This is just across the road and up the hill from Odalar Camii and probably belongs to the same monastery, which might have been the Monastery of St John in Petra. It burned down in a fire in the early 20th century. It is a solid-looking rectangular block and probably not a church, but another building from the monastery. I couldn’t get in and was taking a photo over the high wall when an efficient woman came out of an apartment block, led me back to the door and showed me how to pick the lock (41.028757,28.939528).
Interior of Kasım Ağa Camii
Immediately to the south of the building is a Byzantine cistern. Freely (1983) was dismissive of Kasım Ağa Mescidi itself, which apparently was a ‘very mean hovel’ in the ruins. However, he commented on the beauty of the cistern (İpek Bodrum) with its Corinthian column capitals. The cistern is now inaccessible (at least, I can’t get in) and the roof is occupied by a playground off Kurtağa Çeşmesi Sokak.
Niche on the north-west wall
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 at http://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
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