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©The Archaeological Settlements of Turkey - TAY Project
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Karpos - Papylos Kilisesi |
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For site maps and drawings please click on the picture...  |
For photographs please click on the photo...  |
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Type:
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Burial Building |
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Plan Type:
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Central Plan |
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Year of Costruction:
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5th c. |
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Phase:
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Early |
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Investigation Method:
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Survey |
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Altitude:
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15 |
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Region:
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Marmara |
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Province:
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Istanbul |
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District:
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Fatih |
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Village:
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Abdi Çelebi Mah. |
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Antique Name:
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Constantinople |
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| Location: It is situated underneath the Hagios Menas Church just below Bestekar Hakki Street on the Org. Abdurrrahman Nafiz Gürman Avenue in the Samatya Neighbourhood of the Fatih District in Istanbul. |
| Geography and Environment: The substructure of the church is underneath the 19th century Hagios Menas Church at present. At present, it lies under the Church of St. Menas from the 19th century, former name St. Polykarpos. Situated on the Mese Street leading to the Golden Gate, it is approximately 80 m far from the sea walls at the Marmara Sea (Propontis). 220 m to the northeast stands the substructure of the Church of the Peribleptos Monastery from the 11th century, and 350 m to the northeast rises the Sancaktar Hayrettin Masjid dated to the Early Byzantine Period, and 400 m to the northwest is the Koca Mustafa Pasa Mosque from the 13th century, and 550 m to the southwest stands the Church of Stoudios Monastery from the 5th century. |
| Research and Excavation: It was found in 1935 by A.M. Schneider [Mathews 1976], and it was surveyed in 1939 by A. Janin. Interior construction drawings prepared by Karnopp are available [Müller-Wiener 2001]. |
| Description: Building Phases: Based on the ancient sources, it is known that around the 10th-12th centuries there was a nunnery next to the monastery, which was built in the 5th century. The domed Church of St. Polykarpos was erected in place of the superstructure, which was demolished in an unknown date. The church sustained a grave damage from the Samatya fire in 1782. The present church was built over this substructure in 1833 [Müller-Wiener 2001:186-187, pics. 197-200]. Architectural Features: It has a depressed dome made of bricks. The dome is surrounded by a barrel vaulted pathway. At the entrance, there is a bay with an apse covered with vault [Mathews 1976:206, res. 23.1-23.3; Schneider 1936:1-4, pics. 1-3]. The church substructure is relatively well preserved. The substructure contains an apse and a large round planned section covered with a dome vault on the west side. This part is currently being used as the atelier/shop of Çelik Kapi company. The entrance into this shop was provided through the apse of the building. The opening on the south wall just below the bema vault was closed, the arched openings in the south and west of the building were also closed by laying bricks inside. Another small building with an apse and a tunnel is observed adjacent to the north side of this building with the apse. This building is accessible through the car wash facility north of the Çelik Kapi shop. And the building is being used as the storage building of the car wash facility. Two openings which were madeon the wall during later periods were observed above the entrance. The north building was covered with a barrel vault. The tunnel just west of this building continues only for 4-5 m [TAYEx 16.09.2008]. Decorative Features: In his study of 1939, Janin points to the fresco of Pantokrator at the center of the dome, which was not previously mentioned by Schneider [Mathews 1976]. Although hard, the square frame and medallion with the epigraph can be viewed in the center of the barrel vault cover. It can not be identified what is at the center of the medallion but only the letters written in Ancient Greek alphabet that surround the medallion [TAYEx 16.09.2008]. |
| Finds: |
| Interpretation: R. Krautheimer dates the building to the early 400 A.D. based on the brick masonry, and compares it with the Anastasis Rotunda found in Jerusalem in terms of its plan [Krautheimer 1986]. T.F. Mathews suggests that the vanished superstructure might have been a rotunda with a surrounding corridor, which was unique in Istanbul. Contrary to Mathews, Janin and Mathews emphasize that it is still uncertain if the present substructure belonged to the Karpos and Papylos Martyrion [Mathews 1976]. |
| Destruction: A stovepipe was installed inside the vaulted cover of the round planned building that is currently used as a workshop. Since the building is used as a factory the walls contain lighting fixtures and electrical cabling. The north building on the other hand is used as the storage of the car wash shop and is in a bad condition compared to the other building. Fallen parts are observed below the north and south sidal walls of the north building [TAYEx 16.09.2008]. |
