St. John Studios, 463 AD Byzantine

Located in present day Istanbul, the  Monastery of Stoudios or more formally known as “Monastery of Saint John the Forerunner "at Stoudios"” was founded by senator Studios in 463 AD. Dedicated to St. John the Baptist, the monastery became one of the most powerful churches of its time., the Monastery was destroyed in 1453 during the Turks conquest of Constantinople and has remained in constant disrepair.

The monastery is modeled after basilicas of the time. It has a central nave with flanked by aisles. Elongated column capitals expanding to a clerestory, arch top windows and a semi-circular apse. However, the proportions are greatly reduced and influenced be early Byzantine culture.¹

The first major test the Stoudites faced came in 484-519 AD during the schism of Acacius. The monastery served a predominant role in early byzantine culture, becoming a stronghold against iconoclast heretics in the eighth and ninth century.

The monastery has fallen into vast disrepair over time. Having been destroyed by foreign invaders, fires and natural disasters. Much of the interior has been destroyed and the roof caved in. The monastery stayed like this for nearly a hundred years before being converted into a mosque in 2014. This has outraged the Christian community whom believe the building should be made into a museum for early Christianity.

 

Work Cited

1       1)      Early Christian and Byzantine Architecture, Krautheimer, Richard. Penguin Books 1965