Chora Church (Kariye Mosque)

The Chora Church (originally the Monastery of the Holy Saviour in the Country, then Kariye Camii under the Ottomans, now the Kariye Museum) is widely considered to contain the finest Byzantine mosaics and frescoes in Istanbul — and arguably in the world. The building itself is small, plain from the outside, and easy to miss among the apartment blocks of the Edirnekapı neighborhood.

The interior is staggering. The mosaics date from around 1077-1185, with the frescoes added after the earthquake of 1261 destroyed much of the original decoration. The Anastasis scene in the inner narthex — Christ pulling Adam out of Hell — is the most-photographed single image in Byzantine art. The Virgin Hodegetria in the inner narthex, the Nativity, the Betrayal, and the Mother of God in the apse are equally stunning. The iconography has the wide eyes and elongated forms that defined late-Byzantine style before the fall of Constantinople.

The mosque was converted to a museum in 1945, then converted back to a mosque in 2020 — for now the mosaics remain accessible to visitors but the building's status has been contested. Hours and access for the mosaics can be inconsistent. Verify before visiting.

Free or nominal entry. Combine with a visit to the nearby Mihrimah Sultan Mosque and the Theodosian Walls, all in the same area.