Tokali Kilise / Church of the Buckle - Göreme Open Air Museum (Nevsehir Province, Turkey)
N 38° 38.464 E 034° 50.686
36S E 660551 N 4278561
Beautiful Tokali Kilise (Church of the Buckle), built in the 10th century, is one of famous ancient in tufa soft rock carved Orthodox Greek churches located in monastic complex of Göreme Open Air Museum in Göreme (Nevsehir Province of Turkey).
Waymark Code: WMKJZX
Location: Türkiye
Date Posted: 04/23/2014
Views: 4
Beautful Tokali Kilise (Church of the Buckle), built in the 10th century, is one of famous ancient in tufa soft rock carved Orthodox Greek churches located in monastic complex of Göreme Open Air Museum in Göreme (Nevsehir Province of Turkey). Tokali Kilise is the largest church in Göreme.
Frescoes inside the Church of the Buckle
Tokali Kilise comprises of four sections: The Old Church with one nave; the New Church; the Lower Church under the Old Church; and the Parecclesion to the north of the New Church. The entrance to the New Church having a rectangular plan with longitudinal axis is made through the barrel-vaulted single-naved Old Church. This rock settlement is divided with arches into three sections. Containing the most important samples of paintings, the building has been decorated in various periods.
In the Old Church section, frescoes dated to early 10th century, painted in bands of rich red and green, represent scenes from the Bible. The indigo dominating the main chamber frescoes in the New Church, is a feature discerning the structure from the others. Among the rock churches in Cappadocia, Tokali has the best paintings narrating the life of Christ in the most detail. The church is decorated with the Infancy (childhood of Christ), Ministry and Passion cycles, with several episodes from the life of St. Basileios.