This past weekend, I visited two important sites for the city of Istanbul. One of the sites that I visited was the Kariye Müzesi (Kariye Museum), also known as the Church of St. Saviour in Chora. The church dates back to the 11th century, with the translation of "in Chora" to "in the country" suggesting that the church originally stood in a rural setting. The mosaics and frescoes currently in the church were added by Theodore Metochites, a theologian, philosopher, and an elite Byzantine official of his day. He wrote that his goal when he restored St. Saviour was to relate how "the Lord himself became mortal on our behalf". His mosaic the Genealogy of Christ conveys this idea well. The mosaic is displayed in two domes of the church, and portrays 66 of Christ's ancestors. The life of Christ is also displayed in the Infancy of Christ mosaics and other mosaics. In his Life of the Virgin mosaics, the life of Christ's mother Mary is portrayed. The portrayal is based mainly on the apocryphal Gospel of St. James, which gives an account of Mary's life. The frescoes in the parecclesion are meant to reflect the parecclesion as a place of burial. This is prominently displayed in Anastasis. In it, Christ is shown dragging Adam and Eve out of their tombs. Under Christ's feet are the gates of hell, while Satan lies before him. The Last Judgment fresco in the vault overhead depicts the souls of the saved to the right and those of the damned to the left. The mosaics and frescoes displayed in the church are very nice to gaze upon, seeing how different lives and events are portrayed in them. More information can be found at http://www.choramuseum.com/, and I have a short video of the museum below:
The other site that I visited was the Eyüp Sultan Camii, or Eyup Sultan Mosque. The original mosque was built in 1458 by Mehmet the Conqueror in honor of Eyüp Ensari, who was a companion and standard-bearer of the prophet Mohammed. Because of his importance to Islam, this site and it's adjacent tomb are important places for Muslims. After it fell into ruins, the current mosque was completed in 1800 by Selim III. The inner courtyard of the mosque is a garden in which two huge trees grow on a platform. This platform was part of a sultan's inauguration from the days of Mehmet the Conqueror. The covering of the mosque is predominately gleaming white marble. Across from the mosque is the tomb of Eyüp Ensari himself, believed to have been killed during the first Arab siege of Constantinople in the 7th century. The decoration of the tomb is mostly in Ottoman Baroque style. The outer wall of the tomb facing the mosque and most of it's interior have a covering of tiles. Unfortunately, the tomb was closed to visitors. I did get to go inside of the mosque though, and once again witness practicing Muslims during namaste (prayer). I was also randomly included in a photo with a Turkish man, and had a short conversation with a man who spoke no English outside the mosque. Below, I have a short video of the mosque:
