| Located at the south-western slopes
of the ancient Acropolis of Bizye and often identified as the town's
episcopal church during the Byzantine period, the former church of
Hagia Sophia at Vize -- also known as the Ayasofya or Süleyman Paşa
Camii -- occupies an important, if somewhat ambiguous position in
the history of Byzantine ecclesiastical architecture. Featuring a
basilican plan that terminates in three polygonal apses, an imposing
central dome, a western narthex, and galleries that stretch the entire
length of the building above the side aisles as well as the narthex,
the church measures an impressive 25 x 12 meters and follows a type
frequently characterized as either an extended cross-domed church
or a 'compact domed basilica.' As such, the church at Vize features
a building type commonly associated with the so-called 'dark centuries'
in the history of Byzantine architecture, stretching from the early
seventh through the late ninth centuries. From this period, only a
few churches have survived. In the Byzantine capital itself, only the
church of Hagia Eirene, restored and partly rebuilt after an earthquake
in 740, and Basil I's Nea Ekklesia, preserved in the description of
Patriarch Photios, can be cited as examples of the architecture of
this period. |  |
More prominent structures have survived in Greece
and Asia Minor, namely the church of Dere Ağzi, the church of
St. Nicholas at Myra, the Hagia Sophia at Thessalonike, as well as
the churches of St. Clemens at Ankara and the Koimesis Church at
Nikaia, both now destroyed. There are, however, a number of lesser
known buildings from this period in closer proximity to the capital,
which have not yet received attention attention in discussions about
the development of Byzantine architecture in the capital. Among these
churches, which include the Fatih Camii at Trilye (modern Zeytinbaği),
the church of St. John of the Pelekete Monastery, and the church
of the Archangels at Sige, and others, the most important and best
preserved is undoubtedly the church of Hagia Sophia at Vize. A thorough
archaeological exploration, documentation and analysis of this building
will not only provide an important contribution to the study of Byzantine
architecture during the so-called 'dark centuries', but will help
to raise awareness for the preservation of a structure that is in
immediate danger of collapse and destruction.
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