The pictures in this portfolio were taken in the Church of St Savior In Chora (Kariye Camii), and at the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul. The mosaics and frescoes of the Chora Church are the most important Byzantine paintings in the world. The works of arts in this small church were commissioned by Theodore Metochites during the years 1315-1321. These unique frescoes were painted at the same time as Giotto's frescoes in Italy. The renowned Hagia Sophia was built by Anthemius of Tralles, who was more a mathematician than a builder, in 532 AD at the orders of Emperor Justinian. The secret of balancing a dome over a square was the great contribution of Byzantium to architecture. (Press here for 35K jpg)

The pictures were taken with a Nikon 8008 and a Canon Elan IIe on Sensia 200/400, and scanned on Olympus ES-10.