Chora Church, also known as the Church of the Holy Savior in Chora, was originally built in the early 4th century as part of a monastery complex outside the city walls of Constantinople. The name “chora” relates to the Greek word for town and references the church’s originally rural location outside the city. In the 5th century, new land walls were erected for Constantinople, incorporating the church into the city’s defenses. 

In the 11th century, the church was rebuilt by Maria Doukaina, the mother-in-law of Alexius I Comnenus, and it took the form of an inscribed cross, a prominent form for many Byzantine churches of the period. Early in the 12th century, the church suffered a partial collapse, perhaps due to an earthquake. The construction that stands today is mostly from the third phase of building, which was completed two centuries later.

During this reconstruction, the church was decorated with beautiful mosaics and frescoes. The church has gained recognition for its exemplary late Byzantine decoration, and for the maintenance of such figural mosaics. Most of the mosaics were created by the powerful Byzantine statesman Theodore Metochites, who was also the Minister of Treasury and a poet. He worked on the interior decoration in the early 14th century, and he dedicated the newly improved church to the “mother of God.” 

There is a portrait of Metochites offering the church to Christ above the entrance to the nave. After falling from power and being briefly exiled, Metochites returned to the monastery as a monk and was buried there in 1332. 

The mosaics and frescoes all around the church depict the life stories of both Jesus and Mary. In the outer narthex, the Virgin Mary is depicted with Jesus still in her womb, reflecting the mythical meaning that Chora has for many visitors, which is that it represents the womb of mary.

Also welcoming patrons into the church is a mosaic of Christ Pantocrator, which is a typical depiction of Christ as an all powerful ruler. He holds the new testament in one hand while holding out the other to give a blessing. 

In the inner narthex, there are two large domes, one depicting the genealogy of the Virgin Mary, and one with the genealogy of Christ. Here, Mary is depicted holding Christ, and Christ again is depicted as Christ Pantocrator. 

When the Ottomans conquered the city in 1453, Chora church was one of the first churches to be looted. Around fifty years later, the church was converted into a mosque under Sultan Bayezid II. The mosque was called Kariye Camii, and a mihrab, minbar, and a minaret were added to the structure. The word “Kariye” is the Turkish term for the neighborhood. 

This conversion happened about half a century after the conversion of Hagia Sophia. Due to the prohibition against iconic images in Islam, many of the mosaics and frescoes were covered behind a layer of plaster. 

In 1945, the building was designated a museum by the Turkish government. In 1948, Thomas Whittemore and Paul A. Underwood, from the Byzantine Institute of America and the Dumbarton Oaks Center for Byzantine Studies, sponsored a restoration program. From that time on, the building ceased to be a functioning mosque. In 1958, it was opened to the public as a museum, Kariye Müzesi.

Under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, just a month after the re-conversion of Hagia Sophia, the museum was converted back into a mosque in August 2020. On Friday 30 October 2020, Muslim prayers were held for the first time after 72 years. 

The move to convert Chora Church into a mosque was condemned by the Greek Foreign Ministry and by Greek Orthodox and Protestant Christians. The decision is seen as geared to consolidate the conservative and religious support of Erdogan's rule as his popularity declined. Many Turks are upset at the politicalization of such an important historic site. 

Greece’s Foreign Ministry said that Turkish authorities “are once again brutally insulting the character" of another UN-listed world heritage site. Their statement continued to state, “this is a provocation against all believers…We urge Turkey to return to the 21st century, and the mutual respect, dialogue and understanding between civilisations.” The multi-cultural and religious history of Chora Church is critical to its heritage and “character,” and as such, it should be recognized and celebrated in the form of a museum.

Reacting to the conversion of Chora, Laki Vingas, the chairperson of the Association of Rum Foundations, said: “There should not be any competition between civilisations, especially in a rich cultural city like Istanbul with a history of being an imperial capital over 1500 years.” Reckoning with the imperial past of cities can be a complicated task, but bulldozing over the history of an important church and art historical landmark is certainly not the solution. 

Today, the church is under construction, and it is unclear when it will become available to the public again. Many believe that this slow conversion is in part a reaction to the global outcry from scholars and UNESCO, who agree the museum best serves the history and heritage of the Byzantine monument. While the museum served to attract tourists and to enrich the cultural heritage of Istanbul, its transformation back into a Mosque has clearly hindered this process, and many complain that it doesn’t seem to be a priority for the government to restore it quickly. The people of Istanbul, as well as the global audience, are still awaiting a statement from the government regarding their plans for the mosque’s reopening.