The iconography of Jesus passion depictions on the mural paintings of Byzantine churches in Cappadocia

The subject of this thesis is the iconography belonging to the period of passion of Jesus in the mural painting in Cappadocia. During the Byzantine period, the Cappadocia Region was one of the important religious and artistic centers of the empire. There are many wall paintings in the region. Passion scenes belong to Archaic group and Middle Byzantine period. Jesus passion contains 13 scenes. These scenes are; Entry into Jerusalem, Last Supper, Communion of the Apostles, Washing of the Feet, Garden of the Gestemane, Betrayal by Judas, Christ Before Annas and Caiaphas, Denial of Peter, Christ Before Pilate, Way of the Cross, Crucifixion, Descent from the Cross, Entombment. These scenes are seen in a total of 48 churches in Aksaray, Kayseri, Niğde and mainly Nevsehir provinces. The most common scene is the Crucifixion. It's followed by the Entry into Jerusalem, Last Supper and Betrayal by Judas. Jesus Before Annas and Caiaphas and Garden of the Gestemane scenes seen in the region only one scene. The canonical gospels determined the iconography of these scenes. Iconographic compositions are repetitive. On the other hand, the style is slightly different. Keywords: Cappadocia churches, Byzantine wall painting, Iconography, Jesus, Passion.