Touring Kariye Mosque (or Chora Church)

A walk into the 14th Century Constantinople

If you are planning your trip to Istanbul, you have definitely come across Hagia Sophia as the oldest remnant of Istanbul's bygone Byzantine history. What if I told you, that there is another church - now converted into a Mosque- right by the city walls?

Kariye Mosque

Tucked away in the Edirnekapı district, far from the postcard crowds of Sultanahmet, sits a building that doesn’t scream for your attention — but once you step inside, it absolutely steals it.

This is Kariye Mosque. Once a church, then a mosque, then a museum, and now a mosque again — though its walls whisper stories that span empires and belief systems, wars and miracles, decay and dazzling restoration.

A Byzantine Gem in a Backstreet

Originally built outside the ancient city walls (its name Chora means “in the countryside”), the church found itself inside the city just a century later when Theodosius II expanded Constantinople’s defenses. But it kept the name. Maybe because it never quite felt like it belonged to the center — and maybe that’s still true today.

A remaining column engraving from Byzantine period

Kariye isn’t flashy. But it holds some of the most breathtaking Byzantine mosaics and frescoes you’ll find anywhere in the world — scenes of saints, salvation, and a very expressive Virgin Mary — all created in the early 1300s under the patronage of a scholar-statesman named Theodore Metochites (he's the guy with the glorious turban kneeling in front of Christ like he’s offering the whole building as a housewarming gift).

It’s the kind of place where art historians lose their minds, and even the most casual visitors find themselves whispering “wait, how is this not world-famous?”

Metochites (left), patron and rebuilder of the Church in the 1300s

Layers, Not Labels

The mosaics were covered in plaster when the Ottomans converted it into a mosque in the 16th century — not destroyed, just hidden. That act, whether intentional or not, preserved them. So when restorers peeled back the layers in the 20th century, the gold and color and drama of the Late Byzantine imagination came roaring back to life.

Today, even as it functions again as a mosque, the artwork is still visible — a rare and delicate balance that somehow makes sense in Istanbul, a city that’s never been just one thing.

The Lineage of Virgin Mary

Why Visit?

Because Kariye offers something rare: quiet awe. It’s not crowded. It’s not loud. It’s not trying to be impressive. But it is. Every inch has a story, and every story has a twist. And if you join me on a tour, I’ll tell you why that fresco of the Anastasis (Resurrection) in the side chapel might be the most powerful image in all of Christian art — even if you've never set foot in a church.

Let’s take a detour to Kariye. You’ll leave with more questions, better stories, and maybe even a favorite saint. Contact us to arrange your private tour!

Anastasis scene from the funeral chapel