» in the caves & cave churches of Cappadocia (under construction)
links to the LANDSCAPE, VILLAGES and the STONE CHURCHES «

In Byzantine times cappadocia became a religious center with many hermitages and monasteries. Mainly until the 13th century many cave churches were built and wealthy donators payed for expensive frescoes. Rich owners of large estates created luxurious cave houses and decorated them with big magnificent facades. The soft tuff rock, an advantage to build caves, turned into a big disadvantage today. It does not resist erosion and human destruction. There are so many objects, that official preservation is concentrated on the most important ones. Aim of this documentation is to keep them at least in photography.