Vefa Kilise Mosque
Encyclopedia
Vefa Kilise Mosque is a former Eastern Orthodox church converted into a mosque
by the Ottomans
. The church was possibly dedicated to Hagios Theodoros (St. Theodore, in ), but this dedication is far from certain. The complex represents one of the most important examples of Comnenian
and Palaiologan
architecture of Constantinople
.
, in the district of Fatih
, in the neighborhood of Vefa
, less than one kilometer to the northwest of the other great Byzantine building in Vefa (the mosque of Kalenderhane
), and a few hundred meters south of the Süleymaniye Mosque.
, is not certain. Judging by its masonry, it was erected between the end of the 11th and the beginning of the 12th centuries, during the reign of Alexios I Komnenos
. The dedication to Hagios Theodoros is also far from certain. During the Latin domination
of Constantinople after the Fourth Crusade
the edifice was used as a Roman Catholic
church.
Shortly after the Ottoman
conquest of Constantinople
, the church became a mosque, founded by the famous Kurdish
scholar
Molla Gürani, who was the tutor of Sultan
Mehmed II
and would become the first Mufti
of Istanbul. The mosque is also named after him. In 1833, a fire ravaged the complex destroying the wooden annexes. In 1937, the building underwent a partial restoration, and its surviving mosaic
s were uncovered and cleaned.
(or quincunx
) plan, with each side nine meters long. Together with the Eski Imaret Mosque
, provides an example of the Komnenian
style in Constantinople. Its masonry
consists of brick
s, mounted adopting the technique of the recessed brick, typical of the Byzantine architecture of the middle period. In this technique, alternate courses of brick are mounted behind the line of the wall, and are plunged into a mortar
bed. Due to that, the thickness of the mortar layers is about three times greater than that of the brick layers.
The building has blind arcades
, and the apse
is interrupted by a triple lancet window
with niches
over it. The light penetrates into the cross arms through triple arcades. The exterior of the main church has occasional decorative motifs, such as snake patterns.
Besides this building, the complex contains also an exonarthex
to the west, a portico
(which joins a parekklesion with the bema
) with columns and arches to the south, and finally a corridor to the north.
The exonarthex represents one of the most typical examples of Palaiologan architecture in Constantinople, along with the parekklesia of the Pammakaristos
, the Chora
Churches, and Fethiye Mosque. The date of its edification should be placed after those of the parekklesia of the Pammakaristos
and Chora
Churches. Its façade has two orders, both opened with arcades. On the lower order there are angular niches followed by triple arcades. The higher order is quite different from the lower, and has five semicircular blind arcades framing windows. The masonry is made of banded and colorful brickwork and stonework, especially visible on the north side. Overall, the execution is less refined than in the parekklesion of the Fethiye Mosque.
The exonarthex is surmounted by three dome
s. The lateral ones are of umbrella type, while the central one has ribs. The internal decoration of the exonarthex includes: column
s, capitals
and closure slabs which are all reused material from the Early Byzantine period. The three domes were all covered with mosaics. Those on the south dome were cleaned in 1937 under the direction of the Ministry of Mosques, but as of 2007 they have disappeared almost completely. The interior of the church proper, on the contrary, has never been de-plastered up to now.
Two fairly large underground cistern
s placed to the S and W of the church hint to the existence of a monastery in the byzantine age.
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...
by 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...
. The church was possibly dedicated to Hagios Theodoros (St. Theodore, in ), but this dedication is far from certain. The complex represents one of the most important examples of Comnenian
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 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,...
architecture of 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:...
.
Location
The building lies in IstanbulIstanbul
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...
, in the district of Fatih
Fatih
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 the neighborhood of Vefa
Vefa
Vefa is a neighborhood of Istanbul. It is part of the district of Fatih and managed as borough of Mollahüsrev, inside the walled city. It belonged to Eminönü between 1928 and 2008. It lies roughly northwest of the eastern section of the Aqueduct of Valens, and is rich of monuments, both Byzantine,...
, less than one kilometer to the northwest of the other great Byzantine building in Vefa (the mosque of Kalenderhane
Kalenderhane Mosque
-External links:* * * * *...
), and a few hundred meters south of the Süleymaniye Mosque.
History
The origin of the building, which lies on the slope of the third hill of ConstantinopleConstantinople
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:...
, is not certain. Judging by its masonry, it was erected between the end of the 11th and the beginning of the 12th centuries, during the reign of Alexios I Komnenos
Alexios I Komnenos
Alexios I Komnenos, Latinized as Alexius I Comnenus , was Byzantine emperor from 1081 to 1118, and although he was not the founder of the Komnenian dynasty, it was during his reign that the Komnenos family came to full power. The title 'Nobilissimus' was given to senior army commanders,...
. The dedication to Hagios Theodoros is also far from certain. 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...
of Constantinople 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 edifice was used as a Roman Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
church.
Shortly after the Ottoman
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...
conquest of Constantinople
Fall 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 church became a mosque, founded by the famous Kurdish
Kurdish people
The Kurdish people, or Kurds , are an Iranian people native to the Middle East, mostly inhabiting a region known as Kurdistan, which includes adjacent parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey...
scholar
Mullah
Mullah is generally used to refer to a Muslim man, educated in Islamic theology and sacred law. The title, given to some Islamic clergy, is derived from the Arabic word مَوْلَى mawlā , meaning "vicar", "master" and "guardian"...
Molla Gürani, who was the tutor of Sultan
Sultan
Sultan is a title with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", and "dictatorship", derived from the masdar سلطة , meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who...
Mehmed II
Mehmed II
Mehmed II , was Sultan of the Ottoman Empire for a short time from 1444 to September 1446, and later from...
and would become the first Mufti
Mufti
A mufti is a Sunni Islamic scholar who is an interpreter or expounder of Islamic law . In religious administrative terms, a mufti is roughly equivalent to a deacon to a Sunni population...
of Istanbul. The mosque is also named after him. In 1833, a fire ravaged the complex destroying the wooden annexes. In 1937, the building underwent a partial restoration, and its surviving mosaic
Mosaic
Mosaic is the art of creating images with an assemblage of small pieces of colored glass, stone, or other materials. It may be a technique of decorative art, an aspect of interior decoration, or of cultural and spiritual significance as in a cathedral...
s were uncovered and cleaned.
Architecture and decoration
The church proper, which has never been studied systematically, has a cross-in-squareCross-in-square
The term cross-in-square or crossed-dome denotes the dominant architectural form of middle- and late-period Byzantine churches. The first cross-in-square churches were probably built in the late 8th century, and the form has remained in use throughout the Orthodox world until the present day...
(or quincunx
Quincunx
A quincunx is a geometric pattern consisting of five points arranged in a cross, that is five coplanar points, four of them forming a square or rectangle and a fifth at its center...
) plan, with each side nine meters long. Together with the 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...
, provides an example of the Komnenian
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:...
style in Constantinople. Its masonry
Masonry
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...
consists of brick
Brick
A brick is a block of ceramic material used in masonry construction, usually laid using various kinds of mortar. It has been regarded as one of the longest lasting and strongest building materials used throughout history.-History:...
s, mounted adopting the technique of the recessed brick, typical of the Byzantine architecture of the middle period. In this technique, alternate courses of brick are mounted behind the line of the wall, and are plunged into 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...
bed. Due to that, the thickness of the mortar layers is about three times greater than that of the brick layers.
The building has blind arcades
Arcade (architecture)
An arcade is a succession of arches, each counterthrusting the next, supported by columns or piers or a covered walk enclosed by a line of such arches on one or both sides. In warmer or wet climates, exterior arcades provide shelter for pedestrians....
, and the apse
Apse
In architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...
is interrupted by a 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...
with 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;...
over it. The light penetrates into the cross arms through triple arcades. The exterior of the main church has occasional decorative motifs, such as snake patterns.
Besides this building, the complex contains also an exonarthex
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...
to the west, a portico
Portico
A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls...
(which joins a parekklesion with the bema
Bema
The Bema means a raised platform...
) with columns and arches to the south, and finally a corridor to the north.
The exonarthex represents one of the most typical examples of Palaiologan architecture in Constantinople, along with the parekklesia of the Pammakaristos
Pammakaristos Church
Pammakaristos Church, also known as the Church of Theotokos Pammakaristos , in 1591 converted into a mosque and known as Fethiye Mosque and today partly a museum, is one of the most famous Byzantine churches in Istanbul, Turkey...
, the Chora
Chora Church
The Church of the Holy Saviour in Chora is considered to be one of the most beautiful examples of a Byzantine church. The church is situated in Istanbul, in the Edirnekapı neighborhood, which lies in the western part of the municipality of Fatih...
Churches, and Fethiye Mosque. The date of its edification should be placed after those of the parekklesia of the Pammakaristos
Pammakaristos Church
Pammakaristos Church, also known as the Church of Theotokos Pammakaristos , in 1591 converted into a mosque and known as Fethiye Mosque and today partly a museum, is one of the most famous Byzantine churches in Istanbul, Turkey...
and Chora
Chora Church
The Church of the Holy Saviour in Chora is considered to be one of the most beautiful examples of a Byzantine church. The church is situated in Istanbul, in the Edirnekapı neighborhood, which lies in the western part of the municipality of Fatih...
Churches. Its façade has two orders, both opened with arcades. On the lower order there are angular niches followed by triple arcades. The higher order is quite different from the lower, and has five semicircular blind arcades framing windows. The masonry is made of banded and colorful brickwork and stonework, especially visible on the north side. Overall, the execution is less refined than in the parekklesion of the Fethiye Mosque.
The exonarthex is surmounted by three 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....
s. The lateral ones are of umbrella type, while the central one has ribs. The internal decoration of the exonarthex includes: column
Column
A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a vertical structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. For the purpose of wind or earthquake engineering, columns may be designed to resist lateral forces...
s, capitals
Capital (architecture)
In architecture the capital forms the topmost member of a column . It mediates between the column and the load thrusting down upon it, broadening the area of the column's supporting surface...
and closure slabs which are all reused material from the Early Byzantine period. The three domes were all covered with mosaics. Those on the south dome were cleaned in 1937 under the direction of the Ministry of Mosques, but as of 2007 they have disappeared almost completely. The interior of the church proper, on the contrary, has never been de-plastered up to now.
Two fairly large underground cistern
Cistern
A cistern is a waterproof receptacle for holding liquids, usually water. Cisterns are often built to catch and store rainwater. Cisterns are distinguished from wells by their waterproof linings...
s placed to the S and W of the church hint to the existence of a monastery in the byzantine age.