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Preplanned City Guides and Travel Itineraries

Church of St Saviour Chora

On this page you find practical information, photos and videos about Church of St Saviour Chora.

Church of St Saviour Chora features in these preplanned City Guides:

5-day Istanbul City Guide

Why visit / Interesting facts:

  • Beautiful frescoes and mosaics
  • Some of the world's finest surviving Byzantine art

Time required: 60 minutes

Phone: + 90 212 631 9241

Opening hours:

Time period Opening hours
Thurs - Tues: 9am - 4:30pm
Wednesdays: Closed

Admission:

Ticket type Charge
General: 10 TL

Public transport:

  • Bus nr 32: Edirnekapi stop

Address: Avcıbey Mh., Kariye Türbesi Sokak 16, Istanbul

Things you need to know:

  • Church of St Saviour Chora is a secularized museum in Istanbul since 1948
  • Originally it was built as a Byzantine church in the 11th century. It is considered to be one of the most beautiful examples of Byzantine churches
  • The world class interior decorations were added in the middle of the 14th century. They are considered to be the finest example of Byzantine art
  • More than 100 mosaics and frescoes decorate the walls. They are illustrating scenes from the life of Christ and the Virgin Mary and depict other Biblical images
  • When the church was converted into a mosque in 1511, the frescoes and mosaics were plastered over. This helped preserve these masterpieces

What to do there:

  • Walk around and enjoy the more than 50 fabulous mosaic panels dating from about 1310, most in excellent shape
  • Do not miss the garden behind the church

Tips & Insights:

  • As the frescoes are very fragile no flash photography is permitted
  • Byzantine city walls
  • If you are in a hurry we recommend taking a taxi to get to Church of St Saviour Chora

Church of St Saviour Chora features in these preplanned City Guides: