Good Friday: the Chora Church

It seems fitting to bring you perhaps the finest Christian building I ever saw today.

Hidden without the original walls of lurking, sprawling, stinking Istanbul, the greatest and richest city I ever saw, perhaps the only place I ever saw truly worthy of the name City, is a small Byzantine church. If you think of Byzantine churches of Istanbul, the temptation is to stop at Hagia Sophia, first a church before being converted to a mosque and a museum. This is understandable, Hagia Sophia is a truly breathtaking building which has been etched in my memory for twenty years but the little church I have in mind is just as remarkable, even if my recollection isn't as crisp.

The Chora Church, Kariye Museum or Church of the Holy Saviour in Chora is in part a thousand years old. A mere 700 years ago something astonishing was being done to this church. It was being decorated, and I have never seen or heard of the like anywhere in the Christian world. Frescoes and mosaics cover every surface; they are substantial both in invention and quality. Perhaps those in Ravenna match it, but I've never been.

I'm not certain I've picked out the correct Christ on the right here. It is nothing as a reproduction, but in the flesh something magical, miraculous even, happens. It is painted on the ceiling of an apse; that is to say a half-dome. The curve of the surface combines with the low light levels and the paint in a spectacular way to become the single most three dimensional painting I ever saw. This is not what Byzantine art is supposed to be about. It lives and breathes in a way the photo doesn't even come close to suggesting. If ever a painting was in danger of converting me to Christianity, it was this.

Here by contrast is something one might consider to be more typical of Byzantine art.

It has the characteristic mixture of recognisable, individual faces and totally flat textures. The patterns on the clothing take this contrast to a spectacular and funky extreme. Unfortunately this was not accessible when I went to Istanbul last as the church was having some work done.

On Easter Sunday I have a little something planned, even if it is just an excuse to show you an old photograph. A few years ago I was fortunate enough to go on a tour on which we were invited to spend Easter within Cretan villages and a very extended family. I will need every ounce of my ability with the English language to evoke what needs to be evoked, but if you have never seen a Greek Orthodox Easter - especially in a year when it coincides with St George's day - you have no idea what is about to hit you!

PS -- I haven't put this link in the main part of the post as the chap runs out of bandwidth from time to time, but if his site is working it has the most comprehensive set of pictures of the church that I have found - just be warned - if it is working you could easily use up your whole morning just gazing at some of the things there.