Kariye Mosque
Byzantine church converted to mosque, home to exceptional fourteenth-century mosaics and frescoes.
Location
About this audio guide
This guide to Kariye Mosque in Istanbul centers on Theodore Metochites, the powerful fourteenth-century minister who poured his fortune into decorating this Byzantine church and appears in gold above its doorway. It follows his sudden fall from power in 1328, his exile, and his return years later to live out his life within these same walls, then the mosaics' long disappearance under Ottoman-era plaster. Along the way it traces how the gold survived four centuries out of sight before its rediscovery.
This audio guide was created using AI.
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