Göreme Open-Air Museum

The Göreme Open Air Museum is a theater-shaped valley surrounded by steep cliffs. Its walls contain cave churches and a monastery complex. It is the best place to see multiple cave churches dating to the 10th and 11th centuries and a monastery complex in one place.

The churches resemble cathedral-style churches with apses, domes, arches, and columns but are without windows. The interiors feature Cappadocia’s most vibrant and best-preserved frescoes.

The Göreme Open-Air Museum entrance has ample parking, food stands, and souvenir shops.

Churches in the Göreme Open-Air Museum

Buckle Church (Tokalı Kilise)

The interior frescoes of the Tokalı Kilise, or Buckle Church, in Göreme Open Air Museum. — The interior frescoes of the Tokalı Kilise, or Buckle Church.

The Buckle Church is named after the buckle-like ornament on its central arch. It has a porch, narthex, and vaulted nave with three apses. Its lively and animated frescoes depict Christ from the Annunciation to the Ascension. The Crucifixion is depicted on the wall of the main apse.

The frescoes also depict Saints Catherine, Helena, Theodore, Basil, and Simeon Stylites, as well as bishops, monks, and priests of the early church.

Apple Church (Elmalı Kilise)

Arch and ceiling mosaics in the Apple Church, depicting Jesus and the saints. — Arch and ceiling mosaics in the Apple Church depict Jesus and the saints.

The Apple Church is one of the most prominent churches in the Göreme Open-Air Museum. It has a cross plan with a vaulted ceiling, four columns, and a central dome. Its colorful frescoes, dating to the 11th and 12th centuries AD, depict scenes from the Bible, the Life of Christ, and various saints. The main apse has a fresco of the Deisis.

Saint Barbara Church (Azize Barbara Kilise)

Frescoes on the walls of the Azize Barbara Kilise, or Saint Barbara Church, in Göreme Open Air Museum. — Frescoes on the walls of the Azize Barbara Kilise, or Saint Barbara Church.

The Saint Barbara Church is behind the rock that contains the Apple Church. It is in a cruciform plan with two columns. The north, south, and west wings have barrel-vaulted ceilings, while the center and east corners are domed. It has a central apse and two side apses. The frescoes, dating to the second half of the 11th century, are mostly painted in red with geometric patterns, military symbols, and mythological animals.

Snake Church (Yılanlı Kilise)

A fresco on the wall of the Yılanlı Kilise, or Snake Church, depicting Saint George and Saint Theodore harassing Satan, in the form of a serpent, on horseback with their spears.

The Snake Church gets its name from one of its frescoes depicting Saint George and Saint Theodore on horseback, harassing Satan, who is under them and in the form of a monster serpent. Opposite the entrance is an image of Christ with a book in his hand. On the left of Christ is a large cross (the “true cross”) with Constantine the Great and his mother, Helena, who, according to tradition, went to Jerusalem and found the cross on which Christ was crucified.

The Snake Church has a linear plan with two chambers. The front section is barrel vaulted, and the back has a flat ceiling.

Sandal Church (Carıklı Kilise)

The apse and ceiling of the Carılı Kilise, or Sandal Church, in the Göreme Open Air Museum. — Frescoes on the apse and ceiling of the Carıklı Kilise, or Sandal Church.

The Sandal Church gets its name from sandal marks on its floor. It has a cruciform plan. In the central dome is a fresco of Christ Pantocrator, surrounded by the Archangels Michael, Uriel, Raphael, and Gabriel. In the north apse are portraits of various saints, including Saint Basil. The south apse has a fresco of the Virgin Mary and the Baby Jesus.

Dark Church (Karanlık Kilise)

Frescoes on the walls, ceilings, and arches of the Karanlık Kilise, or Dark Church, in the Göreme Open Air Museum. — A fresco depicting the Crucifixion of Christ on the wall of the Karanlık Kilise, or Dark Church.

The Dark Church has a cross-vaulted cruciform plan with a central dome and four columns. Its frescoes depict scenes from Christ’s life. These include the Nativity with Mary and the heads of cows and donkeys warming the infant Jesus with their breath, the Last Supper, the Betrayal of Christ by Judas, and the Crucifixion.

Monastery Complex

The monastery complex has seven stories and contains a refectory (dining hall), kitchen, parlor, residences, and storage rooms. A chapel is on the second level, and a church is on the third level, reached by a tunnel. The church has a cruciform plan with a dome, three apses, and four columns. In the monastery complex, you will also see disk-shaped doors that could be rolled into place to seal entrances in times of danger.