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The Anastasis, Church of the St. Savior in Chora, Parekklesion, 1316-21
Chora Museum |
The image of the Hagia Sophia always looms commanding and magnificent when one thinks of Istanbul but there is one other Byzantine church that also deserves just as much attention as her bigger, more famous sister, the Church of the St. Savoir in Chora. The magic about the Chora starts with its name, giving us a glimpse into a time and a city that was so far removed from what we know as Istanbul today. The name Chora comes from the Greek word
Hora which has been translated as "land", "country" or "in the country," and in this case "outside the wall." Although it is located inside the Land Walls built by Theodosius II in the 5th century, near Adrionople gate, the first church built on this spot was outside of the city walls Constantine established in 324, hence the name. This was due to the ascetic lives lead by monks - at first monasteries would be built away from the city, outside of the city walls, a characteristic that would change in time as private, aristocratic houses in Constantinople would start to be turned into monasteries.
