Church of St. Mary of the Mongols

The Mouchliotissa Church ( German for "Our Lady of the Mongols ") is a Byzantine church in Istanbul. It is the only Greek Orthodox religious building that was not destroyed after the conquest of Constantinople by the Ottomans or reclassified into a mosque.

Architecture

The church is situated in Istanbul's Fener district, and was probably built 1281-1285. The church has an asymmetrical floor plan, the most outstanding architectural feature is the central tower with a cupola, at the edges Four conches are with three niches. The south side of the church was later expanded to form a cross vault. An apse towards the east has been preserved by a second, northward lying, there are only remnants. The source position suggests that the Mouchliotissa on the site of an earlier monastery - built - which had been dedicated to the Mother of God ( Theotokos Pammakaristos ) and destroyed in the period 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 in the mid-13th century to Europe attracted, Michael VIII tried to make this policy by marriage to allies. He had been married to the Khan of the Golden Horde A daughter, the Princess Mary was betrothed to Hulagu Khan, grandson of Genghis Khan and ruler of the Ilchanat Persia. The long engagement eventually led to Hulagu still died before the wedding. He bequeathed to his wife -to-be his son Abaqa, the then married them.

Abaqa was murdered by one of his brothers. The assassin looked at Princess Mary as part of his heritage, whereupon she fled to her father to Constantinople Opel. However, this tried again, to marry her to a Mongol Khan, to protect his kingdom from the Mongol conquests. Princess Maria opposed the plans Michaels - she retired as a nun and founded the church Mouchliotissa together with the associated Convent.

Why Mouchliotissa was spared by the Ottomans, is unclear. A thesis states that Sultan Mehmed II gave the Church the Greek architect Christodoulos, who had built the conquerors Mosque in Istanbul. Other speculations aimed at the marriage of Maria Palaiologos with Abagu Khan from - the Ottomans were descendants of a nomadic horsemen (that had a similar origin as the Mongols ) and therefore spared the church, which had been built by a Mongolian queen. The fact is - regardless of the cause - that Sultan Mehmed II the Mouchliotissa allowed the continued existence. The then adopted Ferman is still preserved in the church.

Art

In the church are the remains of a painting of the Last Judgment, maybe from Modesto to 1266. From the 11th century comes a mosaic icon of the Theotokos. Four other icons have been dated to the 13th and 14th centuries.