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As you walk along Ayakapı Sokak, a blank wall comes into view (41.027883,28.95627). As with many in Istanbul, it bears the marks of alterations and the traces of the many buildings that have been attached to it. At the bottom of the wall, a characteristic Byzantine arch looks tiny because of the inexorable rise of the surrounding ground in the long time that it has stood here. This is what remains of the Ayakapı Chapel.
The wall is now part of a building in which a welding shop operates. The inside provides something of a surprise with a lot more Byzantine stonework than the outside hints at. The welder is knowledgeable about the history of his workshop. In 2014, he was visited by archaeologists from Istanbul University. According to them, Ayakapı Chapel was part of a monastery. The south-east wall of the chapel contained 15 window arches stretching all the way to the defensive wall beside the coast road.
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[3]Welding shop in a Byzantine monastery
[4]Arch on the northern side of the building
[5]Solid vaulting in Ayakapı Chapel
In July 2019, the area is being gentrified. There is a street cafe in Ayakapı Caddesi on the south-east side of the chapel.
[6]Note the For Sale sign on the left
The patch of land with the external wall is up for sale and I don’t know what implications this has for the future of the chapel.
[7]Chapel wall from the south-west. Hastily applied flower decoration in evidence
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