July 9, 2015
The Greek Orthodox Panagia Pantobasilissa Church, the first church in history whose walls were decorated with frescoes, has been put on sale by a real estate agent named Nusret Akyüz. In the advertisement, Akyüz asks for $1 million for the historic church in Tirilye, a town with several Byzantine churches and many old Ottoman houses. The building is not categorized as a “historical asset” but has rather been placed in the category “buildings older than 30 years.”
The building, known in Turkish as the Kemerli Church, features columns that are believed to have come from Alexandria in Egypt. Based on the architecture of the walls, experts believe that the church was constructed at the end of the 13th century.
There are several frescoes on the walls of the church, some of which date back to the 14th century. The church is not currently in use as a place of worship.
