Byzantine architecrure in Niğde Silver Monastery and its surrounding

Niğde Gümüşler Monastery has an important place in spreading religion and is one of the remarkable rock-carved places. Although the names used in the Byzantine period in the town have changed, it is known that it got its current name from the silver mine that was mined near the town. The town is located at an economic crossroads both today and in ancient times. The town is 8 km southeast of the city centre. It was established in a valley far away. The monastery stands out with its unique features, with its underground rooms, church and courtyard. Although the absence of any inscription in the Gümüşler Monastery has eliminated the possibility of giving a definite date for this place, when we look at the monastic characteristics and similar monasteries in the Cappadocia region, we can see that this place is A.D. It is thought that it was made in the 7th - 8th centuries and the frescoes in the church were made in a later period, in the 10th - 11th centuries. It will be evaluated at the end of our dating research and a conclusion will be reached. The monastery is one of the monasteries with an open courtyard, and there is a square area in the middle of the courtyard resting on 4 columns. In the monastery, dining hall, outbuildings, storage areas, monks' rooms, kitchen, water tank, rooms, etc. There are many rooms. The 2-storey monastery is quite large and magnificent. The church has a closed Greek cross plan with four free supports. To the west of the naos there are two entrances covered with barrel vaults, and there are two burial niches to the north of the northern cross arm of the church. All four pillars of the church are decorated with geometric motifs, and the scenes on the walls; Jesus on the throne, two angels on his right, symbols of the Gospel writers, Deisis, Mary and the apostles, the subjects of the birth of Jesus and his presentation to the temple, and pictures of church fathers such as Basil the Great from Kayseri, Gregorios from Nysa, Gregorios from Nazians. The most discussed and popular fresco of the monastery is the Smiling Virgin Mary fresco. The fact that there is no similar figure of a laughing Mary in the world is a factor that makes the monastery important in this respect, but whether this fresco was really made like this or whether this happened during the restoration of all murals by M. Gough in 1965 is controversial.