The Architecture of the Kariye Camii in Istanbul

Dumbarton Oaks
Robert G. Ousterhout
ISBN: 0884021653
price: $45.00  

The Kariye Camii remains one of the most important and best known monuments of the Byzantine world. Rebuilt and decorated in the early fourteenth century by the statesman and scholar Theodore Metochites, the Kariye Camii played a key role in the development of Late Byzantine art. The present study demonstrates that it was equally significant for the development of Late Byzantine architecture. Achieving the same level of quality as the more famous mosaics and frescoes, the architecture of the Kariye Camii also addressed similar aesthetic concerns. As such, in its well-preserved condition, it offers a unique and unified ensemble of architecture and decoration, a product of the lavish experimentation that characterized the short-lived Palaeologan renaissance in Constantinople.