Arched Church

Tirilye district of Bursa is a place that attracts great attention in the ancient times of Christianity. For this reason, many magnificent churches and monasteries are built in and around Tirilye. One of these churches is Kemerli Church, which is a frequent destination for many tourists every year.

Another name of the Arched Church, which is very important especially for the Orthodox, is Panagia Pantobasilissa. The columns of the church, which is estimated to have been built towards the end of the 13th century, were brought from the city of Alexandria in Egypt.

Dr. In the manuscript document prepared by John Covel in 1676 and containing information about the church, it is stated that the church was dedicated to Panagia Pantobasilissa, that is, to the Virgin Mary. Adopted as the visiting point of thousands of Orthodox every year in Trilye, the Kemerli Church also went down in history as the first church in the world whose walls were painted. It should also be noted that the Arched Church is also called the Trigleia Monastery Church, as well as the name Panagia Pantobasilissa. The thing that gives the building the title of "arched" is that it consists of arches on buttresses. So much so that the kemeer and its dome are placed on four columns. Ornate capitals were placed on the columns carrying the dome.

Arched Church, also known as Little Hagia Sophia among the people, suffered great damage in the earthquake that took place in 1855. In this earthquake, the bell tower and its dome were completely destroyed. It was repaired in 1883. With this repair, a few of the wall paintings can be easily selected.