BETWEEN SECLUSION AND DEFENSE: THE ARCHITECTURE OF YEDILER (KELLIBARON) MONASTERY

Date

2026-8-19

Author

Tanyeri, Ufuk

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This thesis examines the architectural formation of Byzantine monasticism in the Latmos region, with a particular focus on the Yediler (Kellibaron) Monastery within the broader landscape of Herakleia ad Latmos. While earlier scholarship—most notably by Theodor Wiegand, Urs Peschlow and Anneliese Peschlow, and Zeynep Mercangöz—has documented the monuments of the region from archaeological and art historical perspectives, this study revisits these sites through the lens of contemporary architectural theory. By situating monastic architecture within its topographical and environmental context, the thesis reconsiders the relationship between built form, landscape, and monastic life in a mountainous setting that fostered both isolation and connectivity. Within this framework, the enclosure wall and plan organization of Yediler Monastery emerge as a distinctive architectural response that integrates defense strategies, spatial hierarchy, and monastic practice. Rather than treating fortification as a purely military feature, this thesis interprets the enclosure as a spatial device that mediates between sacred withdrawal and external threat, producing a controlled monastic landscape. Through this approach, Yediler is positioned not only as a regional variant but as a critical case for understanding how defensive architecture, landscape, and monastic ideology intersect in Byzantine rural contexts.

Subject Keywords

Byzantine Monastic Architecture, Rural Monastery, Seclusion and Defense, Yediler (Kellibaron) Monastery, Mount Latros

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11511/120073

Collections

Graduate School of Social Sciences, Thesis