We visited the beautiful Chora Church - Chora means countryside, a name given to the church when it was first built in the 4th century, and the name remained even when the city expanded around it. The building had many changes and expansions through the centuries. It became a mosque in the 16th century with the addition of the minaret, and its fabulous Byzantine Christian mosaics and frescoes were covered with plaster. Most of the artwork has been uncovered and restored, and it has now undergone a third incarnation as a museum.
This is the narthex of the church, with walls covered with frescoes.
This is a close-up of the far wall.
Below are some of the gorgeous mosaics.
This wonderful face is how Christ is viewed in the Eastern Orthodox religion - as a powerful and strong leader. The images do not show the typical Roman Catholic depiction of Jesus as a weak and dying man on a cross.
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