Chora, originally a Greek Orthodox Church dates back to 11th century. The church was converted into a mosque during the Ottoman era, in the 16th century and converted to a museum in 1948. In 2020, it became a mosque again, however it is still possible to see the impressive Byzantine mosaics.

The name Chora, ‘khorio‘ in Greek means ‘in the country’, ‘in the suburb‘ since when it was first built it remained outside the city walls of Constantine the Great.

The Chora Museum is an important monument due to the Christian mosaics and frescoes which date back to 14th century. They were ordered to be built by the head of Byzantine treasury, Theodore Metochites.

The mosaics depicting scenes from both the Old and New Testament are by far the most important and extensive examples of Byzantine mosaics in Istanbul and among the most interesting in the world.