Meskendir Church is a cave church located deep in Red Valley, in Cappadocia, Turkey. It is a beautiful and serene spot, with elegant carvings and elaborate red painting. The church was built around 1000 AD and is part of a larger monastic complex that overlooks the valley floor.
Getting to Meskendir Church can be a bit challenging, but it is worth the effort. If you are starting from Çavuşin, you should walk southward up Red Valley. Continue past the Rose and Red Valley routes and continue straight for one kilometer. The church is on the left, twenty meters up the cliffside. The GPS coordinates are 38°38′39″ N 34°51′14″ E.
When you arrive at Meskendir Church, you will find that it was part of a larger monastic complex, complete with two churches, two refectory dining halls, and a cooking space. To the south (right) of the church, there is a small refectory hall with a side bench, apse, and checkered red trim. The table is now destroyed, but had three relief bosses (rock circles) with painted crosses on the ceiling above. The small basin in the corner perhaps contained the wine drunken at refectory meals. The west portion is collapsed, though the original doorframe remains.
The blackened space after the refectory was a cooking area. The irregular areas have many storage niches, tandir firepits, bread oven, and winepress. The next space is another refectory hall. A small chapel appears at the end of the rock face. This second church is largely destroyed except for the framed entrance and etched cross above the doorway.
Meskendir Church itself is a beautiful example of a cave church, with a cruciform (cross-shaped) nave that has a central dome and three apses. The crisp carving and proper proportions are the work of a master craftsman. The spacious nave measures 7 by 7 meters. The bottom third of the church has eroded due to mud accumulation (seen through the broken wall on the right).
The narthex (entry room) of the church was large, but has mostly eroded away. A large arched Roman cross, cut from the stone, decorated the roof, but only partially remains. The narthex had sophisticated artwork with plastered and painted icons. Two saints on a red background, exposed to the natural elements, are the only remaining paintings. Grave niches appear on both sides.
Considering the size of the cross, this narthex space was extended another 3+ meters to the west. This large size, and the presence of the ceiling relief and painted frescos, suggest that this narthex was itself the original church. Perhaps after the nave’s western portion collapsed into the valley below, the local residents carved the larger cruciform church through its apse.
The nave of the church follows a cruciform pattern—the large central area covered by a dome, and four transepts (arms) extending out. Thickly carved features decorate the side transepts. Three tall blind niches line the walls. A double-pilaster (half-column) extends from the cornice to the barrel vault above. A tall bench lines the interior of the church.
The apse had a full templon wall with windows and a doorway. Only the side portions remain. Multiple square insets detailed the lower portions. The stump of the detached altar has a framed base. The apse had a high synthronon bench, niched central chair, and two side seats, which have
