This undistinguished but pleasant building lies in the maze of streets behind the cistern of Aetius, the sunken football ground and park near Edirnekap (41.029364,28.941481). There seems to be some agreement that it is probably the remains of the refectory of the monastery of St John in Petra, because it’s sort of in the right place and because it doesn’t look like a church. It is very close to the Odalar Camii (Monastery of the Blessed Virgin Mary) and they may have been parts of the same establishment.
Anyway, the outside looks nice with those alternating stone and brick layers. The minaret was restored in 1970 and the rest of the building had a wash and brush-up in 1989. The taciturn bekçi will let you in, prohibit photography and expect a tip. The ban on photos is not a bad thing because the internal decoration of the mosque is fairly horrible.
Eastern apse of Kefevi Camii
As of early 2017, the interior of Kefeli Camii has been redecorated and looks rather pleasant again.
South-east of interior of Kefeli Camii
South-east corner of Kefeli Camii in January 2017
References
Freely, John (1983) Blue Guide: Istanbul. London: Ernest Benn, New York: W.W. Norton
Mamboury, Ernest (1925) Constantinople: Tourists’ Guide, 1st edition. Rizzo and Son, Constantinople.
Matthews, Thomas (2001): The Byzantine Churches of Istanbul. Institute of Fine Arts, New York University. Available athttp://www.nyu.edu/gsas/dept/fineart/html/Byzantine/
Müller-Weiner, Wolfgang (1977) Bildlexikon zur Topographie Istanbuls (Deutsches Archäologisches Institut) Verlag Ernst Wasmuth Tübingen
Van Millingen, Alexander (1912): The Byzantine Churches of Istanbul. Available at http://www.gutenberg.org/files/29077/29077-h/29077-h.htm
Categories: Uncategorized | No Comments »