User:Kansas Bear/Kızıl Kilise

The Kızıl Kilise, aka Red Church, is a ruined historic church in Güzelyurt district of Aksaray Province, Turkey. The church takes its name from the red stones it was built of. The building is listed in the World Monuments Watch since 2008.

Background
Built in the sixth century during the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I (reigned 527–565), it is one of the oldest churches in the Cappadocia region.

While the churches in Cappadocia were constructed as cave churches by carving out rocks, the Kızıl Kilise was built in traditional masonry with precisely cut blocks from various types of volcanic stone by high quality craftsmanship. Four columns at an octagonal base support the central dome, which is the most important architectural element of the church. Windows at the base of the building bring light into the church interior featuring huge lintels. It is assumed that the church served as an imperial, or funerary chapel. It was a stop for pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem.

Gertrude Bell (1868–1926), English traveller, archaeologist and writer, visited the Kızıl Kilise during her travel on horseback through Anatolia in 1907.

Restoration
Climatic conditions on the vast plains in the central Anatolian region of Cappadocia such as harsh winters with extreme cold weather may have caused the abandonment of the church long time ago so that the unused structure began to ruin. In 2011, restoration works began to save the ruined church structure from collapse. International fund raising was accomplished for the €500,000 costing restoration project. İsmet Ağaryılmaz, a retired professor for reatoration of Yıldız Technical University headed the works.

The church is situated in an area without any settlement around that makes it vulnarable by people carryiing out illegal excavations. The site is a destination for religious tourism.