Panagia Rum Kilisesi

Historical

According to the historian Levidis, the 19th century. Panagia Church, built in 1840, is located within the borders of Reşadiye (Stefana) district of Talas district of Kayseri. It is located on a high hill overlooking Thalas. The building, which cannot be perceived from the road, is in a neglected and dilapidated condition in a high-level garden separated by a staircase from the main street. Nowadays, this staircase section has been demolished. Access to the church is easier than the pathway on the garden street.After it became private property with the exchange, the building, which was used as a yarn and cloth factory between 1938-1975, saw the greatest interventions in this period. The closure of the western wall, that is, the entrance to the church, coincides with this period, in 1956. The church was registered. Registration date and number: Kayseri KVTVKK, 22.06.2007, 844 Architectural The church was built in a basilica plan with three naves. The apse is hardly visible; original spatial and material features have not survived. There is no trace of an external narthex in the structure with a rectangular plan. The presence of a gallery in the west is understood from the traces in the building. The building was built with rubble stone filled, cut stone covered, double-walled walls using the masonry technique. Columns and piers are made of stone and covered with stucco. Columns rest on rectangular stone bases. Pillars and legs are interconnected by arches and metal-iron struts. The arches sit on consoles in the side naves. The space forming the naos is covered with barrel vaults and cross vaults; Although the apse has collapsed, the profile of its vaults can be seen. The roof is covered with interlocking corrugated stones. The floor is not perceptible today because it is cemented. The naos, which measures 9.7 x 14.04 meters from the inside, is arranged as three naves, with three columns and two arch pillars each forming the apse. Columns 48 cm. and its cross-section is 60-75 cm and 60-70 cm. Although the full-empty rhythm in the openings can be selected, the original details have disappeared. There are niches on the north and south main walls. Three arched windows on the west wall (gallery floor); On the eastern wall, there are three arched windows on the frontal wall defining the naos. Traces of iconographic frescoes are observed on the vaults. There are stucco and Tuscan decorations on the column heads, and acanthus leaves on the consoles where the arches sit on the side naves. Flat lintels are seen in the openings; the facades do not have any other decorations. The stone roof canopy and stone roof covering is partly in place. There is no inscription on the building. Current Status Reinforced concrete additions were made to the interior due to its factory function. The interventions made due to the change in function damaged the originality of the building. Although its plan is understandable and its spatial features can be predicted, its original features disappeared and its relationship with its environment changed when it was used as a factory. Today, there are additional spaces adjacent to the south of the building. The entrance to the building is provided by passing through the courtyard formed with additional walls. The eastern wall was removed and turned into an entrance. The original entrance (west wall) of the church was closed, and the apse (eastern wall) was removed and turned into an entrance. The openings with stone lintels in the north and south walls were closed, and a door was opened in the north wall. The gallery floor has been removed. Additional reinforced concrete carrier masses were added to the columns, and a reinforced concrete area was added to the interior. It is possible that these additions were used at the factory to install a crane and a horizontal transport system. The floor is covered with cement. When the building was a factory, a reinforced concrete water tank was placed on its roof. The vaults and arches are covered with plaster. There are religious frescoes on the vaults, but only some of them have survived because of the plaster cast. The problems on the roof caused the plaster to fall off and the frescoes to deteriorate.