''
'' tr, Zeyrek Camii'' , image = Molla Zeyrek Camii.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption =The mosque viewed from north east. From left to right, one can see the apses of the ''Church of Christ Pantocrator'', the ''Imperial Chapel'' and the ''Church of the Theotokos Eleousa''. , image_upright = 1.2 , map_type = Istanbul Fatih , map_size = , map_caption = Location in the Fatih district of Istanbul , location =

Istanbul ) , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = 34000 to 34990 , area_code = +90 212 (European side) +90 216 (Asian side) , registration_plate = 34 , blank_name_sec2 = GeoTLD , blank_i ...

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula ...

, coordinates = , latitude = , longitude = , religious_affiliation =

Sunni Islam Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disag ...

, rite = , region = , state = , province = , territory = , prefecture = , sector = , consecration_year = Shortly after 1453 , status = , architecture = yes , architect = , architecture_type = Church with

cross-in-square A cross-in-square or crossed-dome plan was the dominant architectural form of middle- and late-period Byzantine churches. It featured a square centre with an internal structure shaped like a cross, topped by a dome. The first cross-in-square chu ...

plan , architecture_style = Middle Byzantine - Comnenian , general_contractor = , facade_direction = , groundbreaking = Between 1118 and 1124 , year_completed = Before 1136 , construction_cost = , specifications = yes , capacity = , length = , width = , width_nave = , height_max = , dome_quantity = , dome_height_outer = , dome_height_inner = , dome_dia_outer = , dome_dia_inner = , minaret_quantity = , minaret_height = , spire_quantity = , spire_height = , materials =

Brick A brick is a type of block used to build walls, pavements and other elements in masonry construction. Properly, the term ''brick'' denotes a block composed of dried clay, but is now also used informally to denote other chemically cured cons ...

Zeyrek Mosque (in tr, Zeyrek Camii) or the Monastery of the Pantokrator ( el, Μονή του Παντοκράτορος Χριστού , in tr, Pantokrator Manastırı), is a large

mosque A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...

in Fazilet Sokağı in the Zeyrek district of

Fatih Fatih () is a district of and a municipality (''belediye'') in Istanbul, Turkey, and home to almost all of the provincial authorities (including the governor's office, police headquarters, metropolitan municipality and tax office) but not the co ...

, overlooking the

Golden Horn The Golden Horn ( tr, Altın Boynuz or ''Haliç''; grc, Χρυσόκερας, ''Chrysókeras''; la, Sinus Ceratinus) is a major urban waterway and the primary inlet of the Bosphorus in Istanbul, Turkey. As a natural estuary that connects with t ...

. It is made up of two former

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

churches and a

chapel A chapel is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. Firstly, smaller spaces inside a church that have their own altar are often called chapels; the Lady chapel is a common type ...

joined together and represents the best example of Middle Byzantine architecture in

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...

. After

Hagia Sophia Hagia Sophia ( 'Holy Wisdom'; ; ; ), officially the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque ( tr, Ayasofya-i Kebir Cami-i Şerifi), is a mosque and major cultural and historical site in Istanbul, Turkey. The cathedral was originally built as a Greek Ortho ...

, it is the largest Byzantine religious edifice still standing in Istanbul. It is less than one km to the southeast of

Eski Imaret Mosque The Eski Imaret Mosque ( tr, Eski Imaret Camii) is a former Byzantine Empire, Byzantine church converted into a mosque by the Ottoman Empire, Ottomans. The church has traditionally been identified as belonging to the Monastery of Christ Pantepoptes ...

, another Byzantine church that was turned into a mosque. East of the complex is an Ottoman Konak which has been restored and opened as a restaurant and tea garden called Zeyrekhane.

History

Byzantine period

Between 1118 and 1124 the

Empress

Irene of Hungary Irene of Hungary (Greek: Είρήνη, born Piroska; 1088 – 13 August 1134) was a Byzantine empress by marriage to John II Komnenos. She is venerated as a saint. Life The name Piroska was a Hungarian derivation of the Latin name Prisca, lite ...

built a

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer whic ...

on this site dedicated to

Christ Pantokrator In Christian iconography, Christ Pantocrator ( grc-gre, Χριστὸς Παντοκράτωρ) is a specific depiction of Christ. ''Pantocrator'' or ''Pantokrator'', literally ''ruler of all'', but usually translated as "Almighty" or "all-p ...

(Christ the Omnipotent).Krautheimer (1986), p. 409 The monastery consisted of a

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * Chri ...

(which became the

katholikon A ''katholikon'' or catholicon ( gr, καθολικόν) or ''sobor'' ( Slavonic: съборъ) refers to one of three things in the Eastern Orthodox Church: * The cathedral of a diocese. * The major church building (temple) of a monastery corre ...

, or main church, of the monasteryOusterhout (2001), p. 133) also dedicated to Christ Pantokrator, a library and a hospital.Gülersoy (1976), p. 213 After the death of his wife, shortly after 1134, Emperor

John II Komnenos John II Komnenos or Comnenus ( gr, Ἱωάννης ὁ Κομνηνός, Iōannēs ho Komnēnos; 13 September 1087 – 8 April 1143) was Byzantine emperor from 1118 to 1143. Also known as "John the Beautiful" or "John the Good" (), he ...

built another church to the north of the first one which was dedicated to the

Theotokos ''Theotokos'' ( Greek: ) is a title of Mary, mother of Jesus, used especially in Eastern Christianity. The usual Latin translations are ''Dei Genitrix'' or '' Deipara'' (approximately "parent (fem.) of God"). Familiar English translations a ...

Eleousa The Eleusa (or ''Eleousa''; el, Ἐλεούσα – ''tenderness'' or ''showing mercy'') is a type of depiction of the Virgin Mary in icons in which the Christ Child is nestled against her cheek. In the Western Church the type is often known as t ...

(Merciful Mother of God). This church was open to the population and served by a lay clergy. By 1136 at the latest a southern courtyard and an

exonarthex The narthex is an architectural element typical of early Christian and Byzantine basilicas and churches consisting of the entrance or lobby area, located at the west end of the nave, opposite the church's main altar. Traditionally the narthex w ...

were added to the complex, and the two shrines were connected with a chapel dedicated to

Saint Michael Michael (; he, מִיכָאֵל, lit=Who is like El od, translit=Mīḵāʾēl; el, Μιχαήλ, translit=Mikhaḗl; la, Michahel; ar, ميخائيل ، مِيكَالَ ، ميكائيل, translit=Mīkāʾīl, Mīkāl, Mīkhāʾīl), also ...

, which became the imperial mausoleum ('' heroon'') of the

Komnenos Komnenos ( gr, Κομνηνός; Latinized Comnenus; plural Komnenoi or Comneni (Κομνηνοί, )) was a Byzantine Greek noble family who ruled the Byzantine Empire from 1081 to 1185, and later, as the Grand Komnenoi (Μεγαλοκομνην� ...

and

Palaiologos The House of Palaiologos ( Palaiologoi; grc-gre, Παλαιολόγος, pl. , female version Palaiologina; grc-gre, Παλαιολογίνα), also found in English-language literature as Palaeologus or Palaeologue, was a Byzantine Greek f ...

dynasties. Besides many other Byzantine dignitaries, the Emperor John II and his wife Eirene, and Empress

Bertha of Sulzbach Bertha of Sulzbach (1110s – August 29, 1159) was a Byzantine Empress by marriage to Byzantine Emperor Manuel I Komnenos. Life She was born in Sulzbach, a daughter of Berengar II, Count of Sulzbach (c. 1080 – 3 December 1125) and his second spo ...

(also known as Eirene), the wife of

Manuel I Komnenos Manuel I Komnenos ( el, Μανουήλ Κομνηνός, translit=Manouíl Komnenos, translit-std=ISO; 28 November 1118 – 24 September 1180), Latinized Comnenus, also called Porphyrogennetos (; " born in the purple"), was a Byzantine empero ...

, were buried here.Gülersoy (1976), p. 213 During the period of Latin domination after the

Fourth Crusade The Fourth Crusade (1202–1204) was a Latin Christian armed expedition called by Pope Innocent III. The stated intent of the expedition was to recapture the Muslim-controlled city of Jerusalem, by first defeating the powerful Egyptian Ayyubid S ...

in 1204, the complex fell into the hands of the

Venetian Venetian often means from or related to: * Venice, a city in Italy * Veneto, a region of Italy * Republic of Venice (697–1797), a historical nation in that area Venetian and the like may also refer to: * Venetian language, a Romance language s ...

clergy, and an

icon An icon () is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, in the cultures of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Catholic churches. They are not simply artworks; "an icon is a sacred image used in religious devotion". The mos ...

of the

Hodegetria A Hodegetria , ; russian: Одиги́трия, Odigítria ; Romanian: Hodighitria, or Virgin Hodegetria, is an iconographic depiction of the Theotokos (Virgin Mary) holding the Child Jesus at her side while pointing to him as the source of s ...

was housed here. The monastery was also used as an imperial palace by the last

Latin Emperor The Latin Emperor was the ruler of the Latin Empire, the historiographical convention for the Crusader realm, established in Constantinople after the Fourth Crusade (1204) and lasting until the city was recovered by the Byzantine Greeks in 126 ...

, Baldwin. After the Palaiologan restoration the monastery was once again used by Orthodox monks. The most famous of them was

Gennadius II Scholarius Gennadius II ( Greek Γεννάδιος Βʹ; lay name Γεώργιος Κουρτέσιος Σχολάριος, ''Georgios Kourtesios Scholarios''; c. 1400 – c. 1473) was a Byzantine Greek philosopher and theologian, and Ecumenical Patriarc ...

, who left the Pantokrator to become the first Patriarch of Constantinople after the Muslim conquest of the city in 1453.

Ottoman and Republican period

Shortly after the

Fall of Constantinople The Fall of Constantinople, also known as the Conquest of Constantinople, was the capture of the capital of the Byzantine Empire by the Ottoman Empire. The city fell on 29 May 1453 as part of the culmination of a 53-day siege which had begun o ...

the main church was converted into a mosque, while the monastery served for a while as a

medrese Madrasa (, also , ; Arabic: مدرسة , pl. , ) is the Arabic word for any type of educational institution, secular or religious (of any religion), whether for elementary instruction or higher learning. The word is variously transliterated '' ...

.Eyice (1955), p. 58 The

Ottomans The Ottoman Turks ( tr, Osmanlı Türkleri), were the Turkic founding and sociopolitically the most dominant ethnic group of the Ottoman Empire ( 1299/1302–1922). Reliable information about the early history of Ottoman Turks remains scarce, ...

named it after Molla Zeyrek, a scholar who taught there. However, because of its importance to Byzantine history, Zeyrek was one of the few buildings of

whose old denomination was never forgotten and was written about by foreign visitors including the French traveller

Pierre Gilles Petrus Gyllius or Gillius (or Pierre Gilles) (1490–1555) was a French natural scientist, topographer and translator. Gilles was born in Albi, southern France. A great traveller, he studied the Mediterranean and Orient, producing such works as ...

who described it in his book about Constantinople, written in the sixteenth century. After the completion of the medreses in the Fatih complex in 1471, Muslim students abandoned Zeyrek,Ahunbay (2001), p. 118 and the rooms once occupied by the school vanished.Gülersoy (1976), p. 213 By the early 21st century the edifice had become very rundown and partly ruinous as a result of which it was added to the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international coope ...

watchlist of endangered monuments. Extensive and sometimes controversial restoration has now been completed and the mosque reopened for prayer.

Architecture

The

masonry Masonry is the building of structures from individual units, which are often laid in and bound together by mortar; the term ''masonry'' can also refer to the units themselves. The common materials of masonry construction are bricks, building ...

has been partly built using the ''recessed brick'' technique typical of the Byzantine architecture of the middle period. In this technique, alternate courses of bricks are mounted behind the line of the wall in a mortar bed. The thickness of the mortar layers is about three times greater than that of the brick layers. The south and the north church are both cross-shaped with central

dome A dome () is an architectural element similar to the hollow upper half of a sphere. There is significant overlap with the term cupola, which may also refer to a dome or a structure on top of a dome. The precise definition of a dome has been a m ...

s and polygonal

apse In architecture, an apse (plural apses; from Latin 'arch, vault' from Ancient Greek 'arch'; sometimes written apsis, plural apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome, also known as an '' exedra''. ...

s with seven sides rather than the five that had been typical in the Byzantine architecture of the previous century. The apses also feature triple

lancet window A lancet window is a tall, narrow window with a pointed arch at its top. It acquired the "lancet" name from its resemblance to a lance. Instances of this architectural element are typical of Gothic church edifices of the earliest period. Lancet ...

s flanked by niches. The southern church is the largest. To the east it has an esonarthex, which was eventually extended right up to the imperial chapel. The church is surmounted by two domes, one over the '' naos'' and the other over the ''matroneum'' (a separate upper gallery for women) of the

narthex The narthex is an architectural element typical of early Christian and Byzantine basilicas and churches consisting of the entrance or lobby area, located at the west end of the nave, opposite the church's main altar. Traditionally the narth ...

. Once very rich, the decoration of the church has disappeared almost completely, bar some marble fragments in the

presbyterium Presbyterium is a modern term used in the Catholic Church and Eastern Catholic Churches after the Second Vatican Council in reference to a college of priests, in active ministry, of an individual particular church such as a diocese or eparchy. T ...

. Unfortunately the beautiful

opus sectile ''Opus sectile'' is a form of pietra dura popularized in the ancient and medieval Roman world where materials were cut and inlaid into walls and floors to make a picture or pattern. Common materials were marble, mother of pearl, and glass. The ...

floor made from coloured marble worked in a

cloisonné Cloisonné () is an ancient technique for decorating metalwork objects with colored material held in place or separated by metal strips or wire, normally of gold. In recent centuries, vitreous enamel has been used, but inlays of cut gemstones, ...

technique, with human and animal figures represented, is now hidden beneath a modern carpet. Fragments of coloured glass found here suggest that the windows were once filled with

stained glass Stained glass is coloured glass as a material or works created from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant religious buildings. Although tradition ...

with figures of saints.Krautheimer (1986), p. 410 Mosaics representing the apostles and the life of Christ were still visible - although defaced - in the 18th century.Ronchey (2009), p. 576. The imperial chapel is covered by

barrel vault A barrel vault, also known as a tunnel vault, wagon vault or wagonhead vault, is an architectural element formed by the extrusion of a single curve (or pair of curves, in the case of a pointed barrel vault) along a given distance. The curves are ...

s and surmounted by two domes. The north church has only one dome, and is notable for the

frieze In architecture, the frieze is the wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic or Doric order, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Paterae are also usually used to decorate friezes. Even when neither columns nor ...

carved with dog's tooth and triangle motifs running along the

eaves The eaves are the edges of the roof which overhang the face of a wall and, normally, project beyond the side of a building. The eaves form an overhang to throw water clear of the walls and may be highly decorated as part of an architectural styl ...

. Near the mosque is the Şeyh Süleyman Mescidi, a small Byzantine building that probably belonged to the Pantokrator Monastery. It may have housed a library although that is not certain. In its entirely, this monastic complex is the best example of Middle Byzantine architecture to survive in Istanbul File:Zeyrek Mosque 2888.jpg, Zeyrek Mosque File:Zeyrek Mosque 1349.jpg, Zeyrek Mosque File:Zeyrek Mosque 1344.jpg, Zeyrek Mosque File:Istanbul Molla Zeyrek Mosque june 2019 2747.jpg, alt=Istanbul Molla Zeyrek Mosque Part of front, Molla Zeyrek Mosque: Part of front File:Istanbul Molla Zeyrek Mosque june 2019 2754.jpg, alt=Istanbul Molla Zeyrek Mosque South church, Molla Zeyrek Mosque: South church File:Istanbul Molla Zeyrek Mosque june 2019 2756.jpg, alt=Istanbul Molla Zeyrek Mosque Mihrab, Molla Zeyrek Mosque: Mihrab File:Istanbul Molla Zeyrek Mosque june 2019 2753.jpg, alt=Istanbul Molla Zeyrek Mosque Mihrab, Molla Zeyrek Mosque: Mihrab File:Istanbul Molla Zeyrek Mosque june 2019 2758.jpg, alt=Istanbul Molla Zeyrek Mosque Hünkar mahfili, Molla Zeyrek Mosque: ''Hünkar mahfili'' used by sultan File:Istanbul Molla Zeyrek Mosque june 2019 2781.jpg, alt=Istanbul Molla Zeyrek Mosque Hünkar mahfili underside, Molla Zeyrek Mosque: ''Hünkar mahfili'' underside File:Istanbul Molla Zeyrek Mosque june 2019 2767.jpg, alt=Istanbul Molla Zeyrek Mosque General view, General view of Molla Zeyrek Mosque File:Istanbul Molla Zeyrek Mosque june 2019 2795.jpg, alt=Istanbul Molla Zeyrek Mosque Doorframe, Byzantine doorframe of Molla Zeyrek Mosque File:Istanbul Molla Zeyrek Mosque june 2019 2800.jpg, alt=Istanbul Molla Zeyrek Mosque Exterior view, Molla Zeyrek Mosque: Exterior view

Notes

References

* * * * * * * *

External links

Byzantium 1200 , Pantokrator Monastery
{{Authority control Churches completed in 1124 12th-century Eastern Orthodox church buildings Byzantine sacred architecture Mosques converted from churches in Istanbul Mosque buildings with domes Fatih Historic sites in Turkey Mosques completed in 1453 Church buildings with domes