The cave churches of Cappadocia, Turkey were built and decorated over several centuries. This 13th Century fresco is indicative of the latest and highest state of the art.
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The “dark church” in Cappadocia was the absolute highlight of our trip! It is amazing how old and well perserved these beautiful images are all these centuries later.
Lance, the variance of the frescoes over the centuries in these churches is astounding. From the early line drawings to detailed painting like the one here, it’s as if you can just trace the development and maturity of the society by moving from church to church. I really hope Turkey preserves these things–a bit better than they seem to be doing now. I just saw too many collapsed caves to have much optimism that these remarkable works will survive unless Turkey does something drastic, and soon.