This is a curious gallery. I purportedly shows the Eski Imaret Mosque, which is the former Church of St. Saviour Pantepoptes, Christ the all-seeing. It was founded in 1085-90 by the Empress Anna Delassena, mother of Emperor Alexius Comnenus, founder of the Comneni dynasty, which was to reign Byzantium in the 11-12th centuries. Anna ruled as Co-Emperor with her son for nearly 20 years and had a great influence. In 1100 she retired to the convent of the Pantepoptes, where she died in 1105 and was buried in the church she founded.

I quote from the Strolling through Istanbul guide, which continues describing the “sad state of dilapidation” of the church, now mosque. Or rather: it mentions this is now a Koran School. And that is why this gallery is curious: when I visited with Byzantine specialist Raffaele D’Amato we were first forbidden to take pictures, because the Koran School was running. The central space was filled with groups of children who were memorizing the Koran, and it was forbidden to take pictures. After some negotiating we were allowed to take pictures of the building elements, and for Raffaele this was the main point, because much of the interior had been changed in Turkish times, but things like doorframes and decorations were still obviously Byzantine.

I claim copyright for all pictures, but the ones Raffaele took have a capital R in their name.