The Unusual Separation Of Cappadocian Refectories And Kitchens: An Enigma Of Architectural History

Paul Lucas, who visited Cappadocia in the early eighteenth century, claimed that the “strange carved spaces in the volcanic cones were the hermitages of Byzantine monks” (1) (2), which was echoed by the early European travelers and explorers that followed him, who also suggested that the harsh volcanic wilderness is likely to have attracted a large monastic community. Ever since, the region in central Anatolia, famous for its peculiar landscape and its carved structures, has retained the monastic identity with which it was initially stamped (Ousterhout, 1996a, 31) (3). Surprisingly, however, there is not a single document referring to Cappadocia in this sense, and it is unlikely that any will ever come to light (Rodley, 1985, 5, 237; Ousterhout, 2005a, 177) (4). As for physical evidence, unlike Western models, it is difficult to talk of a standard plan for a Byzantine monastery (Rodley, 1985, 240-4; Ousterhout, 1996a; 1997a) (5); and in the case of Cappadocia the idiosyncratic nature of the carved architecture makes it all the more difficult.