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©The Archaeological Settlements of Turkey - TAY Project
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Gregorios Nazianos 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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Church |
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Plan Type:
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Cross in Square |
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Year of Costruction:
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Phase:
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Early Middle |
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Investigation Method:
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Survey |
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Altitude:
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Region:
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Central Anatolia |
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Province:
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Aksaray |
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District:
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Güzelyurt |
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Village:
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Asagi Mah. |
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Antique Name:
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Karbala / Karvala |
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| Location: It is located in the center in Asagi Quarter in Güzelyurt District of Aksaray Province. |
| Geography and Environment: Güzelyurt District is located 32 km east of Aksaray Province and 15 km far from Ihlara Valley. There are a lot of rock-cut churches and underground cities. |
| Research and Excavation: The research on Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Churches in Güzelyurt was published by S. Pekak in 1993 and 1994. |
| Description: Architectural Features: It is also called Güzelyurt Church no. 6 and known as Büyük Kilise Camii (Great Church-Mosque). Today, the church remains within the enclosing wall erected by cut-stones. On top of the monumental entrance located in the same line with the west enclosing wall, there is a minaret which was built in the area where the old bell tower was located [Pekak 1994:186]. There is a sacred fountain in the southwest of the courtyard. The church consists of two adjacent structures. The major structure is in cross in square plan. To the northwest, a structure with a single nave locates. The narthexes of both structure are adjacent to each other and two-storeyed. The church and the additional structure were built with regular gray colored cut-stones [Pekak 1994:187, 189]. To the east of the corner rooms and the east cross-arm of the same structure, a bema and a pair of pastophoria rooms with apse locate. The central section of the naos is covered by dome in pendentives with high drum. The cross-arms, on the other hand, are barrel vaulted. The corner rooms, the bema and the pastophoria cells are roofed by barrel vault in the east-west direction. The horseshoe apse is with 5 façades on the lower side and 7 façades on the upper side. The lateral apses are in the form of semicircular both outside and inside. A sythronon with two steps and a niche, which is being used as closet, on top of it were found in the main apse. The upper section of the narthex is divided into three sections by arches and all sections are cross vaulted. Two openings on three sections of the narthex provide a passage to the naos and corner rooms. The narthex is entered through the door opening to the central section [Pekak 1994:187]. The north additional structure begins from the area where the narthex is located and reaches to the corner rooms in the east. The narthex and the naos is covered by barrel vault extending in the east-west direction. The naos is divided into three sections by stiffening arches. The apse in the east is bordered by a flat wall from outside. The naos of the major structure is linked to the door in the west of the south wall of the additional structure [Pekak 1994:187-188]. The windows on the main apse and the lateral apses and the ones in the upper sections of the south cross-arms are partially covered. On the other hand, it is believed that the rectangular window in the lower section of the south cross-arm was opened after the structure was transformed into mosque [Pekak 1994:188]. Decorative Features: There is a pair of niches in same size with the windows in the center and both sides of the windows in the main apse. Architectural Plastics: There are cherubim, seraph and various animal figures on the capitals of the columns remained within the walls, which were erected later, on the west façade. Two antithetic lion figures decorate the upper section of the window opening to the upper storey of the narthex on the west façade. There is also another lion figure similar to the one in the upper section on the façade of the main apse. A bird relief and a rozette consisting of stylized geometric motifs are depicted on two separate stones in the west corner of the wall of the south courtyard, on both sides of the inscription [Pekak 1994:189]. Fresco: Especially on the drum, frescoes with figures can be seen on the area where the plaster falls off. A face belonging to a male figure can be seen in the fresco in the southeast of the drum. |
| Finds: |
| Interpretation: Rott mentioned an inscription, which doesn't exist anymore, belonging to the reign of Emperor Theodosius and stated that this inscription give an information about a church in cross plan built in this area [Rott 1908:269]. Pekak stated that the structure which was already exist before the 4th century was rebuilt in 385 and then it survived up to date with a few changes [Pekak 1994:191]. |
| Destruction: |
