Zeyrek Mosque

The Zeyrek Mosque in Istanbul represents the largest and most significant monument in the city to survive from from the Middle Byzantine period. Built originally ca. 1118-36 by John II and Eirene Komnenos as three large, interconnected churches, the complex served as the core of the famed Pantokrator Monastery, an important site of Christian veneration, and as a imperial mausoleum, housing more than a dozen tombs of the rulers of an empire. The Pantokrator also played key role during the Latin Occupation (1204-61), as well as during Ottoman transformation of city following the conquest in 1453, when it was converted to a mosque.Although neglected in recent years, the Zeyrek Mosque retains its striking appearance: three great buildings side-by-side, topped by undulating vaults and five distinctive domes, with an irregular row of apses along its east façade, all decorated with niches and intricate brickwork. Stylistically, the building marks a critical point in the development of Byzantine architecture, as it shifts from monumentality toward complexity as the primary mode of visual expression.