The small church of St Saviour (Chora means 'in the country' in Greek) is one of the best places in Istanbul to see the character which the city had in Byzantine times. It is also known as the Kariye Mosque (Kariye Camii in Turkish). Inside, it is richly decorated with mosaics and frescos which show how buildings like this related to each other, to open spaces and to vegetation. The character is recognizably Roman - but with a distinctly eastern flavour: one is aware of being on the road to a West Asian city.
