DISTANCE FROM THE HOTEL
Distance: 40 minutes
"The most interesting Byzantine church after Hagia Sophia in Istanbul. The importance of the church is not in the building itself, but in the magnificent frescoes and mosaics reflecting the magnificent heritage of Byzantine Art. The Chora Church (Museum) is open to visitors every day, except Wednesday, between 09.00-16.30.
No remains are left of the original church, and the first form of the existing structure dates back to 11C. Maria Doukaina, mother-in-law of Alexios I Comnenos, founded the church between 1077-1081. The church that exists today was built two centuries later, the walls were restored with magnificent mosaics and shine. added and decorated with beautiful frescoes. The founder of the church was Theodore Metokhites. He was also an astronomer, poet, theologian, and philosopher. In fact, he lived a very sad life and was exiled after another emperor succeeded Palaeologus. After returning to Constantinople, he devoted himself to the church as a monk and then died there. In the early 16C, Attic Ali Pasha turned the church into a mosque and the mosaics were covered with plaster. It was restored by the Byzantine Institute of America in 1948 and opened as a museum in 1958.
The mosaics in the Chora Museum date back to the 14th century and are divided into 4 parts: the nave, the outer narthex entrance, the inner narthex and the frescoes in the paresis (grave chapel). "
