THE MONASTERY OF THE HOLY SAVIOR IN CHORA
The Church of the Holy Savior of Chora, called
in Turkish, Kariye Camii, is after Hagia Sophia the most interesting Byzantine
church in the city. Not so much for the building itself, pretty as that
is, as because of the superb series of mosaics and frescoes which it preserves
and which have been magnificently restored and cleaned by the Byzantine
Institute of America.
The
name of the church,"in Chora" means "in the country" because
the very ancient monastery to which it was attached was outside
the walls of the Constantinian; later when it was included
within the
Theodosian
walls, the name remained the Holy Savior of Chora.
The mosaics and frescoes are by far the most important and extensive series of Byzantine paintings in the city and among the best and most beautiful in the world.
The
origin of the monument cannot be traced with certainty. The earliest
reference is found in the Synaxarion (Legendary) of 4 September
by Symeon Metaphrastes, according to which the relics of St. Babylas
who was martyred
in 298, were removed from the Golden Horn to the northwest part
of
the City, at a place outside the walls "where there is a monastery
called Chora."
An anonymous 9th century biographer assigns the foundation of the monastery
to St. Theodore, uncle of the Empress Theodora, whom Justinian had called
to Constantinople to help the Church in the struggle against the sect of
the Theopaschites (536). Theodore settled outside the walls at Chora, where
there was a small church and a group of cells.
With the assistance of the Emperor and Empress, Theodore founded the monastery.
Destroyed by an earthquake in 557, it was rebuilt by Justinian, this time
larger, with a domed church revetted in marble, consecrated to the Holy
Virgin. At the same time were built three parecclesia, dedicated to St.
Anthemius, the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste and the Archangel Michael, and
also a bath and a hospice, i.e. a wholecomplex of buildings (Gedeon).
Tradition has it that St. Savvas (439-532) travelled from Palestine to
Constantinople and was given hospitality at the monastery in Chora. Thenceforth,
monks from Palestine were always welcome.
Codinus writes that the monastery was erected "large and beautiful" by Crispus a relative of Emperor Phocas, whom Heraclius (610-641) confined to the Chora "because he was contemplating a rebellion against him."
Nicephorus Gregoras, who lived at the monastery and wrote its history
in the 14th century, records that it was founded by Justinian. On the other
hand, the historian Procopius remains silent on this point.
Be that as it may, it would appear that the origins of the monastery in Chora can be traced back to the 3rd century, and this is why the site was considered sanctified.
From its foundation/redecoration of the 14th century by Theodore Metochites,
the monastery was associated with many events, a few of which are mentioned
below:
The Patriarch Germanus I (715-730), a staunch supporter of icon veneration,
was deposed and confined to the monastery in Chora for his refusal to subscribe
to the iconoclast policy of Emperor Leo III the Isaurian.
In the reign of Constantine V (780-797), the most crucial phase of the iconoclast controversy, the monastery was deserted.
The name of Symeon, abbot of the monastery in Chora, appears among the
participants in the 8th Ecumenical Council of Nicaea (787), which restored
the veneration of icons.
In the second phase of the Iconomachy the iconoclast revival of the 9th century, Michael Syncellus and his two disciples Theophanes and Theodore the Graptoi came over from Palestine and settled in the monastery.
After a period of decline the monastery was restored in the 11th century
by Maria Ducaena, grand-daughter of Tsar Samuel of Bulgaria and a relative
of Empress Catherine, wife of Isaac I Comnenus (1057-lO59). The ruined
basilica was replaced by a new church of the Greek-cross plan with dome.
Many Patriarchs are connected with the history of the monastery-among others, Cosmas I Hierosolymites (1075-1081) and Athanasius I (1289 1293, 1304-1310).
In the early 14th century, the church was restored and redecorated by
Theodore Metochites, Grand Logothete of the Treasury in the reign of Andronicus
II Palaeologus (1282-1328).
Metochites devoted a great part of his life (1303-1321) and immense fortune to the restoration and redecoration of the monastery of The Holy Savior in Chora and is believed to have inspired the magnificent iconographic programme of the church.
A man of vast learning and great abilities, Theodore Metochites found
himself, at the turn of the 13th to the 14th century, in the midst of the
movement for new spiritual pursuits and the promotion of humane studies,
and associated his name with one of the greatest epochs of artistic creation.
At a period when the structure of the state was steadily disintegrating
and finances deteriorating, when the Empire, torn by the quarrel between
Andronicus Il and his grandson Andronicus III, had to face incursions by
the Turks, the Catalans and the Genoese, a group of scholars rallied around
Andronicus II and with their works on the classic authors and the exact
sciences sparked a new flowering of the letters and arts, known as the
Palaeologan Revival. The group included the well-known historian and tutor
of Metochites's children Nicephorus Gregoras and the writer Nicholas Mesarites.
At the close of the 15th century, the church of The Holy Savior in Chora
was converted into a mosque known as Kariye Camii. Today it is a museum.
After the Conquest, the mosaics and wall paintings of the church were apparently
plastered over. This would explain why the descriptions left by Petrus
Gyllius (1561) and other travellers speak of the beauty of the marble revetments
but make no mention of the mosaic decoration. In the course of time the
monument was severely damaged by fires and earthquakes.
The mosaics in the church of The Holy Savior in Chora and the wall paintings in the parecclesion of the Anastasis bear witness to the high standard ideological background, classical trends, artistic achievements and outstanding character of the Palaeologan Revival in the 14th century. Indeed, this monument is one of the finest and most interesting art galleries in the world.