Cave monasteries of Byzantine Cappadocia

About this book

"A fully-illustrated account of the rock-cut monasteries, hermitages and other complexes in Cappadocia (central Anatolia, in modern Turkey). These were cut into soft volcanic rock, mostly during the ninth to eleventh centuries, when the area formed part of the Byzantine Empire. Although called 'cave' monuments, these monasteries were carefully finished to resemble ordinary built architecture. Some of the churches were decorated with wall paintings, which occasionally included portraits of their patrons or dedicatory inscriptions. This is the first book on the topic, in which Dr Rodley provides a definitive record of the monasteries and hermitages, tries to determine when, why, and by whom they were established, and places them within the larger contexts of Byzantine history and Byzantine monasteries."