Writer: Danielle North
August 2010

In a large pinnacle of pastel coloured rock two small chapels have been hollowed out to create the Church of Ayvalı. The walls and ceilings of this double-naved church were once completely covered with colourful biblical scenes. Although destruction and decay have taken their toll, large parts of detailed painting still remain intact.

A kilometre to the east of Çavuşin village a dirt road starts winding its way northwards into a small valley, leading past fields full of bushy grapevines and rocks that resemble sand dunes. Gradually the track becomes narrower and slowly starts to rise up out of the valley. A small sign points to a steep path that climbs up to the prominent pink cone of rock in which the Church of Ayvalı is situated. Even now, with the thousands of tourists that yearly make their way into the surrounding valleys this place remains secluded and quiet, looking out over the valley below and the outcrop of rock marking Uçhisar village in the distance. It is not hard to imagine that this spot may have once been inhibited by a hermit, who chose this remote location as the appropriate place to devote his life to god, undisturbed by others. Later on the presence of such a man may have caught the attention of a wealthy patron who wished to commemorate the life of the devout hermit by financing the building and decoration of a church like that of Ayvalı.

Cave church with two naves
Nowadays the church is looked after by a young man named Ahmet. He makes his way here every day from a nearby village to unlock the door of the church to passers-by. In an adjoining small cave room he has created a little café where he provides cold drinks and homemade wine to thirsty visitors.
The Church of Ayvalı has been dug out of a robust cone of rock that protrudes like many others from the side of the valley. The church itself consists of two parallel chapels that lay side by side connected by a short passageway. It seems that the south chapel was used for the celebration of mass, while the one in the north was used as a funerary chapel, an assumption based on the grave pits in the floor. Originally both chapels could be entered separately from outside. The doorway of the funerary chapel has at some point been blocked up so that this part of the church can now only be entered via the south chapel. The original windows above both doorways have also been sealed closed while new openings were made above these with small holes that are just big enough for pigeons to enter through. Unfortunately these new openings cut straight through large parts of the paintings inside and out. A destructive measure deemed necessary when the chapels were transformed into pigeon houses. Here pigeon droppings could be collected that were vital for the fertilization of the fields in the vicinity.

Painted decoration
Surrounding the upper part of both original entrances are paintings that, despite their vulnerable position outside, have survived surprisingly well. On the inside of the arch of today’s entrance to the south chapel Emperor Constantine and his mother Helena are depicted holding a medallion with a cross above their heads. The cross not only refers to the Christian religion that they converted too, but also the True Cross that Helena is said to have found, the cross on which Jesus was crucified.
After entering the church from the bright light outside it takes some time to adjust to the dimly lit interior. With no electrical lighting in place the main source of light comes from the doorway and pigeon holes. The paintings of the first chapel have been exposed to smoke over a long period of time in the past, resulting in a thin black film that conceals much details of the work. Nevertheless, whoever takes the time to take a close look at the paintings in the church will easily discover a wealth of Byzantine craftsmanship. Figurative scenes and abstract decoration originally covered the complete surfaces of the two chapels, from the bottom of the walls to the tops of the barrel vaulted ceilings. Although both chapels have been severely damaged in places large parts of the paintings still remain intact.
Both chapels have two layers of paintings. In places where the top layer has disappeared the first phase of paintings and its accompanying inscriptions are visible. An example of this can be seen to the left of the passageway in the south chapel. Here a man has been rather crudely depicted, with enormous staring eyes and a small brown pointed beard. The simplicity of this first layer indicates that it was probably made by someone who was not a professional painter. Who this artisan exactly was is near on impossible to determine. Also difficult to answer with precision is when this first layer was painted. It is thought that this would have been somewhere in the latter half of the 9th century, soon after the chapels were dug out. On the other hand the second layer of decoration can be easily dated to 913-920 because of surviving inscriptions in the church. It is apparent that the top layer of painting in the Church of Ayvalı was executed by two different painters. The more skilled of the two is responsible for the majority of the paintings that we can still see today, with delicate brushwork and an eye for detail.
The top layer of decoration has two themes: in the south chapel key scenes from the life of Christ are depicted together with other events from the New Testament. These are organized in bands of narrative scenes that circle the walls of the nave. Well preserved for example are the images representing the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple and the Dream of Joseph. The scenes in the north chapel coincide with its function as a funerary chapel. The paintings that have survived here are better visible than those in the other chapel, with in places vibrant reds, yellows and greens. One of the most interesting scenes is that of the deathbed of Mary, known as the Dormation. She is seen here lying on a bed surrounded by the apostles and her son Jesus. Mary’s soul has left her body, represented by the small swaddled baby that has come out of her mouth. Her soul is received by Jesus Christ who gently holds the baby in his hands. In the barrel vaulted ceiling above, the apostles are depicted once more. Here they are seated and hold an open book on their laps with inscriptions stating where in the world they went to spread the word of God.
One day soon these high quality paintings with their wealth of details will hopefully be carefully cleaned to expose their full importance. This will not only ensure the preservation of this church for many more generations to come, but will also help us understand more about the context in which they came into existence.

Note: This article has been published in Peribacası Cappadocia Culture and Publicity Magazine, August 2010 issue. It is under protection of the copyrights of the magazine. No part of this article may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by electronic, mechanical or other means without prior permission from the owner. www.cappadociaexplorer.com