Zeyrek Mosque
Encyclopedia
Zeyrek Mosque is a mosque
in Istanbul
, made of two former Eastern Orthodox churches and a chapel
. It represents the most typical example of architecture of the Byzantine middle period
in Constantinople
and is, after Hagia Sophia
, the second largest religious edifice built by the Byzantine
s still extant in Istanbul.
, in a popular neighborhood which got its name (Zeyrek
) from the Mosque, and less than one km to the southeast of Eski Imaret Mosque
. It is picturesque but (as of 2007) decayed and dangerous in the night hours.
Empress Eirene Komnena
built a monastery
on this site dedicated to Christ Pantokrator. The monastery consisted of a main church (which became the Katholikon
of the monastery ) also dedicated to the Pantokrator, a library and a hospital.
After the death of his wife, shortly after 1124, Emperor John II Komnenos
built another church to the north of the first dedicated to the Theotokos
Eleousa ("the merciful"). This church was open to the population and served by a lay clergy. Finally (the terminus ante quem is 1136 ) a south courtyard and an exonarthex were added to the complex , and the two shrines were connected with a chapel (dedicated to Saint Michael
), which became the imperial mausoleum (heroon
) of the Komnenos
and Palaiologos
dynasties. Besides many Byzantine dignitaries, Emperor John II and his wife Eirene, Empress Bertha of Sulzbach
(also known as Eirene, and wife of Manuel I Komnenos
), and Emperor John V Palaiologos
were buried here.
During the Latin domination
after the Fourth Crusade
, the complex was the see of the Venetian
clergy, and the icon
of the Theotokos
Hodegetria
was housed here. The monastery was also used as an imperial palace by the last Latin Emperor
, Baldwin
. After the Palaiologan
restoration the monastery was used again by Orthodox monks. The most famous among them was Gennadius II Scholarius
, who left the Pantokrator to become the first Patriarch of Constantinople after the Islamic conquest of the city.
the building was converted into a mosque, and the monastery was converted for a while into a Medrese. The Ottomans
named it after Molla Zeyrek, a scholar who was teaching there. However, due to its importance in Byzantine history, Zeyrek was one among the few buildings of Istanbul whose ancient denomination was never forgotten. Among others, the church of Pantokrator is remembered by Pierre Gilles
in his classic work about Constantinople, written in the sixteenth century. After the completion of the Medreses in the Fatih complex
in 1471, the students abandoned Zeyrek, and the rooms of the monastery occupied by the Medrese vanished later.
Until a few years ago, the edifice was in a desolate state, and as a result it was added to the UNESCO
watchlist of endangered monuments. During the recent years it underwent extensive (albeit still unfinished) restoration.
Today Zeyrek Mosque is - after Hagia Sophia
- the second largest extant religious edifice built by the Byzantines in Istanbul.
To the East lies the Ottoman Konak (Zeyrek Hane), which has also been restored and is now open as a restaurant and tea garden.
has been partly built adopting the technique of the recessed brick, typical of the Byzantine architecture of the middle period . In this technique, alternate courses of bricks are mounted behind the line of the wall, and are plunged in a mortar
's bed. Due to that, the thickness of the mortar layers is about three times greater than that of the bricks layers.
The south and the north church are both cross dome
d with polygonal apse
s having seven sides, and not five as was typical in the Byzantine architecture of the previous century. The apses have also triple lancet window
s flanked by niches
.
The southern church is the largest. To the East it has an esonarthex
, which later was extended 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 decoration of this church, which was very rich, disappeared almost completely, except for some fragments of marble in the presbyterium
and, above all, a beautiful floor in opus sectile
made with colored marbles worked in cloisonné
technique, where human and animal figures are represented . Moreover, fragments of colored glass suggest that the windows of this church were once made of stained glass
bearing figures of Saints . The mosaics of the interior, representing the apostles and the life of Christ, were still visible - although defaced - in the 18th century.
The imperial chapel is covered by barrel vault
s and is surmounted by two domes too.
The north church has only one dome, and is notable for its frieze
, carved with a dog's tooth and triangle motif running along the eaves
line.
Close to the Mosque is placed the small Şeyh Süleyman Mescidi, a small byzantine building belonging also to the Pantokrator Monastery.
As a whole, this complex represents the most typical example of architecture of the Byzantine middle period
in Constantinople .
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
in Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
, made of two former Eastern Orthodox churches and a chapel
Chapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
. It represents the most typical example of architecture of the Byzantine middle period
Byzantine architecture
Byzantine architecture is the architecture of the Byzantine Empire. The empire gradually emerged as a distinct artistic and cultural entity from what is today referred to as the Roman Empire after AD 330, when the Roman Emperor Constantine moved the capital of the Roman Empire east from Rome to...
in Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
and is, after Hagia Sophia
Hagia Sophia
Hagia Sophia is a former Orthodox patriarchal basilica, later a mosque, and now a museum in Istanbul, Turkey...
, the second largest religious edifice built by the Byzantine
Byzantine
Byzantine usually refers to the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages.Byzantine may also refer to:* A citizen of the Byzantine Empire, or native Greek during the Middle Ages...
s still extant in Istanbul.
Location
The complex is placed in Fazilet Sokağı, in the district of FatihFatih
Fatih is a municipality and district in Istanbul, Turkey that encompasses most of the peninsula coinciding with historic Constantinople. In 2009, the district of Eminönü, formerly a separate municipality located at the tip of the peninsula, was merged into Fatih...
, in a popular neighborhood which got its name (Zeyrek
Zeyrek
Zeyrek is part of the Fatih district of Istanbul. It overlooks the Golden Horn, and got its name from the mosque of Zeyrek. It hosts also several Byzantine cisterns and the little Şeyh Süleyman Mosque, also of byzantine origin...
) from the Mosque, and less than one km to the southeast of Eski Imaret Mosque
Eski Imaret Mosque
Eski Imaret Mosque is a former Eastern Orthodox church converted into a mosque by the Ottomans. The church has traditionally been identified with that belonging to the Monastery of Christ Pantepoptes , meaning "Christ the all-seeing". It is the only documented 11th-century church in Istanbul which...
. It is picturesque but (as of 2007) decayed and dangerous in the night hours.
Byzantine period
Between 1118 and 1124 ByzantineByzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
Empress Eirene Komnena
Piroska of Hungary
Saint Irene of Hungary, born Piroska, was a daughter of Ladislaus I of Hungary and Adelaide of Swabia. Her maternal grandparents were Rudolf of Rheinfeld and his second wife Adelheid of Savoy. Adelheid was a daughter of Otto of Savoy and Adelaide of Turin. She was the mother of the future emperor...
built a monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
on this site dedicated to Christ Pantokrator. The monastery consisted of a main church (which became the Katholikon
Katholikon
A Katholikon or Catholicon is the major temple of a monastery, or diocese in the Eastern Orthodox Church. The name derives from the fact that it is the largest temple where all gather together to celebrate the major feast days of the liturgical year. At other times, the smaller temples or...
of the monastery ) also dedicated to the Pantokrator, a library and a hospital.
After the death of his wife, shortly after 1124, Emperor John II Komnenos
John II Komnenos
John II Komnenos was Byzantine Emperor from 1118 to 1143. Also known as Kaloïōannēs , he was the eldest son of Emperor Alexios I Komnenos and Irene Doukaina...
built another church to the north of the first dedicated to the Theotokos
Theotokos
Theotokos is the Greek title of Mary, the mother of Jesus used especially in the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Catholic Churches. Its literal English translations include God-bearer and the one who gives birth to God. Less literal translations include Mother of God...
Eleousa ("the merciful"). This church was open to the population and served by a lay clergy. Finally (the terminus ante quem is 1136 ) a south courtyard and an exonarthex were added to the complex , and the two shrines were connected with a chapel (dedicated to Saint Michael
Michael (archangel)
Michael , Micha'el or Mîkhā'ēl; , Mikhaḗl; or Míchaël; , Mīkhā'īl) is an archangel in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic teachings. Roman Catholics, Anglicans, and Lutherans refer to him as Saint Michael the Archangel and also simply as Saint Michael...
), which became the imperial mausoleum (heroon
Heroon
A heroon , also called heroum, was a shrine dedicated to an ancient Greek or Roman hero and used for the commemoration or cult worship of the hero. It was often erected over his supposed tomb or cenotaph....
) of the Komnenos
Komnenos
Komnenós or Comnenus was the name of a ruling family of the Eastern Roman Empire , who halted the political decline of the Empire from c.1081 to c.1185.-Origins:...
and Palaiologos
Palaiologos
Palaiologos , often latinized as Palaeologus, was a Byzantine Greek noble family, which produced the last ruling dynasty of the Byzantine Empire. After the Fourth Crusade, members of the family fled to the neighboring Empire of Nicaea, where Michael VIII Palaiologos became co-emperor in 1259,...
dynasties. Besides many Byzantine dignitaries, Emperor John II and his wife Eirene, Empress Bertha of Sulzbach
Bertha of Sulzbach
Bertha of Sulzbach was the first wife and Empress of Byzantine Emperor Manuel I Comnenus.-Family:...
(also known as Eirene, and wife of Manuel I Komnenos
Manuel I Komnenos
Manuel I Komnenos was a Byzantine Emperor of the 12th century who reigned over a crucial turning point in the history of Byzantium and the Mediterranean....
), and Emperor John V Palaiologos
John V Palaiologos
John V Palaiologos was a Byzantine emperor, who succeeded his father in 1341, at age nine.-Biography:...
were buried here.
During the Latin domination
Latin Empire
The Latin Empire or Latin Empire of Constantinople is the name given by historians to the feudal Crusader state founded by the leaders of the Fourth Crusade on lands captured from the Byzantine Empire. It was established after the capture of Constantinople in 1204 and lasted until 1261...
after the Fourth Crusade
Fourth Crusade
The Fourth Crusade was originally intended to conquer Muslim-controlled Jerusalem by means of an invasion through Egypt. Instead, in April 1204, the Crusaders of Western Europe invaded and conquered the Christian city of Constantinople, capital of the Eastern Roman Empire...
, the complex was the see of the Venetian
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
clergy, and the icon
Icon
An icon is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, from Eastern Christianity and in certain Eastern Catholic churches...
of the Theotokos
Theotokos
Theotokos is the Greek title of Mary, the mother of Jesus used especially in the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Catholic Churches. Its literal English translations include God-bearer and the one who gives birth to God. Less literal translations include Mother of God...
Hodegetria
Hodegetria
A Hodegetria — or Virgin Hodegetria — is an iconographic depiction of the Theotokos holding the Child Jesus at her side while pointing to Him as the source of salvation for mankind...
was housed here. The monastery was also used as an imperial palace by the last Latin Emperor
Latin Empire
The Latin Empire or Latin Empire of Constantinople is the name given by historians to the feudal Crusader state founded by the leaders of the Fourth Crusade on lands captured from the Byzantine Empire. It was established after the capture of Constantinople in 1204 and lasted until 1261...
, Baldwin
Baldwin II of Constantinople
Baldwin II of Courtenay was the last emperor of the Latin Empire of Constantinople.He was a younger son of Yolanda of Flanders, sister of the first two emperors, Baldwin I and Henry of Flanders...
. After the Palaiologan
Palaiologos
Palaiologos , often latinized as Palaeologus, was a Byzantine Greek noble family, which produced the last ruling dynasty of the Byzantine Empire. After the Fourth Crusade, members of the family fled to the neighboring Empire of Nicaea, where Michael VIII Palaiologos became co-emperor in 1259,...
restoration the monastery was used again by Orthodox monks. The most famous among them was Gennadius II Scholarius
Gennadius II Scholarius
Gennadius II Gennadius II (in Greek Γεννάδιος Β') (lay name Georgios Kourtesios Scholarios, in Greek Γεώργιος Κουρτέσιος Σχολάριος) Gennadius II (in Greek Γεννάδιος Β') (lay name Georgios Kourtesios Scholarios, in Greek Γεώργιος Κουρτέσιος Σχολάριος) (c. 1400 – c...
, who left the Pantokrator to become the first Patriarch of Constantinople after the Islamic conquest of the city.
Ottoman and Republican period
Shortly after the Fall of ConstantinopleFall of Constantinople
The Fall of Constantinople was the capture of the capital of the Byzantine Empire, which occurred after a siege by the Ottoman Empire, under the command of Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II, against the defending army commanded by Byzantine Emperor Constantine XI...
the building was converted into a mosque, and the monastery was converted for a while into a Medrese. The Ottomans
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
named it after Molla Zeyrek, a scholar who was teaching there. However, due to its importance in Byzantine history, Zeyrek was one among the few buildings of Istanbul whose ancient denomination was never forgotten. Among others, the church of Pantokrator is remembered by Pierre Gilles
Petrus Gillius
Petrus Gyllius or Gillius was a French natural scientist, topographer and translator...
in his classic work about Constantinople, written in the sixteenth century. After the completion of the Medreses in the Fatih complex
Fatih Mosque
The Fatih Mosque or Conqueror's Mosque in English) is an Ottoman imperial mosque located in the Fatih district of Istanbul, Turkey. It was one of the largest examples of Turkish-Islamic architecture in Istanbul and represented an important stage in the development of classic Turkish...
in 1471, the students abandoned Zeyrek, and the rooms of the monastery occupied by the Medrese vanished later.
Until a few years ago, the edifice was in a desolate state, and as a result it was added to the UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
watchlist of endangered monuments. During the recent years it underwent extensive (albeit still unfinished) restoration.
Today Zeyrek Mosque is - after Hagia Sophia
Hagia Sophia
Hagia Sophia is a former Orthodox patriarchal basilica, later a mosque, and now a museum in Istanbul, Turkey...
- the second largest extant religious edifice built by the Byzantines in Istanbul.
To the East lies the Ottoman Konak (Zeyrek Hane), which has also been restored and is now open as a restaurant and tea garden.
Description
The masonryMasonry
Masonry is the building of structures from individual units laid in and bound together by mortar; the term masonry can also refer to the units themselves. The common materials of masonry construction are brick, stone, marble, granite, travertine, limestone; concrete block, glass block, stucco, and...
has been partly built adopting the technique of the recessed brick, typical of the Byzantine architecture of the middle period . In this technique, alternate courses of bricks are mounted behind the line of the wall, and are plunged in a mortar
Mortar (masonry)
Mortar is a workable paste used to bind construction blocks together and fill the gaps between them. The blocks may be stone, brick, cinder blocks, etc. Mortar becomes hard when it sets, resulting in a rigid aggregate structure. Modern mortars are typically made from a mixture of sand, a binder...
's bed. Due to that, the thickness of the mortar layers is about three times greater than that of the bricks layers.
The south and the north church are both cross dome
Dome
A dome is a structural element of architecture that resembles the hollow upper half of a sphere. Dome structures made of various materials have a long architectural lineage extending into prehistory....
d with polygonal apse
Apse
In architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...
s having seven sides, and not five as was typical in the Byzantine architecture of the previous century. The apses have also triple lancet window
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 motif are most often found in Gothic and ecclesiastical structures, where they are often placed singly or in pairs.The motif first...
s flanked by niches
Niche (architecture)
A niche in classical architecture is an exedra or an apse that has been reduced in size, retaining the half-dome heading usual for an apse. Nero's Domus Aurea was the first semi-private dwelling that possessed rooms that were given richly varied floor plans, shaped with niches and exedras;...
.
The southern church is the largest. To the East it has an esonarthex
Narthex
The narthex of a church is the entrance or lobby area, located at the end of the nave, at the far end from the church's main altar. Traditionally the narthex was a part of the church building, but was not considered part of the church proper...
, which later was extended up to the imperial chapel. The church is surmounted by two domes, one over the naos
Cella
A cella or naos , is the inner chamber of a temple in classical architecture, or a shop facing the street in domestic Roman architecture...
and the other over the matroneum (a separate upper gallery for women) of the narthex
Narthex
The narthex of a church is the entrance or lobby area, located at the end of the nave, at the far end from the church's main altar. Traditionally the narthex was a part of the church building, but was not considered part of the church proper...
.
The decoration of this church, which was very rich, disappeared almost completely, except for some fragments of marble in the presbyterium
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...
and, above all, a beautiful floor in opus sectile
Opus sectile
Opus sectile refers to an art technique 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 materials were cut in thin pieces, polished, then trimmed...
made with colored marbles worked in cloisonné
Cloisonné
Cloisonné is an ancient technique for decorating metalwork objects, in recent centuries using vitreous enamel, and in older periods also inlays of cut gemstones, glass, and other materials. The resulting objects can also be called cloisonné...
technique, where human and animal figures are represented . Moreover, fragments of colored glass suggest that the windows of this church were once made of stained glass
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
bearing figures of Saints . The mosaics of the interior, representing the apostles and the life of Christ, were still visible - although defaced - in the 18th century.
The imperial chapel is covered by barrel vault
Barrel vault
A barrel vault, also known as a tunnel vault or a wagon vault, is an architectural element formed by the extrusion of a single curve along a given distance. The curves are typically circular in shape, lending a semi-cylindrical appearance to the total design...
s and is surmounted by two domes too.
The north church has only one dome, and is notable for its frieze
Frieze
thumb|267px|Frieze of the [[Tower of the Winds]], AthensIn 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. Even when neither columns nor pilasters are expressed, on an astylar wall it lies upon...
, carved with a dog's tooth and triangle motif running along the eaves
Eaves
The eaves of a roof are its lower edges. They usually project beyond the walls of the building to carry rain water away.-Etymology:"Eaves" is derived from Old English and is both the singular and plural form of the word.- Function :...
line.
Close to the Mosque is placed the small Şeyh Süleyman Mescidi, a small byzantine building belonging also to the Pantokrator Monastery.
As a whole, this complex represents the most typical example of architecture of the Byzantine middle period
Byzantine architecture
Byzantine architecture is the architecture of the Byzantine Empire. The empire gradually emerged as a distinct artistic and cultural entity from what is today referred to as the Roman Empire after AD 330, when the Roman Emperor Constantine moved the capital of the Roman Empire east from Rome to...
in Constantinople .