Byzantine Marvels of Art

BMA-01 Saturday, June 2, 2012 - 13:30-18:00
BMA-02 Tuesday, June 5, 2012 - 09.00–13.30

Price: 45 EUR /per person

Visit the 5th century Byzantine Basilica, St. Sophia Museum which is one of the great architectural marvels of the ancient world; the Underground Cistern with a storage capacity for 80,000 tons of water for the old city and the Hippodrome, once the chariot race track of the Byzantine and Romans. See the Egyptian Obelisk, the Serpentine Column and the Column of Constantine. Then proceed to the Church of St. Saviour in Chora to see the world famous frescoes and mosaics. Last visit will be to the Covered Bazaar to explore the maze of over 4'000 tiny shops selling leather, copper, carpet, antiquities, souvenirs and jewelry.

St. Sophia Church and Museum

St. Sophia (Hagia Sophia) Church is a great architectural beauty and an important monument both for Byzantine and for Ottoman Empires. Once a church, later a mosque, and now a museum at the Turkish Republic, Hagia Sophia has always been the precious of its time.

The mystical city Istanbul hosted many civilizations since centuries, of which Byzantium and Ottoman Empires were both the most famous ones. The city today carries the characteristics of these two different cultures and surely Hagia Sophia is a perfect synthesis where one can observe both Ottoman and Byzantium effects under one great dome.

St. Saviour in Chora - The Kariye Museum

The Kariye Museum (Church of the Holy Saviour in Chora) has the best Byzantine mosaics in the region.

Originally built in the 4th century as the 'Church of the Holy Saviour Outside the Walls' or 'in the Country' (chora), it was indeed outside the walls built by Constantine the Great.
The building you see was built in the late 11th century, with lots of repairs and 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 first ones are those of the dedication, to Jesus and Mary. Then come the offertory ones: Theodore Metochites, builder of the church, offering it to Jesus.
The two small domes of the inner narthex have portraits of all Jesus's ancestors back to Adam. A series outlines Mary's life, and another, Jesus's early years. Yet another series concentrates on Jesus's ministry.

In the nave are three mosaics: of Jesus, of Mary as Teacher, and of the Dormition of Mary (turn around to see this one-it's over the main door you just entered).
South of the nave is the Parecclesion, a side chapel built to hold the tombs of the church's founder and relatives. The frescos, appropriately, 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 100 years after Constantine, so the church 'outside the walls' has in fact been 'in the city' for 1550 years.

For four centuries after the Ottoman conquest of Istanbul it served as a mosque (Kariye Mosque), and is now a museum (Kariye Museum) because of its priceless mosaics.
From Kariye, head west to the city walls, then north again, and you'll soon come to the Palace of Constantine Porphyrogenetus, the Tekfur Sarayi closed in 2006 for restoration and still closed in early 2009.

Covered Bazaar (Grand Bazaar)

Grand Bazaar, located between Nuruosmaniye, Mercan and Beyazıt, is the oldest and largest shopping mall of the world with 64 avenues and streets, 2 covered bazaar (bedesten), 16 inns, 22 gates and about 3600 stores. It has indoor area of 45.000 meter square, and about 20.000 persons work and depending on the season, 300 to 500 persons per day visit. Being the oldest bank, the greatest and the oldest shopping mall, one of the most mysterious and gorgeous places in the world, possibly the eighth wonder, Grand Bazaar is waiting to entertain the persons, who would adopt relics of our ancestors, not just as customers, but as partners and guests by its tradesmen and administrative committee determined to keep up with the time, and by Health Unit, Post Office, bank branches, private fire department, police station, Private Security Service founded in accordance with the laws, coffee shops and restaurants, and the historical and cultural treasury hidden inside.

« Back