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All 362 Istanbul Attractions »

Kariye Museum (The Chora Church)

Kariye Cami Sokak, Edirnekapy, Istanbul, Turkey
Ranked #2 of 179 attractions in Istanbul
4.5 of 5 stars 538 Reviews
Type: History Museums, Architectural Buildings, Art Museums
Owner description: This 11th-century church was noted for its remarkable mosaics illustrating scenes from the life of Christ and the Virgin Mary. It has since been... more » Owner description: This 11th-century church was noted for its remarkable mosaics illustrating scenes from the life of Christ and the Virgin Mary. It has since been converted into a museum. « less
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538 reviews from our community

Visitor rating
    428
    86
    19
    4
    1
Date Rating
ıreland
Reviewer
3 reviews 3 reviews
Reviews in 2 cities Reviews in 2 cities
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 29 May 2012 NEW

Beautiful bulding inside - so many visitors but didn't feel at all crowded. Highly recommended

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Olivos
Contributor
20 reviews 20 reviews
Reviews in 9 cities Reviews in 9 cities
5 helpful votes 5 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 28 May 2012 NEW

Excellent mosaics and very beatiful old church. You should bring your own documentation because they don't have anything besides the audioguide.

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See 8 more reviews by pbuceta for Istanbul
Tel Aviv, Israel
Reviewer
3 reviews 3 reviews
Reviews in 2 cities Reviews in 2 cities
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 28 May 2012 NEW

very interesting, easy to find, nice location, nice restaurant in the garden

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Chicago, Illinois
Contributor
15 reviews 15 reviews
Reviews in 3 cities Reviews in 3 cities
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 28 May 2012 NEW

Beautiful mosaics! Wonderful little area behind the church to eat and wander.

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See 8 more reviews by Mary F for Istanbul
Gurgaon, Haryana, India
Contributor
13 reviews 13 reviews
Reviews in 5 cities Reviews in 5 cities
3 helpful votes 3 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 28 May 2012 NEW

far from city centre, but its worth being there, but do not forget to take the audio guide else you will not enjoy the place, better to go for audio guide then the human guide :)

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See 7 more reviews by Shubhi_Rohit for Istanbul
Huntsville, Texas
Contributor
13 reviews 13 reviews
Reviews in 6 cities Reviews in 6 cities
14 helpful votes 14 helpful votes
3 of 5 stars Reviewed 27 May 2012 NEW

This is a beautiful Byzantine church, but it takes longer to get there than to experience.

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See 5 more reviews by DavidMcTier for Istanbul
Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
Senior Reviewer
9 reviews 9 reviews
Reviews in 2 cities Reviews in 2 cities
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 27 May 2012 NEW

Chora Church has very beautiful frescos and mosaics in a compact space. This is a wonderful place to visit in conjunction with a walk along the Theodosian Walls.

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See 4 more reviews by Jay L for Istanbul
Vashon, WA
Senior Reviewer
10 reviews 10 reviews
Reviews in 5 cities Reviews in 5 cities
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 27 May 2012 NEW

This Byzantine church with its restored mosaics and frescoes is a bus ride from the center of the Old City near the city walls in the north and well worth a visit.

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See 5 more reviews by TurkeyloverWA for Istanbul
Edina, Minnesota
Contributor
15 reviews 15 reviews
Reviews in 8 cities Reviews in 8 cities
2 helpful votes 2 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 25 May 2012 NEW

It wasn't as spectacular as I expected from what I'd read and heard, but it was interesting if you like Byzantine church art. Warning: it is closed Wednesdays, unlike everything else in Istanbul. If you walk a couple of blocks uphill, you can climb the steps to the top of the old city wall. From there you can see everywhere,... More

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See 4 more reviews by jcinminn for Istanbul
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Senior Contributor
25 reviews 25 reviews
Reviews in 7 cities Reviews in 7 cities
6 helpful votes 6 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 23 May 2012

For those it is off the beaten track - it really isn't - when we went it was FULL of tour groups. It's very small and the entry fee is steep considering. Get it on the Museum Pass.

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See 10 more reviews by Crunchy_Frog for Istanbul

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