habitat rupestre.pdf - Società Friulana di Archeologia

C. Crescenziparticularly we can find it into the n. 3, n.6, n.16, n. 18 (SanBasil), Ylanli KIlise (n.28) and Sakli KIlise (n.2a).Only Ylanli Kilise has a single apse, a nave with the entranceset on the short side and a secondary smaller room, carved onthe opposite side; the other chapels, instead, have three apsesand the entrance on the greater side in front of these; sometimesthe barrel vault is divided by two arches, but without thedivision of the main space. Sakli Kilise and Goreme 3 containa rectangular endo-narthex, of the same sizes to the nave, andthese open to it through a large arch or two-three arcades.Another example of this plan is the lower chapel of Kubbeli(or Belli) Kilise at Soganli, but it is more complex in plan.In this case the church is accessed by a rectangular apsidalroom, placed at the south of the naos, with a perpendicularaxis to this last. Three apses were carved in the main space;both spaces are linked with a quadrangular area, barycentricto the plan, limited by a series of pilasters, which determine akind of ambulacrum, composed by the naos at east and the entranceroom at south. This space is covered with a small dome.The best example is Tokali Kilise II (Goreme 7), one of themost impressive architectural structures in Cappadocia. Thepart of the church realized recently is composed by a transversenave, carved perpendicularly at the eastern side of thesingle nave of the ancient Tokali I; the barrel vault of the naveis divided in three parts by two arches.The church has another peculiarity: a narrow passageway dividesthe main space from the apses. This last is covered bya flat ceiling and, elevated than the nave, it opens to this bya series of five arches; the two intermediate openings, at theentrance of each apse, are closed by plutei and two niches arecarved between the apses in the eastern wall; there are wellpreserved examples of cathedra, carved into the rock, at thebase of each of the four pilasters. The barrel vault covering thenave is divided in three parts by two arches; the southern wallis decorated with a molding of blind arches, two drip-stoneslodge a cycle of painting above which there’s the lunette of thevault decorated with a cross in relief.In the upper part there’s a cruciform division, the same proposedfor the opposite wall, but in this case, a series of fivenarrow arches open to the nave of a second chapel, rectangularand barrel vaulted, with an apse in the eastern wall. Theentire surface of the monument, realized in the middle of theX century, is decorated with painted cycles representing thelife of Christ, the Madonna and the Saints according to theByzantine tradition.These paintings with the moldings, the other decorations andthe arches contribute to the exceptional beauty of this monumentthat is ahead of the style of the Orthodox.Fig. 5 Karabas Kilise, Soganli. (C. Jolivet-Levy, 2001)Fig. 6 3D scheme of Basilica with Three Naves. (S. Sangiorgi)Fig. 7 Dormus Kadir, Goreme. (C. Jolivet-Levy, 2001)Double Nave or Single-Naves CoupledIn the absence of written sources, the analysis of the context(the position, the surrounding structures, etc...), the dimensionsand the architectural features of the church, associatedto the study of the decorations and paintings, can inform aboutthe function of the rupestrian monuments.The coexistence of parish churches, hermitages, monasticcomplex and memorial-funeral foundations make difficultto do a distinction between these different functions: in factsmall monastic churches could serve as parish churches, privatefoundations were often a part of a monastic complex.209volumeRicerca_OK_2012-11-15.indd 209 16/11/2012 15:03:26