The Chora Church

Address: Kariye (Chora) / Kariye Camii, Edirnekapı/Fatih, Istanbul, Turkey

Admission: Free to enter as a mosque (reopened as Kariye Camii); entry subject to mosque visiting rules and prayer times

The Chora (Kariye) is a medieval Byzantine church in Istanbul renowned for its extensive mosaics and frescoes. The building is particularly noted for a major decorative programme completed in the early 14th century.

The interior contains complex pictorial cycles depicting episodes from the life of Christ and the Virgin Mary, with many panels executed in a late Byzantine style attributed to the period 1316-1321. The parekklesion, or funerary chapel, contains prominent donor portraits and intimate devotional scenes.

Originally built as a Byzantine parish church and later converted to a mosque, museum and again to a mosque in the 21st century, the complex reflects multiple changes in function over its history. The principal decor campaign was commissioned by the statesman Theodore Metochites in the early 1300s.

The church sits on the northwest side of Istanbul’s historic peninsula close to the Theodosian Walls, within the Edirnekapi district a short distance from the Golden Horn.

• Date of major decoration: Most surviving decorative mosaics and frescoes date to an extensive early 14th-century programme of decoration associated with the patron Theodore Metochites.
• Current status: Located close to the Theodosian sea walls in the Edirnekapi/Kariye area of Istanbul, the site has changed religious status in modern times and is used for worship as well as cultural visits.

What to See#

• Nave and main church: Main church interior where the finest mosaics and fresco cycles depicting scenes from Christ’s life and the Virgin are concentrated, largely executed during the early 14th century.
• Parekklesion (south chapel): Enclosed south chapel that contains some of the most intact donor portraits and intimate devotional scenes completed under the patronage of a 14th-century Byzantine statesman.
• Setting by the city walls: Exterior sector adjacent to the Theodosian city walls that situates the monument within the defensive fabric of late antique Constantinople.

• Check the current visitor and prayer schedule before you go - the Chora (Kariye) has operated as an active mosque since 2020 and access rules, opening hours and areas open to tourists can change around prayer times.
• Plan to visit outside of the five daily prayer times to view the mosaics and frescoes with fewer worship interruptions, and be prepared to cover shoulders and knees as a sign of respect for the active place of worship.
• Approach the site from the Edirnekapı (Edirnekapi) side along the city walls for the easiest pedestrian access and to combine the visit with a walk along the nearby Byzantine walls-many visitors miss this dramatic setting.