Saint Catherine (Ilk Michrab)

Information

It is in the south district of the Medieval City. It is a building of the 14th century AD, and it has the shape of a three-aisled basilica of small dimensions. However, the investigation of both the architectural phases and the phases of the frescoes on the monument suggest that the three-aisled form originated from the addition of transepts or chapels to an initially single-spaced church.
It was the first Orthodox church that was turned into a mosque by Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent, to which the name Ilk Michrab is due (first pilgrimage).
The monument sustained losses during the bombardment of the Second World War, and it was recently restored by the Ministry of Culture.
Three painting lawyers can be seen in the interior of the monument. The frescoes on the middle aisle (the Prayer, the Concelebrating Hierarchs, scenes from the Twelve Great Feasts, and the representations of the donors, on the right and left of the breast form of the Christ) dating back to the 14th century, reflect the high-quality tendencies of the Palaiologian painting. The decoration of the north aisle comprises dedicative representations of the 14th century. Finally, the frescoes of the south aisle, an interesting cycle of the life of the eponymous Saint, date back to the 15th century.