La chiesa di sant'Eustachio a Göreme e la sua decorazione pittorica attraverso il database 'Cappadocia. Arte e habitat rupestre'

Abstract

This paper is strictly connected to the contribution of Maria Andaloro and Valeria Valentini, which presents the structure and the operation mode of the database "Cappadocia. Arte e habitat rupestre" ("Cappadocia. Art and rupestrian habitat"). I intend to show the potential of the same database through a specific example: the church of saint Eustachius in Göreme. This building is included in a very articulated and interesting rupestrian context. Several rooms were excavated in the surrounding pinnacles and rock structures. The Tuscia University team is currently investigating them, in order to clarify their civil or religious function. The church has a double aisled plan; the north aisle worked as funeral chapel and there is a small burial chamber in front of it. The southern aisle and the narthex are covered by paintings dating back to different phases between the early 10th century and the 11th century. Our database allows an analytical study of this decoration in the broader context of the Byzantine Cappadocian rock painting.The pictorial program of saint Eustachius combines features common to the Cappadocian tradition with original elements. Some iconographic details suggest the presence of a monastic community in the area surrounding the church in the Byzantine era. This hypothesis is supported also by some graffiti inscriptions mentioning monks.