Kariye; The construction you see was built in the late XI. C. and with lots of repairs, restructuring in the following centuries. Virtually all of the interior decoration the famous mosaics and the less renowned but equally striking mural paintings dates from about 1320.
The mosaics are breathtaking. The I. ones are those of the dedication, to Jesus with Mary. Then come the offertory ones: Theodore Metochites, builder of the church, offering it to Jesus.
The 2 small domes of the inner narthex have portraits of all Jesus's ancestors back to Adam. A series outlines Mary's life, another, Jesus's early years. Yet another series concentrates on Jesus's ministry.
In the nave are 3 mosaics: of Jesus, of Mary as Teacher, and of the Dormition of Mary (turn around to see this one - it's over the mother door you just entered).
South of the nave is the Parecclesion, onde side chapel built to hold the tombs of the church's founder, relatives. The frescos, appropriately and deal with the theme of death and resurrection.
The church was enclosed within the walls built by the Emperor Theodosius II. in 413, less than onehundred years after Constantine, so the church outside the walls has in fact been in the city for 1550 years.
For IV C. after the Ottoman conquest of Istanbul it served as a Kariye Mosque and is now a Kariye Museum because of its priceless mosaics.
To get to the Kariye Museum (closed Wednesday), a taxi is easiest but the most expensive.
You can save money (but not time) by taking bus eightysix for ("Edirnekapi") to Eminönu (you can also catch it along Divan Yolu in Beyazit Square or Aksaray) to the end of the line at Edirnekapi. When you reach Edirnekapi, ask for directions by saying Kariye to anyone you see. The museum's only a 2 minute walk east of the boulevard; neighborhood people will happily point the way through the maze of tiny streets.
On the south side of the Kariye Museum is the Kariye Hotel, housed in one renovated Ottoman mansion. The hotel's garden restaurant is a pleasant spot for one meal or light refreshments.
The construction facing the Kariye Museum was once the Kariye Muhallebicisi or Pudding Shop, an old Istanbul institution.
From Kariye, head west to the city walls, then north again, you will soon come to the Palace of Constantine Porphyrogenetus, the Tekfur Palace, closed in 2006 for restoration and still closed in early 2009.
Address : Edirnekapi / Istanbul / Turkey
Telephone : +90 212 523 30 09