Byzantine Churches in Göreme Open Air Museum

Abstract

Anatolia is a region that has hosted different societies. In its history, it has had important settlements for different societies. Goreme, located in the Cappadocia region, is one of these settlements. It was an important region for the Christian community during the Byzantine period. The artifacts located in the region have remained as a heritage to this day. Some of the works are religious structures that best convey the life of the period and the structure of society. For this reason, the churches in the Göreme Open Air Museum were considered within the scope of the study. With the researches carried out, seven church structures dated to the Middle Byzantine Period Architecture have been reached in the region. The churches reached formed the sample of the study. These churches are; St. Basil's Church, Elmalı Church, St. Barbara Church, Yılanlı Church, Dark Church, Çarıklı Church and Tokalı Church. The aim of the study is to determine the similarities and differences of the churches included in the sample with each other and with the features of the architecture of the Middle Byzantine period. First, the region was introduced by conducting a literature search. Then Byzantine Architecture was investigated. The characteristics of the architecture of the Middle Byzantine Period have been identified. At the evaluation stage, the characteristics of the churches included in the sample were determined and compared with the characteristics of the Architecture of the Middle Byzantine Period. As a result of the comparison, the similarities and differences between the Decadal characteristics of the churches and the period they are dated have been revealed.