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The Pammakaristos Church is a Byzantine church in Istanbul. It was the last pre-Ottoman home of the Ecumenical Patriarchate before being converted into the Fethiye Mosque in 1591. Today, part of it functions as a museum. The building, an important example of Palaiologan architecture, houses the largest collection of Byzantine mosaics in Istanbul after Hagia Sophia and Chora.
Built between the 11th and 12th centuries, the church was later expanded with a side chapel, the parekklesion, dedicated to Christos ho Logos. After the Ottoman conquest, it served as the Patriarchate until 1587, then became a mosque under Sultan Murad III. Significant alterations were made to accommodate Islamic prayer.
Restored in 1949, the parekklesion became a museum. Further renovations began in 2021, and the mosque reopened for prayer in 2022, with restoration completed in 2024. The church originally had a cross-in-square design, later modified under Ottoman rule. The parekklesion retains stunning mosaics, including a Pantocrator dome surrounded by Old Testament prophets and scenes of Christ's Baptism.
References: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.