BAFA GÖLÜ (LATMOS) STYLOS MANASTIRI

Abstract

The Stylos Monastery, located between Bağarcık and Kovan Yaylası, which is 740 metres high in the north of Mount Latmos, can be reached by a four hour climb from Karakaya village in Söke district of Aydın. The architecture, wall paintings, material-technique and architectural plastic works of the monastery built by St. Paul the Younger in the 10th century constitute the subject of our study. The building has a typicon and its significance lies in the presence of the Vita of the abbot of the monastery, St. Paulos the Younger, and the archival documents of the monastery. The main aim of our study is to introduce and document the architectural features of a Byzantine building and to determine the place and importance of the building in Byzantine architecture by comparing it with other buildings with similar plan features. In addition, we aim to analyse the iconographic and stylistic features of the wall paintings of the building in detail. The Monastery of Stylos has not been studied in detail and has not been sufficiently researched until today. Firstly, a survey plan of the church was drawn during our field studies, sections and restitution drawings were made, as well as drawings of the wall paintings in the Cave of Stylos, architectural plastic works around the church and the tomb structures belonging to the monastery. The current condition of the building was documented with photographs and laboratory analysis of the building materials of the church was carried out.