© 2020 Heiner Straesser, All Rights Reserved.
After a few weeks of lockdown caused by the corona virus, many feel more and more imprisoned and deprived of their freedom. They forget that this has nothing to do with being locked up. In 1950, this former Greek church was converted into a prison. A concrete ceiling was added at the height of the gallery and prison cells were installed on two floors. The political opponents of corrupt governments were imprisoned here. Among them were well known writers, journalists and those who stood up for democracy and freedom of speech. Since the prisoners had nothing to do, they scraped the white paint off the walls. Behind it were the paintings of the church walls. You can see this especially on the left of the pink column in cell 6(6.Koğuş). In 1983 the prison was closed. - Thanks to long exposure time the image is much brighter than reality. At the bright end of the corridor was formerly the main entrance to the church. Opposite in the dark is the toilet block of the prison. The sewage was led through an underground channel, which led outside in the courtyard through an open pit. One of the punishments for the prisoners was that they had to stand barefoot in this pit.
More panoramas of this church are here: http://derpanoramafotograf.com/EN/projects/meryemana.php
Lat: 38° 36' 51.74" N
Long: 34° 42' 50.581" E
Precision is: High. Pinpoints the exact spot.
Canon EOS7D, Tokina 10-17mm, Panoramahead Novoflex VR-System Pro, Rotator Nodal Ninja RD16, Nodal Ninja EZ Leveler II, Manfrotto Tripod
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