The Goreme Open-Air Museum is a display of Byzantine churches, chapels, and monasteries which were carved into the rock cliffs. It is located about 1 km from Goreme's center. I'll start with the churches which show iconoclastic decorations. That is, during the iconoclastic period it was forbidden to portray religious figures in human form. Instead symbols and icons were used to depict religious figures.
The Azize Barbara Sapeli (Church of St. Barbara) is covered in iconoclastic decoration.
Below the symbols of the bird and cross is a fresco. As opposed to what I said before about the iconoclastic period, these images are of people (Saints, they have halos around their heads). However, their faces have been scratched off.
More symbols in St. Barbara's Chapel.
More symbols, Chapel of St. Barbara.
I can't remember which church this is, but outside and inside are iconoclastic decorations.
An outside look at one of the rock-cut churches. At the bottom are doorways and above windows.
Shows the fairy chimneys that characterize Cappadocia. These fairy chimneys are formed when a layer of basalt covers softer tuff (consolidated volcanic ash). The basalt layer protects the underlying tuff from erosion when it rains. Over time, the exposed tuff is eroded away but the tuff covered by basalt is protected from erosion, thus forming a column of tuff topped by basalt or a "fairy chimney".
The Goreme Open-Air Museum is a display of Byzantine churches, chapels, and monasteries which were carved into the rock cliffs. It is located about 1 km from Goreme's center. I'll start with the churches which show iconoclastic decorations. That is, during the iconoclastic period it was forbidden to portray religious figures in human form. Instead symbols and icons were used to depict religious figures.
The Azize Barbara Sapeli (Church of St. Barbara) is covered in iconoclastic decoration.
Below the symbols of the bird and cross is a fresco. As opposed to what I said before about the iconoclastic period, these images are of people (Saints, they have halos around their heads). However, their faces have been scratched off.
More symbols in St. Barbara's Chapel.
More symbols, Chapel of St. Barbara.
I can't remember which church this is, but outside and inside are iconoclastic decorations.
An outside look at one of the rock-cut churches. At the bottom are doorways and above windows.
Shows the fairy chimneys that characterize Cappadocia. These fairy chimneys are formed when a layer of basalt covers softer tuff (consolidated volcanic ash). The basalt layer protects the underlying tuff from erosion when it rains. Over time, the exposed tuff is eroded away but the tuff covered by basalt is protected from erosion, thus forming a column of tuff topped by basalt or a "fairy chimney".
2 comments:
I'm getting more and more jealous of your trip--looks like such a cool place. I'll have to go there sometime.
Ken
Brought back some good memories. Did you stay in one of the mushroom-stone rooms? I swear we stayed in that hotel in Goreme.
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