Kariye Museum is located in the Church of Christ the Saviour in Chora, which was founded in 4-5 centuries behind the walls of Constantinople. In the city the temple came only after the walls were built of Theodosius. For several centuries, the church was rebuilt, destroyed, restored, so to this day has not been preserved early Byzantine architecture.

But the main treasure of the church is considered to be not architecture, and exists now Kariye Museum decorated with mosaics and frescoes belonging to the years 1315-1321, which adorn the temple. At the time, the decoration of the church Theodore Metohija who was the first minister and chief treasurer at the court of the Emperor Andronicus II, spent a fortune.

When came to power Andronicus III, Metochites was removed from his post and sent into exile. On his return from exile Metochites became a monk in the Church Choir. After his death, he was buried in the chapel of the church. After 50 years after the fall of Constantinople on the orders of the vizier of Sultan Bayezid II, who was called Hadym Alm Pasha, the gallery was built over the minaret, and the frescoes and mosaics smeared whitewash. The temple became a mosque Kariye. It is because of the actions of the vizier a masterpiece of Byzantine art preserved under the plaster up to the present time. In 1948, experts of the Byzantine Institute (USA) began restoration work at the mosque. Kariye Museum opening in 1958.

The museum church 3 main areas: entrance hall, main room of the temple and funerary chapel with frescoes, which were established in 1320. It affects a variety of themes and rich detail of mosaics adorning the lobby and main room. They do not go to any comparison with other Byzantine churches, preserved to our times.

Traced four main themes: the genealogy of Christ, his birth and childhood, the life of the Virgin Mary, Christ's ministry. The image of Christ Pantocrator (the Almighty) is just in front of the door. The other side is decorated with the image of the Virgin with the angels. Mosaics depicting St. Peter and St. Paul, as well as the 16 kings of the tribe of David - in the narthex. Assumption of the Virgin is depicted in the nave. On the south side of the house was attached chapel, whose walls are decorated with frescoes on the theme of the Last Judgement, Hell and Paradise. The chapel walls are niches for tombs in this place murals are made on the theme of death and the afterlife. The surviving frescoes and mosaics museum Caria indicate that the Byzantine painting of the Renaissance era paleologicheskogo was philosophical depth, plastic and perspective, creating the impression of a living movement.