Cappadocia Mustafa Pasa (Sinasos)

Mustafa Pasa (Sinasos)

Mustafa Pasa (Sinasos) is 6km to the south of Urgup, was inhabited by Greek Orthodox families until the beginning of the 20th century. The houses dating back to the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries display fine examples of stonework. The Gomede valley, to the west of Mustafapasa, resembles a small version of the Ihlara valley. As at Ihlara, the walls of the valley house churches and shelters carved from the rock, and a river runs through the valley.

The important churches and monastreies around Mustafapasa are, the church of Aios Vasilos, the Church of Constantine-HNelene, churches in the Monastery Valley and, the Church of St.Basil in the Gomede valley.

There is also a caravanserai built during the Ottoman period and displaying fine examples

Chapel Of St. Basil

Chapel Of St. Basil is located on the west side of Gomede Valley, about 2km west of the town of Mustafapasa. The church has a rectangular plan, two apses, and two naves with flat ceiling and is supported by two columns. on the walls of the west nave are semiembossed columns decorated with embelishments of geometrical and floral motifs. To the side of this nave, facing the Goreme Valley and the door of which is partly collapsed, is a grave that might have belonged to the donor of the church.

The apse of the eastern nave is decorated with three Maltese Crosses bordered with palm leaves and in each of these the name of a Patriarch is written. The Maltese cross in the center of the three, bearing the names instead of the paintings of the patriarchs, symbolises Abraham and the others Isaac and Jacob. Researchers state that these Maltese crosses symbolise Heaven or the three crosses on Golgota Hill.

The big cross on the ceiling, aroud which are decorations with geometrical and floral motifs, symbolises St Constantinople according to the inscription on the cornice.

Along side these motifs related to the notion of Iconocalism, two important saints, St Basil and St Gregory of Naziansus are depicted on the frnot of the apse. According to some researchers, the Chapel of St.Basil dates back to the Iconoclastic Period (726-843) or to a later period.