Eski Gümüşler ('Old Silver') Monastery is a

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

-era cave

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone ( hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer whi ...

in the small town of Gümüşler, 10km northeast of Niğde town in

Niğde province Niğde Province ( tr, ) is a province in the southern part of Central Anatolia, Turkey. Population is 341,412 (2013 est) of which 141,360 live in the city of Niğde. The population was 348,081 in 2000 and 305,861 in 1990. It covers an area of 7, ...

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...

. It is easily accessible by bus from Niğde. After its rediscovery in 1962, the monastery and its frescoes were restored by a team of archaeologists led by Michael Gough. It was declared a protected archaeological site in 1973.

Description

The monastery is carved out of a large stretch of rock and is one of the best preserved and largest of its kind in the

Cappadocia Cappadocia or Capadocia (; tr, Kapadokya), is a historical region in Central Anatolia, Turkey. It largely is in the provinces Nevşehir, Kayseri, Aksaray, Kırşehir, Sivas and Niğde. According to Herodotus, in the time of the Ionian Re ...

region. Scholars divide Cappadocia's many rock-cut monasteries into two main types: those with dining halls and those with open courtyards. The Eski Gümüşler Monastery falls into the second group, with its different sections opening off a central courtyard. Its most important part is the church to the north of the courtyard. The church comprises four freestanding closed aisles based on the Greek cross plan. The northern aisle contains a niche with two tombs. To the west there are two entrances covered with a cradle vault. Three different masters are assumed to have worked on the church

frescoes Fresco (plural ''frescos'' or ''frescoes'') is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaster ...

. The main apse contains three bands of paintings: the highest shows Christ Enthroned with two angels to his right; the symbols of the gospel writers; and the Deisis with Mary and the disciples. The lowest band shows the

Cappadocian Fathers The Cappadocian Fathers, also traditionally known as the Three Cappadocians, are Basil the Great (330–379), who was bishop of Caesarea; Basil's younger brother Gregory of Nyssa (c. 335 – c. 395), who was bishop of Nyssa; and a close friend ...

of the church: St Basil the Great of Kayseri, Gregory of Nysa, and

Gregory of Nazianzus Gregory of Nazianzus ( el, Γρηγόριος ὁ Ναζιανζηνός, ''Grēgorios ho Nazianzēnos''; ''Liturgy of the Hours'' Volume I, Proper of Saints, 2 January. – 25 January 390,), also known as Gregory the Theologian or Gregory N ...

. In the north arm of the cross are representations of the Annunciation, the Nativity and the

Presentation in the Temple A presentation conveys information from a speaker to an audience. Presentations are typically demonstrations, introduction, lecture, or speech meant to inform, persuade, inspire, motivate, build goodwill, or present a new idea/product. Present ...

with the figures of

St John the Baptist John the Baptist or , , or , ;Wetterau, Bruce. ''World history''. New York: Henry Holt and Company. 1994. syc, ܝܘܿܚܲܢܵܢ ܡܲܥܡܕ݂ܵܢܵܐ, Yoḥanān Maʿmḏānā; he, יוחנן המטביל, Yohanān HaMatbil; la, Ioannes Bapti ...

and

Saint Stephen Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ''Stéphanos'', meaning "wreath, crown" and by extension "reward, honor, renown, fame", often given as a title rather than as a name; c. 5 – c. 34 AD) is traditionally venerated as the protomartyr or first ...

which must have been painted by a second artist. On the inside of the narthex to the south of the entrance door are representations of the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus with, on either side of them, the archangels

Gabriel In Abrahamic religions ( Judaism, Christianity and Islam), Gabriel (); Greek: grc, Γαβριήλ, translit=Gabriḗl, label=none; Latin: ''Gabriel''; Coptic: cop, Ⲅⲁⲃⲣⲓⲏⲗ, translit=Gabriêl, label=none; Amharic: am, ገብ ...

and Michael, apparently painted by a third artist. Much attention has been paid to a fresco of the Virgin Mary who appears to be smiling. However, this is almost certainly the result of careless restoration. The walls of the room above the narthex are painted with what appear to be images from ''

Aesop's Fables Aesop's Fables, or the Aesopica, is a collection of fables credited to Aesop, a slave and storyteller believed to have lived in ancient Greece between 620 and 564 BCE. Of diverse origins, the stories associated with his name have descended to ...

'' - uniquely for Cappadocia. The style and iconography of the frescoes of the Eski Gümüşler Monastery resemble those in many other Cappadocian churches. The frescoes are believed to date from the 7th to 11th centuries. The Byzantine scholar Robert Ousterhout has suggested that Eskı Gümüşler may not, in fact, be a monastic site but the home of a nobleman with a private chapel. The frescoes from Aesop's Fables make more sense in this interpretation.

Gallery

File:Gumusler Monastery Courtyard 1202.jpg, Niğde Gümüşler Monastery Courtyard File:Gumusler Monastery Narthex 1182.jpg, Niğde Gümüşler Monastery Narthex view to church File:Gumusler Monastery Main apse 1147.jpg, Gümüşler Monastery Main apse File:Gumusler Monastery Main apse Christ enthroned 1162.jpg, Niğde Gümüşler Monastery Main apse Christ enthroned File:Gumusler Monastery Main apse 1166.jpg, Niğde Gümüşler Monastery Main apse with symbols of Gospel writers File:Gumusler Monastery Main apse Disciples 1151.jpg, Gümüşler Monastery Main apse Disciples File:Gumusler Monastery Main apse Church father 1163.jpg, Niğde Gümüşler Monastery Church father File:Gumusler Monastery North aisle 1169.jpg, Niğde Gümüşler Monastery North aisle File:Gumusler Monastery North aisle Annunciation 1132.jpg, Niğde Gümüşler Monastery North aisle Annunciation File:Gumusler Monastery North aisle Nativity 1121.jpg, Niğde Gümüşler Monastery North aisle Nativity File:Gumusler Monastery North aisle Presentation in temple 1127.jpg, Niğde Gümüşler Monastery North aisle Presentation in temple File:Gumusler Monastery Room right of courtyard 1206.jpg, Niğde Gümüşler Monastery Room right of courtyard File:Gumusler Monastery Underground 1109.jpg, Niğde Gümüşler Monastery Underground area File:Gumusler monast.JPG, "Smiling" Three-handed Virgin Mary with Christ, the left side apse

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gumusler Monastery Byzantine monasteries in Turkey Buildings and structures in Niğde Province Cave monasteries