page_title: Alahan Monastery
section_title: East Church
hierarchical_section_title: Alahan Monastery / Buildings / East Church
caption_attribution_description: English: Alahan Monastery
context_page_description: Alahan Monastery is a complex of fifth century buildings located in the mountains of Isauria in southern Asia Minor. Located at an altitude of 4,000 ft, it stands 3,000 ft over the Calycadnus valley and is a one-hour walking distance from the village of Geçimli. Although termed a monastery in many sources, this attribution is contested and more recent scholarship consider it to be a pilgrimage shrine. The complex played a significant role in the development of early Byzantine architecture, and practically everything known about it can be attributed to the excavations of Michael Gough.
context_section_description: The East Church, located on the far eastern side of the monastery, is the best preserved of all the churches. It is considerably smaller than the West Church, measuring 23 by 15 m (75.5 by 49 ft) in size. It has a basilica design with a tower superimposed over the east section of the nave. Gough believes that the roof was likely not made of stone, as practically none were found among the rubble of his excavation. Rather, he suggests that it was likely made of a light timber tiles. 
  This church is less decorated than the other two because it was only approached from within the monastery complex. It contains only slight adornments on the entrance.
caption: Inside the East Church
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