Chora Mosque preserves layers of Byzantine church art and later Ottoman religious use. Its mosaics and frescoes, many dating to 1305–1320, belong to a building that has changed function over centuries; visitors should approach it as an active sacred site with care and respect.
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The painted surfaces here belong to a building with a long religious life. Chora began as a Byzantine church associated with a monastery outside Constantinople’s old walls; its name refers to the countryside beyond the city. Many of its celebrated mosaics and frescoes were made between 1305 and 1320.
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Quick facts
- Many of the church’s mosaics and frescoes date to 1305–1320.
- The building was converted into a mosque in 1511 and later served as a museum.
- It returned to mosque use in 2024.
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