Abstract:

There is a façade carved into a rock on the top of the hillside situated on the southwest of Cevher Paşa Mosque and on the northeast of Inner Castle (İç Kale) in Tabae (Kale-i Tavas). In the middle of the façade appears a door opening, a niche with longitudinal rectangular form on both sides and a triangle pediment on it. It could be thought that the site which was entered through a door was used as a grave. The Christians most probably expanded the site towards southeast and added apse to its end and therefore, they used it as a basilica with single -nave. Due to the small size of the structure carved into a rock in Tabae, its architectural features, rough craftmanship, and similar examples, the ancient city might belong to Early Christianity- Byzantine Period. Besides the church in Tabae, three plaques, two with geometric patterns and one with figures, belonging to Byzantine Period are important. The plagues which can not be determined now, but thought to be used in masonry were discovered in Karaköy in 1950s. Diamond / rhombohedron shaped motifs appear on geometric patterned plaques which were confined in a rectangular framework. Animal figures in circles were placed on the remaining corners. The animal figures consist of fantasy animals like gryphon and peacock. The angel on the figured plaque occurs among the depictions of Archangel Michael, the angel of heaven’s forces. The angel’s frontal depiction, dressed in the Imperial loros, having wings, sceptre with the cross, and ball in his left hand are characteristics of this type. When the motifs and the figures which occur on both the geometric patterned plaques and the figured plaques are compared with their similars, it is revealed that they belong to the Middle Byzantine Period.

Keywords: