Aydinlar Church

Aydinlar Church

The Church of Aydınlar in Atalar Village, located 27 km away from Torul town, was once a thriving Christian church. The church features Christian frescoes depicting Jesus Christ in the Pantacrator pose, as well as images of Gospel writers and passages on some walls. It was constructed in the 1850s by the British and the Russians.

Aydinlar Church

The entrance to the church is a rectangular opening with a flat lintel and arched pediment. The eastern façade features a protruding apse and pastaphorion cells pitched outward from inside to outside in a half-round shape. The apse has a window with intricate arrow-shaped designs, while windows and niches adorn each side of the inner nave. Two separate columns divide the three main sections inside the building in front of the entrance.

The central section of the cathedral is the largest and has a vaulted, cradle-type roof. The pillars at each end connect it to well-defined arches on the sides, which are connected by round belts. The interior walls have pale plaster paintings that were whitewashed over in Byzantine times.