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©The Archaeological Settlements of Turkey - TAY Project
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Kara Kilise |
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Type:
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Church |
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Plan Type:
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Basilica |
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Year of Costruction:
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5th - 6th 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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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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Merkez |
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Village:
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Helvadere |
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Antique Name:
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Mokissos |
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| Location: It is located in the ancient city of Nora locally known as Viransehir, on the north slope of Mount Hasan, in the south of Helvadere Town in Merkez District of Aksaray Province. |
| Geography and Environment: |
| Research and Excavation: It was visited by Bell in 1907 [Ramsay-Bell:1909]. It was researched by Restle in 1970s [Restle 1979]. It was recently studied by B. Çelebioglu within the scope of her Ph.D. thesis in 2007 [Çelebioglu 2008]. |
| Description: Architectural Features: It is also known as Viransehir / Helvadere no II. The original ground plan of the church with three naves underwent a change and it was transformed into a church with a single nave. In the later building phases, the north wall was thickened during the construction of the barrel vault of the naos. The south wall was reinforced by an entrance in the form of tower. On both sides of the apse, there are wall remains belonging to the north and the south lateral naves. These lateral naves don't exist anymore [Restle 1979:47]. The apse and the apse of the half dome were built with regular cut-stones. According to Ramsay and Bell, this is a feature peculiar to Mount Hasan region [Ramsay-Bell 1909:236]. Different bonding techniques used in the north wall and the apse indicate that the apse and the nave were built in different periods. There are four window openings on the north wall and the west wall has two window openings. The alignment and the proportion of the windows on the north and the south walls are different from each other. Along with the two door openings in the west section of the naos, there is a door with portico and porch in the central section. The apse, as wide as the nave, is in the form of horseshoe on the inside and five-sided on the outside. The apse has been severely damaged. Trace of the wall in the east corner of the south nave of the bacilia with three naves that belongs to the first period can be seen. The second structure with a single nave is covered by stone vault. The north and the south walls of the structure are preserved up to the springing of the vault. The church was built with cut-stones [Çelebioglu 2008:63-67, figs. 3.39-3.40-3.41]. |
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