Was determined to hunt down the Chora Church this time round. The first landmark you will have to look out for is this mosque, The Mihrimah mosque , designed by Sinan the Architect , and built especially for Suleiman the Magnificent's favourite daughter.
The Turks pronounce Chora as Kora.
But if you ask the locals for directions, just write down " Kariye Müzesi" on a piece of paper and they'll point you in the correct direction.
Anyway, it is pretty easy to spot . You can walk down all the way that big fat wedding dress street from Siirt Seref , come to something that looks like a crazy looplike u turning roundabout combo, look out for busloads of tourists come off tour buses or speeding taxis doing the drift downhill, opposite the Mihrimah Mosque and follow them.
I'm here to see the Byzantine mosaics and frescoes first hand , plus because it's a small church and not as popular as The Hagia Sophia, there is no entrance fee.
Was rather startled at first that the guards here were women. Amazing. Ok, let's go in.
The St. Paul mosaic is the first to greet you on the right hand side of the Narthex or entrance.
Deesis mosaic of The Virgin and Jesus
Main body of the church knowns as the Naos.
Just beautiful !
How all these have stood the test of time is no wonder. The Turkish people are amazing guardians of world heritage architecture .
This stunning wing is known as the Parecclesion , a side chapel where funerals used to be conducted
Painted dome with the Virgin Mother and Child also at the parecclesion
While I was a little dissapointed that there was no medallions or rosary beads for sale whatsoever, well, I guess all at is contained near the cash counter was as close as one could get .Thus I got one momento of St.Gregor on a bookmark made from rare goatskin parchment as a souvenir.
Location : Edirnekapi, Istanbul
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