Iconography of Gülşehir Karşı Kilise (St.Jean Church)

Cappadocia, a region in the middle of Anatolia housing for different civilizations, is one of the most important and strategic regions that accommodates some of the most important monuments of Byzantine era. Christianity that was born in Jerusalem, developed in Anatolia during Byzantine age and advanced into a religion whose rules was setup in counsils. Cappadocia region with Christian art monuments witnesses thge development of the religion. The political view of Anatolia completely changes when Seljuk Turks settled and established a state with Konya as a capital and Latins invaded Konstantinople in 1204. In this era, religious and culturel activities of Christian Cappadocia under the rule of Seljuk Turks continued. In tenth and eleventh centuries, cave churchs were being built and decorated with wall paintings in slower pace than before. The subject of this thesis is the extraordinary iconographic program of Karşı Kilise (St.Jean Church) that was built in Cappadocia region Gülşehir (Zoropassos) and whose construction date was written on the apsis with the name of Nicean emperor Theodore Laskaris. Concern of the humans about the after life, spiritual salvation, hopes for reincarnation, complex political and religious environment of thirteenth century and effects of regional art are investigated.