palaiologan dynasty — the last dynasty of the empire. The restoration of the early fourteenth century, under the patronage of the statesman Theodore Metochites, rebuilt the church and decorated it with the finest art of the age: the mosaics and the frescoes that made the Chora the masterpiece of the late Byzantine painting. The work of the early 1300s filled the church with the cycles of the life of the Virgin and the life of Christ — the greatest surviving ensemble of the Palaiologan art.

The restoration of the Palaiologans made the Chora what it is: the church of the extraordinary mosaics and frescoes, the treasure of the late Byzantine art, and the monument that the visitors come to see today.

The Art of the Church

The art of the Chora is the glory of the church and the treasure of the Byzantine world. The mosaics of the church — the panels of the life of the Virgin, the ancestors of Christ, and the scenes of the Gospels — fill the narthexes of the building with the finest work of the late Byzantine mosaicists: the figures, the compositions, and the colors of the Palaiologan style. The frescoes of the parecclesion — the side chapel of the church — hold the great scenes of the Resurrection and the Last Judgment, the masterpieces of the Byzantine fresco painting.

The art of the Chora is the art of the Byzantine renaissance — the late flowering of the empire’s culture — and the church holds it as no other building does: the mosaics and the frescoes of the 1300s, surviving in the church of the Chora through the centuries.

The Ottoman Transformation

The fall of Constantinople in 1453 changed the life of the church. The Chora passed into the hands of the Ottoman city, and in the years after the conquest the church was converted into a mosque — the Kariye Mosque of the Ottoman era. The mosaics and the frescoes of the church were covered, as the Islamic tradition of the mosque required the absence of the figural images, and the building served the Muslim worship of the Ottoman centuries under its Turkish name.

The Ottoman centuries were the centuries of the Kariye Mosque: the building of the church serving the worship of the mosque, the art of the Byzantines hidden beneath the coverings, and the monument of the Chora continuing its life in its new form.

The Discovery of the Art

The modern rediscovery of the Chora came in the twentieth century. The church was secularized as the museum in the mid-1940s, and the restoration that followed uncovered the art of the Byzantines: the coverings of the Ottoman centuries removed, and the mosaics and the frescoes of the Palaiologans revealed in their glory. The discovery brought the Chora to the world — the museum of the Byzantine art, the Kariye Museum of the modern Istanbul — and the church of the Chora took its place among the great monuments of the city.

The restoration of the twentieth century was the second great renewal of the church: the art of 1300 revealed after the centuries of the hiding, and the Chora opened to the visitors of the modern world.

The Chora Today

The Chora Church today is the essential monument of the Byzantine art: the museum of the mosaics and the frescoes, and the treasure of the late Byzantine painting. The visitor walks the narthexes of the church, where the mosaics fill the vaults and the walls, and the parecclesion of the church, where the frescoes of the Resurrection and the Last Judgment cover the chapel. The building is the small church with the greatest art — the compact monument that holds the masterpiece of an age.

The Chora in the recent years has returned to its role as the mosque, with the question of the figural art of the building a matter of the current debate and the current arrangements — and the visitor should check the current status of the church before the visit, as the access to the art has been the subject of the recent changes.

The Church in the Story of the City

There is a deeper place for the Chora in the story of Istanbul: the church is the monument of the continuity. The building has served the worship and the art through the centuries — the Byzantine church, the Ottoman mosque, and the modern museum — and the layers of that history are written in its walls: the early foundation, the medieval restorations, the Palaiologan art, and the Ottoman transformation. The Chora is the history of the city in one building, and the monument where the cultures of Istanbul meet.

The Experience of the Centuries

There is a particular quality to visiting the Chora: the traveler stands in the small church that holds the greatest art of the Byzantine world. The building gives the experience of the centuries — the mosaics of 1300, the walls of the medieval church, and the sense of the history that has passed through it — and the visit is the encounter with the deep story of the city: the church of the country outside the walls, the monastery of the empire, and the treasure of the Byzantine art.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Chora Church?

The Chora Church — the Kariye — is the church of the Chora Monastery in the west of the old city, holding the finest surviving mosaics and frescoes of the late Byzantine art. The church is one of the greatest monuments of Istanbul.

When were the mosaics of the Chora made?

The mosaics and the frescoes of the Chora were made in the early fourteenth century, during the restoration under Theodore Metochites. The art is the masterpiece of the late Byzantine painting.

Is the Chora Church open to visitors?

The current status of the church should be checked before the visit: the building has served as the museum and has recently returned to the role of the mosque, with the access to the figural art a matter of the current arrangements.

All Over Information

The All Over Information editorial team researches and writes practical English-language guides to Turkey. Facts are checked against official and local sources before publication, prices are published as dated ranges rather than quotes, and guides are revised when things change. We accept no sponsored posts, paid placements or paid links.