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Photo by Owen Tyler

Kariye Museum in the 11th-century church of St. Savior in Chora

The Byzantine church is filled with mosaic Christian scenes and portraits. When the Moslem Ottomans conquered Constantinople they covered the faces on the many mosaics throughout the city, but they did not destroy them. So they were able to uncover the faces when some of the churches were rededicated to Christianity or converted to museums.