The Chora Church has had several variations since it was first built in the 4th century. Extended in the 11th century, it then had a partial collapse, perhaps from an earthquake before being rebuilt in the 14th century. The stunning interior of mosaics and frescoes were done between 1310 and 1317. About 50 years after the fall of the city to the Ottomans in 1500 the church was converted to a mosque with a minaret added. very little was done structurally but the mosaics and frescos were plastered over. This lasted until 1945 when the site was secularised and turned into a museum. A restoration program followed and the museum was opened to the public in 1958. In 2005 a lawsuit was filed challenging the status as a museum. In 2020 the museum’s status was changed back to a mosque. Both of my visits were made while The Chora Church was still a museum. Unfortunately I don’t have any photos of the building from the outside as both times the building was covered by scaffolding and hoardings. The mosaics are rather stunning and have lasted the ravages of time well. Not as impressive as the churches of Ravenna in Italy but a beautiful place to find off the beaten track in Istanbul.