Kalenderhane Mosque

This former Byzantine church near the Valens Aqueduct dates largely to the twelfth century and preserves one of the finest domed cross plans of the middle Byzantine period. Converted to a mosque after the conquest and later used by a dervish order, from which it took its name, it retains rich revetments of coloured marble on its interior walls. Excavations uncovered a rare series of frescoes depicting Saint Francis of Assisi, painted during the brief Latin occupation. The building offers a compact but layered record of shifting faiths.