The Kariye Djami

The Kariye Djami was published in 1966 as part of the Bollingen Series, a prestigious scholarly initiative dedicated to the study of art, archeology, and mythology. This monumental multi-volume work was the culmination of an extensive restoration project led by Paul Atkins Underwood, who served as the director of the Byzantine Institute of America. The project aimed to document the intricate fourteenth-century mosaics and frescoes of the Chora Church in Istanbul, which had been concealed beneath layers of plaster and whitewash for centuries following the church's conversion into a mosque.

Underwood’s documentation set is considered a definitive reference for Byzantine art history, noted for its meticulous technical detail and high-quality photography. By capturing the nuances of the Palaiologan Renaissance, the work provided scholars with a comprehensive look at an artistic period previously obscured by the passage of time. The publication was widely praised within academia for its rigor and its contribution to the preservation of cultural heritage, effectively solidifying the Chora Church’s position as one of the most important monuments of late Byzantine architecture.