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Gül Mosque (Gül Camii, meaning 'Rose Mosque') in Istanbul, Turkey, is a former Byzantine church later converted by the Ottomans.
Scholars dispute its origins, with some linking it to the Nunnery of Saint Theodosia and others to the Monastery of Christ the Benefactor. The 15th-century traveler Stephan Gerlach identified it as Hagia Theodosia, but later research suggests it dates to the 12th-century Komnenian period and may have been the Monastery of Christos Euergetēs.
During the Byzantine era, the church was associated with St. Theodosia, a nun martyred in 729 for opposing Iconoclasm. Over time, she became a revered figure, and the church, originally dedicated to St. Euphemia, was later named after her. Built during Basil I’s reign, it was looted during the Fourth Crusade in 1204. After the Ottoman conquest in 1453, the church, adorned with roses at the time, was converted into Gül Mosque. A minaret was added during Selim II’s reign, and earthquakes caused significant damage, leading to restorations under Murad IV and Mahmud II.
The mosque has a Greek cross-plan with a high vaulted basement and five domes, the central one being an Ottoman addition. The exterior features the recessed-brick technique typical of Byzantine architecture, while the apse, galleries, and side chapels resemble those of the Pantokrator Monastery. The mihrab was placed in the former main apse. A small chamber inside is believed to house the tomb of Gül Baba, an Ottoman holy man, though it may have originally belonged to St. Theodosia.
Among Istanbul’s surviving Byzantine churches, Gül Mosque remains a significant example of cross-in-square architecture.
The ancient Argos Theater was built in 320 BC. and is located in Argos, Greece against Larissa Hill. Nearby from this site is Agora, Roman Odeon, and the Baths of Argos. The theater is one of the largest architectural developments in Greece and was renovated in ca 120 AD.
The Hellenistic theater at Argos is cut into the hillside of the Larisa, with 90 steps up a steep incline, forming a narrow rectilinear cavea. Among the largest theaters in Greece, it held about 20,000 spectators and is divided by two landings into three horizontal sections. Staircases further divide the cavea into four cunei, corresponding to the tribes of Argos A high wall was erected to prevent unauthorized access into the theatron and may have helped the acoustics, but it is said the sound quality is still very good today.
Around 120 CE, both theaters were renovated in the Roman style.