Aziz Yahya Exoteıchos kilisesi ekseninde: Trebizond imparatorluğundan modern Trabzon'a

Presently, the quantity of Byzantine and post-Byzantine churches that remainedwithin the city center of Trabzon is quite limited. Additionally, aside from significantexceptions like the Hagia Sophia of Trebizond, numerous structures remainunfamiliar to the local community and have been repurposed for various uses.Byzantine and post-Byzantine studies in Turkey tend to focus on other centers andthe heritage of Trebizond, a peripheral site with exceptional characteristics, receivesless attention. The present research focuses on St. John Exoteichos, earlier known asAgios Ioannes tes Petra, and its neighborhood, Sotka, with a diachronic approach.Built in the 13th/14th century, St. John Exoteichos was rebuilt by MetropolitanKonstantios in the 19th century. From the early 20th century onward, the church,once part of a complex with an adjacent Greek school building, briefly functioned asa warehouse during the Republican period. Subsequently, it transformed into aversatile hall for the neighboring primary school. The study focuses on threedifferent periods, and it illustrates the continuities, changes, and transformations inthe design and use of the church building throughout, regarding the region's political,architectural, and social dynamics. This thesis aims at contributing academicliterature by exploring the church's historical, architectural, and urban dimensions.The study of St. John Exoteichos, particularly its 19th-century version, offers a novelperspective within Trabzon's Byzantine and post-Byzantine heritage.