Theotokos Mouchliotissa
The Church of Theotokos Mouchliotissa (in German " Theotokos of the Mongols" ) is a Byzantine church in Istanbul . It is a Greek Orthodox sacred building that was not destroyed or rededicated into a mosque after the conquest of Constantinople by the Ottomans .
architecture
The church is located in Istanbul's Phanar district and was probably built between 1281 and 1285. The church has an asymmetrical floor plan, the most outstanding architectural feature is the central tower with dome, on the edges of which there are four cones with three niches each. The south side of the church was later extended to form a cross vault . One apse to the east has been preserved, of a second, to the north, only remnants remain. The sources indicate that the Theotokos Mouchliotissa was built on the remains of an older monastery complex - which was dedicated to the Theotokos Pammakaristos and which was destroyed during the time of the Latin Empire .
history
The building was donated by Princess Maria Despina Palaiologina, an illegitimate daughter of the Byzantine Emperor Michael VIII. When the Mongols moved to Europe in the middle of the 13th century, Michael VIII tried to make them allies through a marriage policy . He had already married a daughter to the Khan of the Golden Horde , Princess Maria was betrothed to Hülägü Khan , a grandson of Genghis Khan and ruler of the Ilchanat of Persia . The long engagement period ultimately meant that Hülägü died before the wedding. He bequeathed his future wife to his son Abaqa , who then married her.
Abaqa was murdered by one of his brothers. The assassin considered Princess Maria part of his inheritance, after which she fled to Constantinople to her father. However, he tried again to marry her to a Mongol Khan in order to protect his empire from the Mongol conquest. Princess Maria opposed Michael's plans - she retired as a nun and founded the church of Thetokos Mouchliotissa and the associated convent .
Why the Theotokos Mouchliotissa was spared by the Ottomans is unclear. One thesis is that Sultan Mehmed II gave the church to the Greek architect Christodoulos, who built the Conqueror Mosque in Istanbul. Other speculations are aimed at the marriage of Maria Palaiologos to Abagu Khan - the Ottomans were descendants of a nomadic equestrian people (thus had a similar ancestry to the Mongols) and therefore spared the church, which was built by a Mongol queen. The fact is - regardless of the cause - that Sultan Mehmed II allowed the Church of Theotokos Mouchliotissa to continue to exist. The then enacted Ferman is still kept in the church.
art
In the church are the remains of a painting of the Last Judgment , perhaps made by Modestos around 1266. A mosaic icon of the Theotokos comes from the 11th century . Four other icons are dated to the 13th and 14th centuries.
literature
- Wolfgang Müller-Wiener : Pictorial dictionary on the topography of Istanbul. Byzantium, Constantinupolis, Istanbul until the beginning of the 17th century. Wasmuth, Tübingen 1977, ISBN 3-8030-1022-5 , pp. 204-205.
Web links
- Ecumenical Patriarchate Constantinople: The Byzantine Monuments - The church of Panagia Mouchliotissa ( Memento from October 19, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) (English, detailed description of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople , last saved on October 19, 2006)
Coordinates: 41 ° 1 ′ 47 ″ N , 28 ° 56 ′ 56 ″ E